Rate/Review a Book in Destiny

Did you know that you have access to give a book a star rating and write a recommendation about it in Destiny??? You may be asking, "Why would I want to do that?!" Let's talk about that...

Have you ever gone to see a movie at the theater or rent it just because of the awesome reviews it received by critics? Maybe your parents have if you haven't yet, but I'm sure one or both or you have used a movie review to sway your decision. Oftentimes, when a movie isn't a sequel or part of a series, people don't know if it will be good or not so good. Nowadays, it is very costly to watch a movie in the theater, so it seems like more people today rely on movie reviews.

Most adults today also read lots of customer reviews on products they are interested in buying before they make their purchase. I always read customer reviews on the website I am about to buy a product from to see if previous customers using the product are satisfied with the product. Then again, I am a trained information professional. Did you know that??? I had to earn a master's degree in library and information studies just to be your media specialist! Anyways, back to reviews, say you wanted to buy a tablet. There are so many options out there today--Apple iPads, Amazon Kindles, Samsung Galaxy, and more, so how do you choose? How do you know which one is best for you??? Well, today, I'm not writing about how to make the best choice when buying a product, but I am here to tell how you can write a recommendation for a book in Destiny and why you should which falls under the customer review category anyhow.

I've sort of already touched on the why you should part--peers and students

in other grades or students years from now who attend our school will be able to read your recommendation (a.k.a. review). By the way, a.k.a. stands for "also known as." Being able to read a recommendation along with seeing a 1-5 star rating will most likely affect whether or not the student reading your review decides to check out the book. This is huge power your review has by just being on the screen next to the book's cover and record information. I would venture to guess that the time it would take you to write a book recommendation is about 1-2 minutes tops. For a reader, that will save them loads of time in the long scheme of things. Just think, if there was not a book recommendation with a book, the student would need to browse the shelves, use Destiny's catalog, or ask a staff member for help to perform a search, next go locate the book on the shelf, then read the summary on the book jacket or back cover, go check it out, and finally give the book a chance by reading about two chapters. That's a lot of work to find out you don't like a story you started reading not to mention a lot of time wasted where you have to wait probably a day to return to the Learning Commons to browse for a new book. Then, the cycle starts over again--will you like the story or won't you???

So, writing a book review is not just to benefit others. It is intended to benefit you, as well. What if you were looking up a book in Destiny's catalog? Wouldn't it be great for you if it had at least one review??? I know I would appreciate that. The chances of you enjoying the story before you start reading it will have gone up if you liked the information in someone's book review.

Last bit of info I actually need to share with you before you are done reading this post is how to write one of these reviews in Destiny. It may appear to be a lot of steps, but it is super quick and easy once you do it more than once--I promise!!

Tutorial

Step 1: Find your book to review.

Login to your Destiny account (on your tablet or computer). Either search the catalog in the top righthand or try searching the Resource Lists (a.k.a. Public Lists) if you know the book to be on one. I searched the SSYRA 2017-2018 list because the book I reviewed is a nominee this school year.

Step 2: Start your review.

Two parts--1. Star review (1-5 stars) and 2. Write your review and include your recommendation. Be specific if you are sure about who might enjoy the book most (i.e. middle school aged kids or girls more than boys). Most important part besides the information you include is to proofread your writing before you submit. There is no option for deleting your review other than to contact me. Be careful!!! Last reminder is to keep the language of your writing age-appropriate.