Week 11: NoveList Plus & NoveList K-8
Posted on: June 10, 2010
Novelist Plus (Adults, Kids, & Teens)
Novelist K-8 (Kids and Teens only)
Customers think that anyone that works in the library knows about every book out there- non-fiction, sci-fi, mysteries, romance, you name it, you should know about it. I like to tell customers that I work in the library therefore I don’t have time to read. Of course, it’s impossible even for the well read amongst us to be able to recommend books in every genre. Anyway, the point is that you don’t have to be well read to help customers find books to read. NoveList can help.
NoveList can help you find new books for customers based on other books and authors they like. You can search by author, title, series title, or by describing a book plot. You can also limit by age group- younger kids, older kids, teens, and adults. Novelist covers fiction and non-fiction titles.
Novelist Plus is comprehensive covering adults, kids and teens whereas Novelist K-8 covers kids and teen titles only. In addition, each listing has an SJPL library catalog link and you can instantly check if the library has the book. NoveList is also great for figuring out the order of series book titles. For example, a customer may ask for the 3rd book in the Left Behind Series. You can look up the series title in NoveList Plus/ K-8 and it will list in order (with publication date) the books in the series. There are also book discussion guides, lists of award winners, and book talks.
NoveList is really a powerful tool. Here’s a sample of what you can find within a book listing in Novelist Plus/ K-8:
- Link to our library catalog
- Grade level, Reading Level, and Lexile of book
- Link to Similar Books
- Book Reviews
- Book Summary
- Series Information (if applicable)
I highly recommend you check out NoveList and explore this database.
Discovery Exercise:
- Read this http://support.epnet.com/uploads/kb/gettingstarted_plus.pdf
- Use the Describe a Plot search limiter in Novelist Plus. A customer says she’s looking for a book but doesn’t know the title or the author but she remembers it was about a woman who went through a divorce and made a journey to India. What is the title of the book?
- Can you tell me what the grade level is for Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
- A parent wants recommendations for her 10 year old that wants fantasy books. Hint: use the Recommended Reads link under the appropriate age group.
Access outside the library with a San Jose Public Library card number and PIN
Don’t forget to leave a comment below to register your participation, and then go bid on a prize!
183 Responses to "Week 11: NoveList Plus & NoveList K-8"
June 10, 2010 at 10:30 am
I think this is a pretty helpful database. I’ve always wondered if there was something like this and what do you know they make one. =)
I also tried the database myself. I use the “describe a plot,” however, it couldn’t find what I was looking for, but it did give me a list of other books with similar plots which was pretty cool.
I think this database can really help us help and help patrons look for a book that they can’t remember the title or author to.
Also, the “Recommended Read” is a two thumbs up. I get parents coming in asking me if I can recommend books for their kids too and I always referred them to a librarian or a section of the library but this is more helpful where it can narrow it down to the type of books like scifi, mystery, and etc.
June 10, 2010 at 10:47 am
This database is very useful for locating book.
Thanks
June 10, 2010 at 11:42 am
The search is very customizable and makes it possible to search by a variety of options (title, plot, series, etc.). I think this is a very useful resource to discover new books.
June 10, 2010 at 12:07 pm
This is a very useful database. There are patrons always coming in asking for recommended readings.
June 10, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Carol Valentine Access Services at King
I did not find an easy way to find books by grade level. For diary of a wimpy kid I tried to locate first under young children then under older children. I tried again by entering the title and then limited to first grade with no results but when I next tried the title limited to third grade it came up. If someone asks about a specific grade I guess you just use the larger age range that applies.
June 10, 2010 at 1:54 pm
This is a great resource especially for parents. They often ask about age appropriate material. Now I know a great site. Thanks
June 10, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I really like this database. We often get parents asking for help in finding a good book for thier child. This database would help give more information to the parents. It would be nice to be able to add a quicker link to it. I think this would make it faster to help patrons, as well as make them more aware of it so they could do some browsing on thier own. Also the ability to check on the location of the book from that page makes it so easy to use.
