Bookletters: they're like letters about books.

One under-appreciated service provided by many public libraries, including Louisville Free Public Library, is Bookletters, a collection of email newsletters that you can subscribe to. They vary in subject matter and frequency, but they all contain short descriptions about new or important books and a link back to your local public library catalog so you can check the catalog or place a hold request. I'm personally subscribed to the non-fiction Bookletter. It seems to me that this are really useful for library users who want to find something new to read. It's more informative than a simple list since you get descriptions, book jackets, etc. but briefer than a full review. And if I were still working the reference desk I'd be browsing these to know what people were going to be coming in looking for. Two of the most useful newsletters for that purpose have to be the "Book Sizzle" and "Books on the Air" Bookletters, which highlight the titles that are getting attention in the press or whose Authors have been making the rounds on popular TV talk shows.

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