Unshelve with Cats! Meow...

 When I train libraries on book displays, I use an image from a display promoting a program one of my colleagues created. Charlee has been able to gather 100 people into a room to create cat castles. This one slide from my presentation generates more questions and requests for information than anything else. Librarians love their cats. 

Using cats as a theme is broad enough to include everything from cozy mysteries with cats to juvenile fiction about cats to non-fiction books about caring for cats. There are also books with cats on the cover as well as books with cats on the cover. An ongoing series of active and passive programs (made with interactive displays) is certain to be popular with patrons of all ages. Partner with rescue groups to increase your community involvement. 

I have embedded Charlee's slideshow below which shows the basics of how to create your cat castles. They are also suitable for guinea pigs, rabbits, and other small animals.

Unshelve With Help from RA For All & The Best Books of 2026, So Far

On Tuesday, Becky Spratford featured The Best Books of 2026, So Far from the New York Times on her blog, RA for All. 

On Tuesday April 28, Becky Spratford featured The Best Books of 2026, So Far from the New York Times on her blog, RA for All. I recommend that you and your colleagues read through Becky’s blog post.  In it, she discusses how the NYT book section is focusing on prioritizing the reader and what would appeal to readers like our patrons.

There is nothing to add to Becky’s analysis. However, I would suggest that you look over the NYT list after you read the blog post. The titles of the various sections will make great titles for book displays. Several examples - I want a lush historical novel about sisterhood, I want a fresh perspective on familiar history, I want a rivals-to-lovers road trip romance, and I love absorbing biographies that bring icons to life – can likely be filled with titles from your collection. Check for read-alikes for the exact titles on their list but don’t worry about expanding your selections far from what the Times has listed; the display is to market your collection, not to mirror the Times article exactly.

I love the idea of just taking “I love” or “I want” and creating a series of displays to run over a month or so in a library. You can see what the Times has listed but then create your own. There are plenty of tropes and plot points that you can select which will draw attention to your backlist. Something like “I want a new twist on vampires” would have plenty of recent examples such as The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste, and Nestlings by Nat Cassidy.

 

 

Unshelve Using BookCon 2026

 

BookCon 2026 has ended but it did leave us with some ideas for marketing library collections to readers. (There were also many instances of ARC related poor behavior. See here, here, and here for more information about that.) When a big book related event happens, use it to create displays and online lists.

Take aways? Dystopian fiction and romantasy remain popular. Swag is also something that readers enjoy so keep putting out bookmarks and perhaps investigate making buttons or other items patrons can collect. Adaptations of books were also discussed.

Use the bestselling authors who attracted the most attention to draw attention to hidden gems in your collection by doing read-alike book displays and lists. Find authors, titles, and series that those who enjoyed the very popular titles.

Some news from BookCon includes:

BookCon 2026 Proved There’s an Appetite for More Diversity in Black Romance Reads – From Ebony 
Includes Cannon Reads, ‘90’s Nostalgia, Modern Love, and Upcoming Spring and Summer Releases

New 'Divergent', Dungeon Crawler Carl and dizzying crowds mark BookCon's 2026 return – From USA Today

What is the best book-to-screen adaptation? Authors reveal their favorites. – From USA Today

BookCon Guests and Panelists

New Veronica Roth and R.F. Kuang Novels, Rachel Reid Dishes with Jacob Tierney and Other Biggest BookCon 2026 Bombshells – From People

BookCon Returns After Six-Year Break: Event Organizer on Reservation Rush, Boycott Response and Romantasy Reader Demand – From Variety

r/BookCon – From Reddit