Unshelving for Small Libraries - One Author Shelfies

 

Not every library has room or funds for a dedicated display space. There are many alternatives. A fun alternative is to put a picture of several authors' titles in the stacks and post it on your social media. Put those titles on a service desk or on a library cart with a sign that says "This week's shelfies." 

Change it out weekly. You can even move to non-fiction titles by selecting a niche subject area or biographical subject. The space and time commitment are both minimal but it does allow you to showcase the depth and breadth of your collection. 

As an example, I have included photos of two authors perfect for Summerweek - Clay McLeod Chapman and Rachel Harrison. 

Using the NYT Book Review Book Club To Unshelve

 It seems as if every celebrity and news organization has their own book club. It is certainly possible to use them to create a book display - read alikes for the current pick and for past picks. If circulation has dropped off on the backlist of picks, you can display them as well. Today, I am going to focus on the New York Times Book Review Book Club that airs on their podcast with reader comments on an online post. 

For July, they read John of John by Douglas Stuart. The book club post is here and the podcast post is here. You can use the book club picks as a way to create a book club, even if you don't have the staff time. Patrons could gather to discuss the book and even listen to the podcast together. The most useful part of the podcast for me is the read-alikes that the participants suggest. For John of John, the books mentioned were: 

• “Shuggie Bain” and “Young Mungo,” by Douglas Stuart
• “What We Can Know,” by Ian McEwan
• “The Banshees of Inisherin,” directed by Martin McDonagh
• “The Keeper,” by Tana French
• “A Natural,” by Ross Raisin
• “The Spell,” by Alan Hollinghurst
• “Seascraper,” by Benjamin Wood
• “Whale Fall,” by Elizabeth O’Connor
• “Clear,” by Carys Davies
• “Wuthering Heights,” by Emily Brontë
• “Persuasion,” by Jane Austen
• “Washington Square,” by Henry James
• “The Town of Babylon,” by Alejandro Varela
• “Memorial,” by Bryan Washington

Look beyond these specific titles by looking at read-alikes for them that could have a connection to the title they are reading. This will give you enough titles for a full display, especially if you add past book club picks. 

The next title they are reading is London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. They have suggested resources on the announcement page. I've tried to include gift links here, by the way. 

Unshelve Your Weird Girl Fiction

 According to BookRiot, there is a new book trend which has developed on TikTok - Weird Girl Fiction. They describe it as: 

In fact, there’s a new one that has recently emerged on TikTok, no less: weird girl fiction, or weird girl lit. Weird girl fiction is commonly defined as books that elicit “unhinged female rage” and “transgress social norms.”

 While the terms can be problematic, these novels exhibit an unconventional, unhinged, or dark tone. In My Year of Rest and Relaxation, isolation and self-destruction are the central themes. 

There are some books listed in their article but I will include some more below. Because it crosses and blends genres, it also is part of the greater trend of genre blending. 

Reddit has a entire subreddit about it - https://www.reddit.com/r/weirdgirlliterature/ The image at the top of the subreddit can give you inspiration for your signage. 

Here are some other lists to help get you started: 

Daniel Boone Regional Library: Weird Girl Fiction

The Spinoff: What is ‘weird girl lit’ – and why is it trending right now?

Instagram: The Definitive Weird Girl Lit Reading Guide

Henrico County Public Library: Weird Girl Fiction 

Crime Reads: Weird Girl Lit Galore: 10 Novels

Denver Public Library : Weird Girl Fiction

Goodreads: Weird Woman Fiction

Unshelve With Your Area Code

 The local tourism marketing organization for my county is among the groups who encourage locals to celebrate "727" on July 27. This is our area code and the idea is to celebrate the local culture, history, and community.  There are local deals and so forth available to those who live within the county. 

You can take this idea and pick a week that matches your own area code.  Use it to focus on books about local history, culture and food. For some places (Maine, New Hampshire) there is one area code for the state which gives you many options. For others, it may be limited to a city. 