June 10, 2010 at 3:17 pm
This database is great! It’s really easy to use, and SO helpful! I can’t tell you the number of times a parent has come in and asked for books similar to Diary of a Wimpy kid and I ask a Librarian to come out and help. We actually started to compile a list for ourselves at our branch so we could refer customers. Now that I know about this, I will definitely be using it.
This also comes at a great time for me, since readers advisory is one of my targets! Thanks!!
June 10, 2010 at 3:21 pm
This is a very useful tool to find the book you didn’t know you wanted. I especially liked the “Describe A Plot” feature. The fact that it now applies to all age groups is even better.
June 10, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I really enjoyed this database! This has to be my favorite one out of them all! It is so simple and I love that I finally have an easier way of finding series orders and searching for books by plots. It is AWESOME!! The only thing that is kind of hard is searching by plot, you have to be very specific or it will bring up titles that you weren’t even looking for. But searching a book and finding the grade level is so easy and finding a genre based on age was a breeze as well. I really loved this database!
June 10, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I enjoyed the database. Describing a plot on the search engine is awesome. It really helps a person in finding the title of the book.
The grade level for the book, “diary of a wimpy kid” is between fourth and eight grade. Great Database!!! 🙂
June 10, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Very, very cool site. Great source for book recomendations. I like how the search tool has so many options.
June 10, 2010 at 4:24 pm
1. I found a book titled A New World , but it is about a man that moves to India. I could not find the one we were asked about.
2. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid age group is 4-8.
3. I would recommend, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, or The Beast Quest series.
I really liked this website, now I have an idea of the age appropriate books.
June 10, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Love this one. “Describe a Plot” is a wonderful tool for those patrons who have a vague memory of what they are looking for, and “Recommended Reads” is very useful as well!
June 10, 2010 at 4:43 pm
This is a much easier database to use than the previous two assignments.
June 10, 2010 at 4:48 pm
This is fantastic! I will definitely use this often. This is super easy to use and possibly the coolest database yet.
June 10, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Nancy Buckles – Edenvale
This is an excellent database. I’ve used it many times; great place for finding those similar authors and of course the answer to that often asked question: “I want to read the series in order, which title comes first?”
June 10, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Love this database! So many questions at the desk are about age-appropriate books. This will make my job a lot easier and I can teach parents to use it from home.
June 11, 2010 at 1:28 am
It was a great experience to find the answers to the exercises. Since I work in Periodicals, I am used to find academic journals through databases, but this experience was fantastic !! Now I have a new tool when parents ask for help to find good books for their children. Thanks .
June 11, 2010 at 7:53 am
1. I found a book named “Luckey Everyday.” In summury, she flee to Bombay after she went through a divorce.
2. Grade 4-8
3. There are three fantasy books catagory to recommend for 10 year-old boy. Aliens, General Science Fiction, and Time Travel.
It is really nice database.
June 11, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I didn’t really find the description but it gave me some similar books to it. Diary of a wimpy kid…i already knew the grade level…my girls have the series… 4-8. Thanks for the hint… very easy to use.
June 11, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Love this database. Very useful for when you’re trying to find similar plot lines and authors.
June 11, 2010 at 12:44 pm
This was–by far–my favorite of the Databases. It is easy to use, interesting, and helpful (especially for the “I don’t know the title or the Author” customers).
June 11, 2010 at 1:00 pm
It seems Novelist will be one of the most frequently used databases for library staff, because it really empowers us to answer the multi-faceted questions from the patrons. I’ve found the “Series Title” and “Describe a Plot” search options especially helpful. The Lexile ranges of the books offer another way for book recommendation.
June 11, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Great Data base!
Novelist is a very easy and great data base to use!
1. Lucky Everyday
2. Diary Of A Wimpy kid grade level varies from 3-8,4-8,5-8
3. I got recommondation for six fantasy books
June 14, 2010 at 11:17 am
That’s what I thought too until I realized it was six CATEGORIES of fantasy books… there are tons of recommendations in each category. 🙂
June 11, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Although the link to the SJPL catalog didn’t work, this was easily the most intuitive and most practical database thus far. I quickly found everything on the first search. So when some demanding parent comes up to me thinking I’m well-versed in what books are popular with eight year-olds, I’ll use this.
