Bookmarks

Few magazines offer readers' advisors as much insight into your readers than Bookmarks magazine.  The magazine's audience is avid readers and it provides brief and useful information to make informed reading choices.  Although it is great for library staff, the glossy cover is intended for purchase by readers on local newsstands.  Canadians can receive a subscription and it is available at a much lower cost than professional journals.

The magazine is available bi-monthly and follows a familiar format.  The first section includes the top ten picks from all books reviewed in the issue.  "Coming Soon" gives readers a look at forthcoming books and movie tie-ins.  The magazine invites readers to contribute through booklists, description of their book clubs and reading suggestions.  Two or three longer features are included and focus on a particular writer or a type of literature.  Finally, the magazine includes a large number of reviews.  The titles are reviewed by Bookmarks staff writers and reviews from major publications are also included for comparison.

The reviews offer a brief summary, some information about appeal factors and a lot of read-alikes.  All genres are covered, books for young adults and non-fiction are also reviewed.  The coverage is timely with books that will have received marketing and media coverage.  The books are usually widely available at bookstores and libraries.

Readers' advisors will find this publication very useful to them as it will greatly assist with the development of collection knowledge, especially new books that customers will be asking about.  The format is accessible and easy to use.  The magazines themselves will serve as a resource for continued use as a tool to aid readers.  For small libraries, it is an economical choice that should be considered in lieu of more expensive print reference books.

Link: http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/