Set up a display with signage that echoes the date (Celebrating [area code]). With some planning, it may be possible to involve local businesses. Local bakeries or coffee shops can recommend books or do pairings with different treats or drinks. This can be posted in the library as well as in their establishments. Ask local civic, government, and community leaders for their reading suggestions and use that as a social media post or display. 

This is a great theme to take out of your library, unshelving the library to your community. There are always people who need to be reminded about the services and items your library offers. Bringing information about your digital services is a great topic for this sort of unshelving. This will increase your users and those who are invested in your library. 

Don't forget to look outside of any special local collection you have to include fiction by authors from the area,  biographies of people from the area, and non-fiction related to your area. If you have movies filmed locally or about local issues in your collection, add them as well. 

Unshelve with the Upcoming Anthony Bourdain Biopic "Tony"

 The late Anthony Bourdain has become a cultural icon. With the upcoming release of the bio pic "Tony"  it's a good time to use his popularity to bring some attention to your collection. If you don't have his book Kitchen Confidential, I would order a copy or so before the August 7 release of the movie. On July 28, Bloomsbury Publishing will re-release his three crime novels in a single collection. 

Beyond checking your collection for his books and for No Reservations on DVD, you can set up a book display or online booklist focused on read-alikes for Kitchen Confidential. There are some suggestions on these lists: 

What Should I Read Next? 
Reddit - What should I read if I liked kitchen confidential?

                Books similar in themes to kitchen confidential

                Books like Kitchen Confidential but not necessarily related to the cooking world? Or like Tim Rogers' videos?

                 Other travel writers with a similar style to Anthony Bourdain?

 Instagram - Books Like Kitchen Confidential

Book Browse - Books Like Kitchen Confidential

Fodor's Travel - 10 Books to Read if You Miss Anthony Bourdain’s Writing as Much as We Do

Meet New Books - Books Like Kitchen Confidential

                                  Books Like A Cook's Tour

My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Anthony Bourdain

Chicago Public Library - Top Picks: Books by or Featuring Anthony Bourdain

A display like this can also include travel and cookbooks about the places which Bourdain featured on his show or books by and about other famous chefs. 

Unshelve With LibraryReads and Library Journal: Read-Alikes for ‘Whistler’ by Ann Patchett

 A regular Library Journal feature that is worth reviewing is their Read-Alikes for titles with top holds in public libraries. One example is Read-Alikes for ‘Whistler’ by Ann Patchett .

They provide three read-alikes: 

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Ecco)
 

This Is Not About Us: Fiction by Allegra Goodman (Dial)
 

Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Doubleday)

While this is not enough for a large display, this could certainly make for a pop-up display on a service desk for for a smaller display if your library lacks space. If you take these three books, you can look for read-alikes for these three and turn it into a bigger display. 

Keep an eye out for this feature and use it as a fill-in and to advertise your holds list. Patrons can find a great read while they wait for the hottest book. Create a sign that says "While You Wait for Whistler" and create a QR code to your online catalog. You can possibly inspire patrons to deep dive into your catalog and to place more holds. 

Unshelve Your Collection with Some Help from Netflix

 Netflix has released a new way to find book adaptations and you can borrow some of their ideas to promote your library's collection. In a post titled "Discover Your Next Book-to-Screen Obsession With Our New Dedicated Hub, " Netflix describes their new hub for book adaptations. While you can certainly assemble displays of adaptations, both movie and tv. 

However, if you look at Netflix's categories, it's an easy jump to see how easily they could become displays: 

• You Crave Amazing Characters
• You're into Immersive World-Building
• You Love a Great Plot Twist
• You Savor Swoonworthy Romances
• You're a Nonfiction Fanatic 
• You're a History and Period Piece Buff
• You Adore All-Ages Adventures
• You Collect Manga and Comics
• You're Wild About Web Stories

These are all generic enough that anyone on staff should be able to keep them filled in. They are also good ideas to keep on hand for when you need an emergency fill-in book display. They can be used for fiction or non-fiction. It might be worth reviewing which titles Netflix has in these categories to get inspiration!