June 17, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Hmm, maybe SJPL doesn’t own the book? Do you remember what title this was for? So far, the catalog links have all worked for me, although they’re rather buried…
June 11, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I enjoyed using this website, especially when entering my own plot to figure out the title of a book. Every time I tried it, using keywords the title I was hoping to find would show up. I also think the part of figuring out what grade level a certain book is, becomes very useful, because a lot of parents want to know if a certain book is age apprpriate for their child.
June 11, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Week 11 Database – Novelist was very appealing and informative. I liked the layout of the website.
I am happy it was easier to find the actual link than to look all over (as was my experience in previous databases)! All I did was go to the Databases A-Z listed on the main SJPL website and went to “N” and saw Novelist Plus K-8 stated there.
For discovery exercise question three, The Diary of A Wimpy Kid based on volume/series # varied for grade level. Ex: Volume 1 stated for 3-8, Volume 2 stated 4-8, Volume 4 stated 5-8…etc. and I wondered why?
For discovery exercise question four, under “fantasy” for age range of 9-12, the first recommend title was “Dragons” and then “King Arthur and Camelot”…so this was easy to locate.
Overall, the website is very adorable, fun and easy to the eyes (layout/content). I would definitely provide and use this website as a source of information during my customer service time.
June 11, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Wow!! this database is really awsome!! can’t wait to use it again!
June 11, 2010 at 4:31 pm
First off, I like Week 11’s database! Possibly my favorite so far.
Back on track,
1. Shantaram (amoung others)
2. grades 4-8
3. Magic thief (amoung others)
Useful and will use.
June 11, 2010 at 4:36 pm
My answer to No. 1 is ” Eat Pray Love” but I see different books listed. Perhaps others have the same theme?
The grade level for “Wimpy Kid” was a little to wide.
The fantasy books are divided up, what a great help. My favorite aspect of the database.
June 11, 2010 at 4:46 pm
A very nice database and easy to use. I found the title of the book: Eat, pray, love. The grade level for Diary of a Wimpy kid is 3rd to 8th. (Searching for it, gives other similar titles so, now I’m intrigue by Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid). For recommendation, it is nice that they break it into sub-categories like: dragons, magic, etc.
Overall, a very friendly database.
June 11, 2010 at 4:47 pm
It was very helpful. My favorite database so far. I did find the describe a plot option a bit dificult to use. It kinda works like a keyword search. I found it much easier to use the K-8 database than the adult database. Other than that i really enjoyed the database
June 12, 2010 at 12:53 pm
I really liked this database better. even better than week 9! this is so easy to use. this will make my job a whole lot easier. including when i want to search for books similar to one i have just read. Great choice!
June 12, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I like this database, but my Plot search gave me several different titles. The grade levels are easy to find and the link to Recommended Reads is even easier to use.
June 12, 2010 at 2:27 pm
This is a wonderful site! We often get asked for reading lists for young people and I like that we can narrow down the list by the genre the student enjoys.
I loved the “Author read-alikes” section and now have a list of authors I’ll try that are like one of my favorites.
June 12, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Book- “A New World)
Wimpy Kid- Grades 4-8
I’d recommend “A Hat Full of Sky ” just because the name is awesome.
June 12, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Title: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Grade min 3-8 max
The recommended reads only had 2009 picks. I thought there might be some classics mixed in with it. Overall, I like the database because it’s self-explanatory and user-friendly.
June 12, 2010 at 4:55 pm
A really interesting and helpful database for anybody to use.
June 12, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I enjoy using this database. It offers great versatility for searches. It is also a helpful resource to introduce to parents looking for titles of various reading levels.
June 14, 2010 at 8:11 am
Completed discovery exercises.
-Used the ‘Describe a Plot’ search limiter in Novelist Plus to look for the book about a woman who went through a divorce and made a journey to India. (I can’t wait for the movie!)
-Found grade level for Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
-Found recommendations for her 10 year old that wants fantasy books.
