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ANSWERS TO GO with Susan Smith

Sunday, June 28, 2020

SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY

625 E. HOPKINS ST.

512-393-8200

Q. I’ve been using Front Porch Pickup to get books for my mother-in-law. She loves Ann Rule’s true crime books, but she’s read most of those. Usually I browse the shelves for other books near Rule’s books. Can you help me find books that will please my mother-in-law?

A. Yes. Many of our customers don’t usually walk in the door knowing exactly what they want to read. They like to browse the shelves until they see something appeal ing. Since the library doors are closed, it can be hard for people to identify specific titles to reserve for Front Porch Pickup.

I have five suggestions.

Number One: Our library director likes to take photographs of shelves. I think she often does this with our new book shelves. The reader can let her know whether they want fiction, biography, or nonfiction titles. Then she emails or texts those photographs to readers. Any of our librarians could do this for you.

Two: I have another strategy for nonfiction using the library’s online catalog. I noticed that Rule’s books often have a subject heading of murder. I did a catalog search for “murder.”

Once the list of books came up, I used the options on the left side to narrow my results. First, I clicked on “Format” and then “Books.” Then further down the left side, I clicked on “Collection” and then “Adult Nonfiction.”

Most of Ann Rule’s books have a call number of 364.1523. It is simple to skim down the list of books and call numbers to find other true crime murder books by Rule and many other authors. I think this comes pretty close to the experience of browsing along the bookshelves.

Three: Search the catalog for books by a favorite author. In this case, the author is Ann Rule. I click on the title of one of her books. When the full information on that book appears, look on the left and click on “related and similar titles.”

You will see lists of similar titles, similar authors, and similar series for the book you selected. This method works well for fiction, too.

Four: When you look at the online catalog, you will see several options above the search box. Click on BookLetters to see various category lists of new books. There are more than a dozen lists, but here is a sample: New Fiction; New Nonfiction; New Mysteries; Science & Nature; Cooking, Crafts, & Gardening; Business & Finance; Science & Nature; and Notable Fiction.

When you click on a list, you will see a dozen new books related to the topic. You can place reserves by clicking on the “Check Our Catalog.” If you like Book-Letters, you can subscribe to receive monthly emails on new books by your favorite categories.

Five: This is the simplest. Just call 512-393-8200 or email smpl@sanmarcostx. gov and ask us to pull a stack of books for you. We are happy to do that. All we need is information on the type of books you like or authors you have enjoyed in the past.

No matter what method you choose, we are happy to pull the books and have them ready for Front Porch Pickup. Monday through Saturday, Front Porch Pickup hours are 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. On Sunday, our Pickup hours are 4 to 6 p.m.

Need something printed? Attach your document to an email and send it to smpl@sanmarcostx.gov, and then stop by during Front Porch Pickup hours.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666