Unshelve Your Collection - February Book Display Ideas

 

I know - the year has just begun but planning displays in advance will lead to better displays and less overall stress or trying to throw something together at the last minute. There are a number of month long events in February which can be celebrated. For these events, you can leave up displays for the entire month, switching out the focus if necessary.  For example, one of the most popular displays I have put up in February for Black  History Month is one dedicated to cookbooks by Black authors and biographies/memoirs of  Black chefs. Try to move beyond just history books to encompass other aspects of Black  history. One of my favorite lists on the internet is this one - 20 Black Picture Books That Aren't About Busses, Boycotts, or Basketball. It was created by Black librarian Scott Woods. I will also note that when Black staff members from my library have created Black History Month   displays, they always draw upon their own interests and help create a variety of displays that  draw upon parts of Black History and culture that don't always include the same topics that are usually used.  The other month-long events listed below definitely lead to displays with fiction, non-fiction, adult, or youth materials. Many of them could be tied to a presentation by a partner, active  program, or passive program. As far as how long to put them up, I usually suggest no more than one month. If you have  more ideas than you have space, rotate them out weekly or bi-weekly. Try to have fun with  them!

Month-Long Events Black History Month American Heart Month Great American Pie Month National Bird Feeding Month National Cancer Prevention Month National Cat Health Month National Embroidery Month National Wetlands Day  Weekly Observances 2-8: Children's Authors and Illustrators Week 7-14: National Marriage Week 9-15: Random Acts of Kindness Week; Jell-O Week;  Feb 27- Mar 2: National Pastry Week Days of Celebration 2: World Wetlands Day; Groundhog Day 4: World Cancer Day; National Mail Carrier Day 8: Safer Internet Day 11: National Day of Women and Girls in Science 12: Lincoln’s Birthday 14: Valentine’s Day 15: World Hippopotamus Day; International Childhood Cancer Day 17: President’s Day/Washington’s Birthday; Random Acts of Kindness Day

Book Display Theme- Black History Month

 It's likely your library has put up a book display or list related to Black History Month. If you look at the official US government site and review the exhibits page, you will see a huge variety of topics. There are exhibits on educators, visual artists, theatre, dress, folklife, colleges, literature, music and religion. Use these exhibits as a place to start your own displays and lists for Black History Month.

In addition to displays focusing on slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, use this month to introduce patrons to titles in your collection that can allow them to see parts of Black history that they might not be familiar with. There are topics like the Harlem Renaissance , Black cowboys, Black entrepreneurs, Black scientists, and more. GLAAD has information on Black LGBTQ history. Don't forget to see what your local history collection has about history in your city, state, or region. 

The most popular display I have ever put up in February was related to Black chefs, cooking, and history of food in Black culture. In less than a week, the display was empty, after being filled several times. Another popular display was biographies and memoirs. Choose a variety of people from many backgrounds and experiences. Use those faceouts to show the depth and breadth of Black history.

Fiction is something that sometimes gets ignored. Use a display of mystery, romance, science fiction, or romance to bring out your backlist and give it some light. There are plenty of lists you can start with online: 

BookRiot has 24 Black romance books add to your TBR.  
WOC in Romance has lists by trope and subgenre. 

The Los Angeles Public Library published a list in 2018 of Black mystery writers and their Black detectives. 
CrimeReads offers 25+ new releases from Black authors including mysteries of all kinds, thrillers, and suspense novels. 

The Toronto Public Library posted a list celebrating Black speculative fiction authors. 
Epic Reads has a YA focused list of science fiction and fantasy by Black authors. 
Essence offers a beginner's guide to Afrofuturism. 

The Root produced a list of titles by Black horror authors 
Goodreads has this collection of horror and thrillers by Black authors.
The Horror Writers Association has a blog which features diverse authors all year. 

Find interviews with authors, historians, artists and link to them on your social media. Include information about your online lists and collections. Don't forget your storytimes and youth events. Include a variety of books for youth of all ages in your displays. I haven't even mentioned things like graphic novels, movies, and music. 

I will end with a reminder that if you don't have enough to put up a display on a particular topic, it is a good time to review your collection and see what should be added. Also, use diversity and inclusion in your book displays all year. 

Getting Ready for February - Black History Month

 

It's time to start thinking about Black History Month book displays. I will be posting pictures and ideas for the next few days. 

I wanted to share one of the more popular ones I put up. This is devoted to biographies of black chefs and cookbooks by black authors. 

It emptied out the library of all the books on the subject very quickly and I had to pivot to another topic. 

When you are thinking about promoting various history/heritage months, think outside the box. Don't limit yourself. Think about your own city/town/community. Think local history. Think about culture in a broad sense. 

Creating book displays is a good way to inventory your collection. If you can't find books for a display, your library might need to diversify its collection. There are always constraints due to collection development policy and budget but we can add books to represent our entire communities. Promoting them through passive readers advisory like displays, bookmarks, and lists will help your patrons find them. 

Rosa Parks' Birthday

Rosa Parks' birthday is a great subject for a book display that combines youth and adult titles.  Don't forget to include books from your biographies, African-American studies, and history books. This display sat away from all of those areas and was a way for patrons to be reminded of books that might not have searched out on their own. 

Black History Month - Food and Cooking

Black History Month doesn't have to just be displays with somber history. Remember to include the depth and breadth of the black experience and find some joyful subject to put out for your patrons. This display was fun to put together and emptied out very quickly. Again, I use a generic sign template so that I don't have to work as hard when it's time to replace it. 

Black History Month - Black Authors and Literature

Black History Month display with titles from the 800's on literature and authors. This particular part of non-fiction does not generally circulate well at my library so this was a chance to highlight it in an area with more foot traffic. 
The previous display emptied out. For month-long celebrations, I try to start with a list of ideas so I can replace them quickly. I also use a generic sign template.