NovelList is my favorite database- for today, at least. (It reminds me of Books in print) I remember a little girl coming up to me, years ago, and asking to help her find a book, but she didn’t have the title; it was about a little girl and a bracelet- similar to ‘describe a plot’ and I was able to find it. Great database!
June 14, 2010 at 11:12 am
Love, love, LOVE this database. I plan to use it even more often than I already do. The link from each book to our catalog is a very useful feature.
June 14, 2010 at 11:24 am
Novelist is super helpful for recommendations outside of one’s personal preference or knowledge. I love the Recommended Reads feature that identifies other sources of similar nature when a particular author has been exhausted by the patron. The link to the OPAC is great too, just a click away to check availability! I tried out the BETA version for Q.3 and was able to navigate to the selections using the right side bar options easily and quickly.
June 14, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I loved the Advance Search options, where you can choose grade level, author’s nationality, reading level etc.
Great databases!
June 14, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Awesome!!! I will definitely be using this database on a daily basis..
June 14, 2010 at 1:04 pm
This one is a great tool. Will be very useful. I can see using this one ofter.
June 14, 2010 at 2:21 pm
This is a very informative and easy to use database. I will definitely be using this in the future to help customers, and for my own use as well.
June 14, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Very informative, without having to know that much information. You dont even have to know the title or the author!
June 14, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Reader Advisory is now easy for us by using this database.
Also the patrons can benefit from using this database to build up their own reading list.
June 14, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Answers to the discovery exercises:
#1: Read it and familiarize myself with the lay out.
#2: I could not find the title of the book. I’ll try to find it later.
#3: Older kids and teenagers.
#4: Very easy to find the information. The hint came very handy
and made the search easy to find.
June 16, 2010 at 5:45 pm
I am back, but still can’t find the title of the book. Since it seems that there at least three books that meet the criteria. Which is the right one?
I see people think it is:
Eat, Pray and Love
New World and……………
June 14, 2010 at 3:46 pm
This is an excellent database. I really like the Recommended Reads. Customers are often asking for recommendations. It’s a great tool even though there are limited listing of titles per genre.
June 14, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I have always enjoyed using this database because of the variety of titles that it provides. This is especially great to get reccomendations for reluctant readers. I always point this out to their parents so that they can have titles to search our catalog. I also like that it provides the grade level for the children’s books because often times that is what the parents are most comfortable with.
June 14, 2010 at 4:38 pm
This is by far the best database so far, I really found it easy to use and full of useful information. I now know how to find easy recommendations for books, great tool to use!
June 14, 2010 at 4:40 pm
My favorite database delight training to date! I will absolutely use this in the future. Thanks.
June 14, 2010 at 5:40 pm
It is a good one.
1.There are six titles returned from the ‘Describe a Plot’.
2.Grade level 4-8
3.Just use the Recommended Reads Search
June 15, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I really like the “Recommended Reads Search”, an option I can definitely recommend for parents and their children. Overall, this is a very interesting and simple database to use!
June 15, 2010 at 1:38 pm
These are the databases I use the most at my branch, especially the K-8 database. It’s great for frequent readers advisory questions (like exercise #4) that come mostly from parents for their children. I usually do an Advanced Search which lets me select values for a number of criteria to find a list of decent reads for the customer. That both databases link to library catalog records makes them much needed supplements to our library catalog. It must be noted that while the adult database includes Readalikes, the K-8 database does not. Also, the K-8 database often provides only a grade level range for a title (such as the 4-8 for Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Such a range is not very helpful for customers, who want the reading level narrowed down as much as possible. For that, you may have to consult arbookfind.com, which among other things provides a “book level” (BL) that is supposed to be the reading level by grade year and month (e.g., 5.2). Both offer “Describe a Plot,” which is a great feature not only for memory purposes but for a quick keyword search for titles meeting the customer’s interests. Both also offer popularity ratings, published reviews, book talks, and book discussion guides. Despite an occasional hiccup in their search functions, these databases are clearly the 2 jewels in the EBSCO crown!
June 15, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Excellent database. A lot of times customers know what the storyline is, but no title to look up the book. Customers will appreciate this database.
