Friday, January 24, 2025

Grabbing Ideas from Anywhere to Unshelve Your Collection - Reading as an Escape

 I realize not everyone sees a potential book display idea everywhere. But you should be keeping notes if something does give you an idea for a potential display or list. Recently, I saw a post by Atlantic columnist Yair Rosenberg about a book called Breaking Bread With the Dead: A Reader's Guide to a More Tranquil Mind by Alan Jacobs. While I've not read the book, it did give me an idea for a display about reading and books as an escape to a more tranquil and calm place. Even the title of a book can help create a display that might have nothing to do with the content of that book. 

Image of a book cover for Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs
During turbulent times some people seek out cozy, calm, and sweet reads as an escape from the news and whatever else is upsetting in their life. Cozy reads have become part of each genre and have increased in popularity. You can bring out titles from your backlist and help people find gentle, sweet, and comforting fiction. 

Each member of your staff may have a comfort read - these are often books that are re-read during times of stress. An interactive display or passive program can be created by asking your patrons to provide their own comfort reads. Expand it to your social media by asking people to comment with suggestions for comfort reads. Suggestions from readers will help fill the display and online book lists. A program with local speakers talking about meditation or other ways to relax can have a cart of books put in the room which are related to the theme. 

Think about what brings you comfort and relaxes you. Find music and movies that work. There are cookbooks with comfort foods, baking cookbooks, and books about warm drinks. Perhaps titles about meditation, getting a better sleep, or the benefit to slowing down can be included. If you include youth materials, there are books about sleep and napping that you can find as well. 

There are a variety of ways to explore the theme of "a tranquil mind" that you can explore. This also means that as materials are checked out, you can fill the display from all over your collection. Fiction, non-fiction, youth materials, and A/V can all be used. 

One book title mentioned in a post can lead to a variety of ways to promote your collection so keep your mind open and write down ideas as your find them!

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