Westerly Sun Column | Library is Full of Books of All Genres and Uses

A few days ago, a relative stranger asked me (upon learning I was a librarian): “So, what books are popular at the library right now?” An innocent question, but the answer is surprisingly nuanced! Are we talking about books that currently have the longest wait lists, or books that have circulated the most? Books that have received rave reviews and award nominations, or books that went viral because they were mentioned in a news article or social media post? What about genre … are folks reading more sci-fi, thrillers, beach reads, or non-fiction at the moment? Of course, I didn’t batter this poor man with all the specifics (I saved that for this column!). Instead, I named the new prequel to the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, which had just come out. Truthfully, though, I’m always fascinated — and sometimes surprised — by which books are trending at any given time.

Librarians put a lot of thought into selecting books for our collection, evaluating each based on criteria such as timeliness, relevance to our community, professional reviews, and demand. It can be tricky, but there are also titles that are no-brainers. When it comes to the latest book by Patterson, Baldacci, and Steel, for instance, we know we need to order several copies. The same goes for any book that Oprah or Reese Witherspoon endorse. We even have to stay on top of what is popular on TikTok, since the #BookTok community has a tendency to launch books from obscurity to international fame overnight. These books are often several years old, too, like “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, which didn’t sell well until it started making the rounds on TikTok, 10 years after it was released.

The majority of “popular” books are fiction, but there are still plenty of trendy titles and subjects to be found in the non-fiction collection. There are titles that are consistently popular, like “Atomic Habits” by James Clear or “Being Mortal” by Atul Gwande, but, for the most part, different subjects see surges in popularity during different times of year. Right now, as summer is looming, every other person who comes in is looking for a travel guide. In a few weeks, all of our books on vegetable gardening will be checked out, followed shortly thereafter by cookbooks specializing in seasonal recipes (a la “Six Seasons” by Joshua McFadden). Even school assignments have a huge impact in the book requests we get! For a month or so each year, our poetry collection looks pretty sparse when students are instructed to check out a book of poems for an assignment. For years, my colleagues in Reference had a folder of resources on “Chicken Anatomy,” which only came in handy once a year when the high schoolers were assigned a project on the subject, but during that time it was reached for constantly.

We still have that folder somewhere, though demand has now waned. At some point, ornithology will catch the eye of TikTokers, and we’ll be ready when it does.

by Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian