NoveList is one of the most useful databases that patrons of the Stettler Public Library has access to. It can be used to find author read-alikes, titles in a series or suggestions for titles on certain subjects.
The database is just one of many that patrons can access from home with a membership from the Stettler Public Library. NoveList can be found by clicking on “Catalogue” on the Library’s webpage (http://spl.prl.ab.ca), then clicking on “Databases” at the top of the catalogue page and NoveList can be found in the list of databases on the left-hand side of the page. You will be asked for your barcode and PIN number to access NoveList or any other database listed.
You can use the basic search box at the top of each page of NoveList to search for a title, author, series, or topic. When you use the default all radio button, NoveList will search for your terms in the full text of all NoveList content, including annotations, reviews, and proprietary content (articles or lists). You can conduct a more focused search by selecting the author, title or series radio buttons.
NoveList makes it easy to find your next book based on one you’ve already read, a series that you have finished or an author you love.
To find title recommendations:
At the basic search box at the homepage, enter a title and click Search. Access the title detail page by selecting the title for which you want recommendations.
To find series recommendations, you first need to pull up the series detail page: At the basic search box on the homepage, enter your series title, select the series limiter, and click search.
If there is only one series that matches your search terms, you will be taken directly to the series detail page. If more than one series matches your search terms, you can click on the correct series title link from the series tab to access that Detail page.
You can find author recommendations from within an author detail page. To view an author’s detail page, enter their name in the basic search box, select the author radio button, and click search.
Author information is provided at the top of each author detail page. For many of the most popular authors, you will find a description of their works, along with the appeal factors typical of their writing.
The hand-crafted author description summarizes why people enjoy this particular author and includes a title suggestion for first time readers of this author.
In the “NoveList Also Recommends” section, you’ll find up to nine title recommendations taken from author read-alikes, book discussion guides, and recommended reads lists created by professional librarians. Some recommendations are provided by direct input by readers’ advisory librarians, while NoveList creates others by finding similarities among the subject headings, genres, and appeal factors associated with that title.
With your mouse, you can hover over a book jacket image to view information about the title recommendation and why it is recommended.
You can print all of the title, series and author recommendations, along with the reason they were recommended by clicking the print all link in the “NoveList Also Recommends” section.
The “search for more” feature allows you to find similar titles, series and authors based on the genre, subject, location, and appeal factors (storyline, tone, pace, writing style) associated with your search.
NoveList has hand-selected over 800 lists for adult, teen, and child readers and organized them by fiction, genre or topic, and reading level in the “recommended reads” section of the homepage. If you are a mystery reader looking for some new ideas, selecting the mystery link will display a pop-up with several available mystery lists. Parents can select the appropriate age level and get ideas for books on a variety of topics and interests. All lists are updated regularly with books chosen by librarians who are well-versed in the genre/topic.
You can also create an account so that you can keep track of the books that you have read or would like to read. You can personalize folders to your needs and save articles of recommended reads so you can refer to them again at a later date without have to search for them again.
One last important feature of the updated NoveList is the ability to search Parkland Regional Library’s catalogue directly from a search in NoveList. Under each recommended title you can click on the check library catalogue link which will take you directly into the library’s catalogue, allowing you to place a hold directly from your search.
If you have any further questions about NoveList or any other service provided by the Stettler Public Library, please contact us at 403.742.2292 or by e-mail at spl@libs.prl.ab.ca.