Books are read by one of a team of library staff who are specially trained to create the entries. More than 300 library staff have trained and contributed to the site over the last 10 years. Library staff make good whichbook contributors because:
- they are in daily contact with a wide range of readers
- they are neutral, they have no commercial or policy agenda
- they are not snobs
Many readers have been part of wider library training schemes run by Opening the Book in England, Wales and Scotland. All staff on these training programmes can participate, we take a comprehensive not a selective approach and this guarantees range of reading preferences and individual voices. Those who don't enjoy it drop out at the training stage.
A new programme of reader training started in July 2008 with 30 people from around the country signed up for the training process. Readers attended face-to-face benchmarking training sessions in September, October and November at the Opening Book Promotions Showroom in Birmingham and then worked in pairs on a range of books. Training on writing reader comments and parallels followed in April and May 2009 and readers went solo in May and June.
What do readers do?
- Score the books according to an agreed consensus so the system delivers a consistent outcome to users
- Write a reader-centred comment, not a review, a description of the reading experience the book offers
- Choose an extract and suggest parallels
- A rich and disciplined combination of subjective and objective – and very brief!
How is quality control maintained?
- Every reader has been individually trained by Rachel Van Riel of Opening the Book
- Many readers are part of larger training schemes in reader development – other sessions cover the philosophy, background, working with readers, talking about books and writing about books – all of which support whichbook reading.
- No reader goes solo unless Opening the Book authorises them.
- Fiona Edwards is Opening the Book's online editor and checks new entries.