[Press Release] Demco Software today announced the publication of “Going the Extra Service Mile: The State of Reading Recommendation Services in Libraries,” the whitepaper that explores findings from their early 2017 survey of librarians across the globe. The newly launched division of Demco, Inc., which offers mobile apps, programming resources and management tools to 21st-century libraries, has made the paper available to download here.
Built with input from public, academic, school and special librarians, the survey collected data from over 330 librarians about the state of reading recommendations in libraries. Among the key findings were:

  • 70% of libraries offer reading recommendations, but 91% have no formal system in place for tracking user satisfaction.
  • Overall, reading recommendations are seen as a key service by library decision makers (90%), staff (94%) and library users (41%) alike.
  • Goals for the service vary, but an overwhelming majority see them as a way to foster greater community engagement (80%) and drive discovery of resources (77%).

“Much of the data confirmed librarians’ desires to use reading recommendations to form deeper connections with their communities,” shared Mary Casey, Director of Marketing at Demco Software. “It’s clear that libraries are looking for additional ways to prove return on investment in this service. We’re excited to take this data to our development team and see what innovations they come up with to provide the assessment opportunities that librarians seek.”