RATS, CATS, TRASH - and books

You wouldn’t think any organization would be proud of being filled with RATS, CATS and TRASH, but at the Heights Libraries those acronyms have special meaning. RATS are Readers Advisory Team Services (for adults), CATS are Children’s Advisory Team Services, and TRASH stands for Teen Readers’ Advisory Super Heroes. Their mission is simple - helping patrons find their next good book.

With all the emphasis on new methods of delivering information, and keeping up with the changing needs of communities for entertainment, meeting space and various forms of electronic media, the Readers advisors at Heights Libraries have not forgotten that one of life’s greatest pleasures can be sitting down with a compelling, comforting, inspiring or thrilling story to read. The staff members can recommend a variety of novels, nonfiction, short stories and biographies, carefully matched to an individual's reading taste. Well-meaning friends may suggest their own favorites, and family members may gift a relative with the latest bestseller at birthday time, but library staff go beyond that and take the time to discover what patrons enjoy (or don’t enjoy).

By learning patrons likes and dislikes, librarians can customize their recommendations. Keeping up with the newest releases and trends, they can help readers find books they may be unfamiliar with; match them to stories set in their favorite country or time period; offer a well-written non-fiction book that illuminates the novel they are reading; guide the teen whose tastes are changing; and unearth new favorites for kids who don’t know what to read since Harry finally defeated Voldemort. Whether ome's interests are cozy mysteries, ancient Rome or modern Scandinavia, hard-core action, mythical fantasies, glitzy romance, time-honored children’s classics or graphic novels, librarians love to put good books in patrons' hands.

The readers advisors of Heights Libraries are found at all four locations, and offer a variety of blogs, printed lists, displays with reading suggestions, book discussion groups and in-person assistance. Visit and talk with them, and experience the joys of heading home, to the coffee shop, or to the beach with that next intriguing read.