In a major bridge between reader-generated and library-centric content, NoveList, a popular readers' advisory service used by libraries, will leverage content from Goodreads, the largest social network for readers. The deal would mean that Novelist, a division of EBSCO Publishing, will be able to integrate over 11 million book reviews and 100 million ratings from Goodreads' five million members across its suite of products, used by librarians in readers' advisory work and by library users on their own. This includes NoveList Select, which integrates NoveList content into the library catalog. "Goodreads and NoveList not only share an interest in reading and reading recommendations but recognize and value the role that libraries play in supporting and sustaining reading in their communities," said Duncan Smith, NoveList founder. With Goodreads, librarians will be able to "point the user to thousands of readers who have read and commented on the books they are considering," added Smith. NoveList Select customers will see Goodreads' reviews and ratings in their catalogs by the end of the summer, while Goodreads content will begin appearing in other NoveList products with the next release, currently scheduled for the fall. Why did Novelist seek this partnership? There are two main schools of thought on how people seek reading recommendations, Smith explained. "One is that people like to have recommendations from an authoritative source...adept at describing the thematic and stylistic characteristics of books that appeal to readers," said Smith. "You might call this the professional or classification side of recommendations. NoveList is firmly on the classification side where we use our appeal factors and subject headings to develop the majority of our recommendations. We also use expert opinion to create recommendations." "On the other side are people who like to get recommendations from their friends on the latest good book they have read. You might call this the social side of recommendations. Friends and fellow readers exchange recommendations in conversation and, increasingly, in cyberspace. Social networks use readers' shelves, ratings and social mechanisms to capture and share recommendations." Novelist decided that it wanted to provide users with access to both types of information, and "over and over again-Goodreads was brought to our attention as a prime social networking site for avid readers," said Smith. "That is why our partnership was a natural next step for us."