June 15, 2010 at 2:35 pm
NoveList K-8 is one of my favorite databases. I have used the site numerous times to help kids find books. It is a wonderful resource!
June 15, 2010 at 2:42 pm
This is a very useful database. Really helpful with all the questions parents have today about what their kids are reading.
June 15, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I’m so thrilled that Novelist now has nonfiction book summaries/’similar titles’!!! Looked up a few of my favorites and found so many that sound interesting! I’m eager to share this with customers. We all appreciate personalized book suggestions that are totally on target!
June 15, 2010 at 3:25 pm
This is a much easier database to use than the previous assignment. It is a very easy tool to use to help parent to find books for their kid’s age. We have a lot of parents ask us to recommend what book is good for their kid ages.
June 15, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I found this very easy to use, much better than I had anticipated. I especially like the link to our catalog. If only the AR website had the same!
June 15, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Wow- I am amazed! EXTREMELY helpful resource! I wish I knew about this website sooner. With the internet, I’ve always been able to find answers- although sometimes it was time consuming. With this database, I can find a lot more answers from one site.
June 15, 2010 at 4:36 pm
For #1 it’s pretty straightforward.
As for #2, I was having a little trouble looking up for the book because I just imply copied and paste the phrase “a woman who went through a divorce and made a journey to India” into the search box and search under the DESCRIBE A PLOT option. However, when I tried the “divorced woman journey to India” and found that the second search result matched a bit but the book was a nonfiction and the divorced woman in that book actually journeyed to three places instead of just India (titled = EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert) . The first search result yielded the SHOOTING WATER book by Devyani Saltzman but didn’t gives any plot summary so I have to googled it up in order to determines that it didn’t match.
#3: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID books were written for “older kids”– 9 to 12 years old
#4: Under “Teens” -> “Recommended Reads” -> “Fantasy” — I’m quite surprised how the manga FRUITS BASKET vol. 22 was on the list under the “Fantasy with Humor” category in the search results since there’s not that much to reads in that book.
Overall, this Novelist Plus database is pretty cool–perhaps I should spend some more times on it though. Just don’t undestand why we even have the Novelist K-8 database if the Plus version offered to search for kids and teens age level books as well.
June 15, 2010 at 7:25 pm
I apologize number 2 was tricky. But I envisioned that you would enter the major keywords in that question and even if multiple books came up as a match-at that point you could work with the customer, reading the brief summaries and showing the book covers. And hopefully in real life it would drum up the customer’s recognition.
June 15, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I can really see myself using this database to help patrons find what they’re looking for. This database will actually make it seem that I do know about every book out there. Now I can tell patrons that I has a vast knowledge of books because I work at a library. Just Kidding.
Not only can this database help me out, but I can show the patron who are interested and want to know more about this miraculous website. I’m pretty sure some patron will be grateful for having known there is a website like this one. Good Job!
June 15, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Finally, a usefull tool that can really come in handy when a patron has questions about a genre or book that I have no clue about. 🙂
June 15, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Excellent database! Simple to use, and the search feature is dead on. They’ve been rather tricky to use in previous databases, but this one, even when I was inetntionally vague. Awesome there.
June 15, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Fantastic database in addition to our kids and teens page for recommended readings. I am impressed with the feature to search for a book by its plot.
June 15, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Whoa, … neat resource for RA. This should be a very handy tool for SRC!
June 15, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I love this database. It’s great for when I get brain freeze on a RA question.
June 15, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I thought this was a very informative database. I was just thinking today that besides AR BookFinder I wanted to find a place to help me look for books for kids. This is something that will be very useful because I get so many questions about book reccomendations.
June 15, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Novelist Plus and NovList K-8 Plus is easy and helpful to use for library patrons. I read the getting started with NoveList Plus, all the features are nicely described. I used the Describe a Plot search, but could not figure out if it is the right book. The grade level for Diary of a Wimpy Kid is Min./Max. Grade Level 5-8. And tried the Recommended Reads link under the appropriate age group and found a list of fantasy books. This resource is really useful with a wide search options. I like this one most.
