Recommendations Basket

By Mary Lynn Kittelson
Originally published in the April 2017 issue of the 1666 Coffman Newsletter
Sometimes you want to read a book, but you have no idea what to choose. It can feel daunting on some days.
Well, the Library now provides a recommendations basket. It’s a little red wire basket sitting on the library table as you enter. In it are index card descriptions of books that we on the Library Committee have been impressed by, and why. There are three categories: biography & history, fiction & mystery, and everything else. The cards tell you in what bookcase and on which shelf the book can be found. We are steadily adding cards to the basket as we go, offering more good ideas for books. After all, there’s nothing like a friendly tip on a good book.
You can also read these recommendations cards on the Coffman Library website, with eye-catching graphics provided by webmistress Victoria Tirrel.
And if you would like to write up your own book recommendation, we welcome it. Please take a card and also a green sheet (folded up underneath the basket), and you will see the format we are using. You can drop your recommendations card off at Mary Lynn’s at 104. By the way, the basket is inspired by those scrappy little post-it comments from bookstore staff on their new and featured books. These intriguing notes can make you grab the book off the shelf and pay good money. With our cards, all you do is sign it out!