June 15, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I expected to find Eat Pray Love, but found some other titles – I am perplexed. The rest of the site is really handy for reader advisory.
June 15, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Great database. Very easy to use and lots of information. The search by plot will be very useful
June 15, 2010 at 6:31 pm
One of my favorites to surf through with a customer newly introduced to this resource. It’s so easy and useful for even the beginning book lush!
June 15, 2010 at 6:43 pm
This is a great database to introduce to customers, definitely user-friendly.
June 15, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Surprised that Eat Pray Love didn’t come up right away (I searched by the title, just to make sure it was in there!). This is a really enjoyable database to use. Really glad that it includes a lot of children’s and teen materials.
June 16, 2010 at 11:48 am
This is a fun website and a great reader’s advisory tool.
June 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Very helpful database!
1. Eat, pray, love
Shooting water
2. I need more time to look for the answer.
3. About 2296 fantasy books. Thanks for the hint.
June 16, 2010 at 12:54 pm
I really liked this database. It was easy to use and it makes it easy to recommend books for younger readers.
June 16, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Great fun and very helpful. I found everything easily except “a woman went through a divorce and went to India” which I entered in describe a plot, but the result was “Love, Dad: a novel.” It sounded like “Eat, Pray, Love” so I looked that up and the summary matched so I don’t know why it didn’t show up under describe a plot. That part seems a little iffy, but the lists are very useful and quick.
June 16, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Yeah, using Desribe a Plot is tricky. You’d have to try different combinations just like with our own library catalog. Sometimes you type in certain keywords expecting titles to come up and you enter another similar keyword and get a whole new set of results. Hopefully though, the customer can look at the titles with you and assist.
June 16, 2010 at 2:12 pm
this is an excellent database. I will be sure to use this database when looking up books for my nephew.
June 16, 2010 at 2:15 pm
novel list is a great novel resource, that i will gladly recommend to SJPL customers.
June 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm
NoveList is one of those good databases, so few and far between. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty helpful and has a lot of useful features for library folks. I don’t read sci-fi or mystery and it seems like those are just the folks who I encounter at the library and want book recommendations. NoveList is a lifesaver.
June 16, 2010 at 2:40 pm
NoveList is one of the easiest databases for me to use. I really like how much information is available and how you can search by plot.
June 16, 2010 at 3:01 pm
This database is a total winner. Especially easy to use. I found the title of the book: Eat, pray, love. The grade level for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” – 3rd to 8th grade. Overall, this is a goldmine of useful information and a very user-friendly source.
June 16, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Very useful resource. Makes recommending books to customers a lot easier. The best part is that I can follow Novelist Plus on Twitter.
June 16, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Loved this website. Used on very first day of reviewing. Not without trial and error but with a little help I found what I needed. I constantly get requests for appropriate age level reading material. Will definitely use this one.
June 16, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Remarkably useful database; easy to use. I also love the describe a plot feature!
June 16, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I love NoveList, and I use it in both my personal and professional lives. It’s hard to figure out where to sign up for a new profile, and the recommended reading lists are almost too exhaustive, but it’s still a great resource. It’s especially wonderful for figuring out the order of books in a series.
June 16, 2010 at 5:14 pm
This database looks convenient. Looking forward to using this and sharing it with patrons.
June 16, 2010 at 5:25 pm
IT’s great database, easy to use. Looking forward to using this agian 🙂
June 16, 2010 at 5:33 pm
This is great. I always suggest the same books Ive read haha.
June 16, 2010 at 5:36 pm
My favorite database so for. User friendly, and up to date; I love the ‘googlish’ way you can describe the plot of a book and get a title.
June 16, 2010 at 5:38 pm
I have to admit, I never liked Novelist but it has grown & changed and is now a very fine tool to use with the most difficult of readers’ advisory questions.
June 16, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Is it “Lucky everyday” the right answer for question #1?
June 16, 2010 at 6:00 pm
The describe a plot limiter didn’t work as I expected. Putting too many words in there will yield incorrect results. To get relevant books, I had to limited it to just “woman divorce journey India.” Just changing the word journey to goes or went and the result won’t be the same.
June 16, 2010 at 6:01 pm
it’s nice, great database, the only thing I don’t like is the option “check the library catalog”, it stays at the end of the page, so you have to scroll down. it would be nice if it stays on the top or around the book title. Since they don’t use the margin of the page, the developer should use them instead of design the page vertical, they can place the “other Authors ..” “ISBNs…” “Credits” and “database and persistent link” on the side .. so the user doesn’t have to scroll down to the end of the page ..
When I use them the first time, I can’t find the link to go to the library to check the availability ….. since by default, you always click on the title of the book, you thought that it will lead you to somewhere else such as the availability of the book etc.. but it doesn’t.
June 17, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I agree, they sort of hide the catalog link, don’t they…. Good feedback for the vendor; thanks!
June 16, 2010 at 6:15 pm
I really like this database because you can pick different genres and other novel suggesstions. It has a lot to offer and I really like the layout it is very organized and it helps you find out what you are looking for in the least amount of time. Overall I am very happy with this database.
June 16, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Quite the useful database. It’s nice to be able to gather plot summaries and ratings about a book before reading it. However, there’s no section for adults? I can imagine this being useful when I need to recommend a book to a patron who needs a book for their child.
June 16, 2010 at 6:31 pm
This database is extraordinary, extremely helpful. You can literally find almost anything that you want to know about a novel, and not to mention that you can search for novels using nearly any criteria. Impressive.
June 17, 2010 at 10:14 am
It is really easy to use. Now we can use this website for the SRC…
June 17, 2010 at 10:52 am
NoveList is fantastic. I went for a training about a year ago and loved learning about all the features. It was nice to get a refresher and I am ready to share it with the Library’s summer readers.
June 17, 2010 at 11:22 am
finally something for picky and specific readers for someone like me! hahaha =)
June 17, 2010 at 11:24 am
the week was very good. I might use it again. thanks
June 17, 2010 at 12:28 pm
I really like this database!!! I completed all the exercises and found the searches easy to conduct. An “author” search would bring up the same information, whether entered last name first, or first name first! A search on narnia brought up a lot of material by various authors. One of my searches showed a book about the friendship of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien that I have not read, yet!!! This will be a very useful database for assisting customers!
June 17, 2010 at 1:31 pm
This is one of my favorite databases because it helps find those books I don’t know about!
June 17, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Novelist is awsome. I remember using it a few times in the past and its very convenient to find a specific genre of books without doing to much searching. Very valuable database.
June 17, 2010 at 2:46 pm
This is one of my favorite resources when offering reader’s advisory for kids and teens.
June 17, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Terrific database – great for bookclub members looking for a recommendation. I especially like using Readalikes, although I haven’t always thought the suggestions match.
June 17, 2010 at 3:38 pm
this is a great database, something i can use on a regular basis.
June 17, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Pretty nifty! I often get kids that are looking SRC book recommendations. I’ll use this.
June 17, 2010 at 4:16 pm
It looks like Novelist has really improved. I tried playing with it a year or so ago, and it was really clunky. Their author read-alikes section is really limited, which is a bummer. I hope they work on that. I do like the check the catalog feature though! That’s great.
June 17, 2010 at 4:37 pm
This is a useful database. I am giving my eleven years old daughter an assignment to use Novelist K-8 this summer.
Kim @ Biblioteca
June 17, 2010 at 4:42 pm
This database is awesome … only 2 weeks left people =)
June 17, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Enjoyed using Novelist and will use it for Reader’s Advisory.
June 18, 2010 at 10:48 am
“Describe the book” seemed to work pretty well. I’d be curious how far back their title data goes and how obscure it can get. Usually when I get a “what was that book?” sort of question its something they remember reading in the 50s-70s!
June 18, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Very cool and very useful. I’ve used the database for reader’s advisory, but the training questions introduced me to some other possible ways of using the database. Excellent! Thanks.
June 18, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Wimpy Kid series is appropriate to grade 4-8.
Wonderful resource of database.
June 18, 2010 at 2:31 pm
This is a really good database resource. Two more weeks to go. Yay!
June 18, 2010 at 2:34 pm
I love this! It’s a fun one to recommend to adult readers!
June 18, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I love this resource! It’s not only a great resource for helping customers, but I love it because I can choose good titles for myself.
June 18, 2010 at 3:55 pm
This database is extrememly usefuland easy to navigate. I love the options that you can use in order to specify exactly what you are searching for. We constantly get questions about what books are available for a specific age group and this database will definitely help with our recommendations.
June 18, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Very easy to navigate and to find the books you are interested on. This database went much smoother than previous ones. 🙂
June 19, 2010 at 2:26 pm
I really like this. It will be super helpful, as I have alot of parents ask me for books by grade level, etc.
It was very easy to find the answers for all the exercises.
June 19, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I approve. I’m going to be spending a lot of time on this database. I know it.
June 19, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I like that Novelist Plus links us to reading lists and the SJPL catalog! Very handy. I also have some customers who only want the award winners for their children.
A great place to look for those hard to find books.
June 21, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I really enjoyed this website, in the beginning this database takes a lot of getting used to. It has a lot of information put in an easy access format. Overall this is a great resource for all.
June 22, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Eat, pray, love
Grades 3-8
I was pretty impressed with the plot finder tool. I typed in “Ring Elves” and not only did it come up with Lord of the Rings as the first option but showed the Fellowship with the byline that it is the first in the series.
I think the usefulness of this site is a no-brainer. Their search is amazing as well. A+
June 22, 2010 at 8:40 pm
This database was easy to use and could guide us to our next “must reads.” I found it a great source for REVIEWS of books and this is excellent for discussion groups! I really liked the recommendations by age level and genre. I did use the clues to come up with “Eat, Pray, Love” and thought this is a great database for all who converse about books and movies like playing conversational CHARADES, or fill-in-the-blanks for some of us ‘older adults.”
June 23, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Great resource, I will try to use this more often than Amazon to get a better understanding of how the database work for this site. Will definitely recommend to customers as well.
June 24, 2010 at 11:48 am
I think this research tool will be quite useful. I especially liked “describe a plot” function.
June 26, 2010 at 11:00 am
This is a great resource that I hope I can remember, and the best thing about it is, its EASY TO USE!
June 26, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Of all the databases activities so far, I loved and enjoyed doing this week database the most. It was SO COOL~!!!! I really, really like it; not only it is helpful & useful resources, it is also easy to use and follow. Again, I am very enjoyed doing this week activity. THANKS!
June 29, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Some pretty cool features here. The grab and go booklists, recommended reads, and picture book extenders are nice options to have available.
June 29, 2010 at 5:44 pm
This is useful reader’s advisory resource that will help us and our customers in getting recommendations on what to read next. Since we all cannot be literary experts on all genres of fiction, this resource will help us find the next fiction novel to read or recommend. This resource is the 21st version of the old Reader’s Digest Guide to Peridicals, NY Times Review of Books and other reference book sources we had in back in the day at our libraries.
July 1, 2010 at 10:40 am
Just tried the beta version of the new NoveList and I really like it… the book recommendations along the side are especially awesome. I hope we are going to link our library catalog to this new version as well…
July 1, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I give this two thumbs up. Will definitely be good for helping me pass time post-graduation.
July 5, 2010 at 4:13 pm
This is really helpful, good to know that is is here for me. I have a hard time finding the kinds of books I want sometimes.
January 13, 2015 at 3:23 pm
I’ve read several excellent stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting.
I wonder how much attempt you set to create any such fantastic informative site.
November 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Meu família cada vez dizem que eu sou matando meu tempo aqui no líquido ,
exceto eu sei que estou recebendo experiência
todos os dias lendo thes bom artigos .
SJPL Database Delight Training 
June 10, 2010 at 9:58 am
This is one of my favorite databases because it helps find those books I don’t know about!
Well, I knew the answer to #1 without going to the database. But I found it in the database without even limiting the search to ‘find a plot’.
Grade level varies by book: 3-8, 4-8, or 5-8
Thanks for the hint on this – it made it very easy.