Five For Friday - Winter Horror

 To give you a peek behind the scenes, when I picked this theme, I wasn't sure we owned enough titles that weren't checked out to do this post. I requested a pile and then checked the books and authors to make certain that I had some diversity there before I took the picture. Sometimes, you might have to tweak the idea - I could have included more thrillers, suspense, or mystery titles - to make it work. I have several images below I included a cart filled with titles to provide an example of a display on a cart. Both sides of this cart could have been filled with books. 

The title is winter horror but don't hesitate to put suspense or thrillers on the cart. People will read across genres so you don't have to limit yourself. This also makes it easier to keep the display full.

I always suggest a simple sign and minimal decorations. The focus should be the books - not signage and decor. It's possible to completely obscure the books with too many signs!

Here are two option for Five for Friday. This picture can be used for social media or a blog. 

You don't need fancy fixtures for a book display. Create a display of five for your picture and then fill in the cart with other titles and leave it somewhere in your building where people can discover it. You don't have to put a fiction display near the fiction. Move it to a place where it will be a surprise!

This is just a small book cart with a sign. I've used them around our building and in programs. 

Five for Friday - Puerto Rico

 Let the news prompt you when you are struggling for ideas for book displays or lists. For this week's Five for Friday, I've picked out some adult fiction and non-fiction about Puerto Rico. When you create a display like this - make sure that you include both fiction and non-fiction as well as using authors from the region. 

For this Friday, I chose 5 books about Puerto Rico- fiction, a biography, and a cookbook. In addition to the photo of the books, a link to an online list of books (physical or eBooks) could be added. Don't stress yourself out worrying about a snappy title; we aren't copywriters for an advertising agency, after all. Even something as simple as "Learn more about Puerto Rico" would work. A display inside your building with more books or a sign with a QR code to an online list will complement it nicely. 

Five for Friday - Alternative Dishes for Thanksgiving

 One easy way to promote your collection is to have staff take turns selecting 5 books on a theme from your collection, take a photo of them and post it to your social media. If you make it a regular feature, patrons may look for it and find their next great read. Set up a calendar and let different people from throughout your library get a chance to pick their five books. 

One display I try to put up every year is a selection of cookbooks for Thanksgiving that contain recipes outside of the usual options. Include vegan, vegetarian, international, and cookbooks for those with special health concerns. This will show off your cookbook collection while giving patrons ideas if they are seeking something unique to serve. 

As an example, I have several photos of cookbooks below with a simple fall themed picture behind them. You could add text explaining the theme and have just the first photo or add photos like I did below with each book shown faced out. Let your patrons know that you have a wide variety of cookbooks and give them some out of the box ideas for their holiday celebration. 

Five For Friday - Reoccuring Book Display Idea: New Books You Might Have Missed.

 Usually when I talk about book displays I am referencing promoting backlist titles. As someone who works in acquisitions and technical services, I know that some new books do not come in with a bunch of hold requests or are from unknown debut authors or could use a little promotion. A social media display or small physical display in your library will shine some attention on those titles. 

Pick five of the books on your new release shelves that have not been checked out and add a picture with a link to your catalog on your social media. If you can, create a digital display on your website or blog with a list of the titles and links to place a hold on the books. You can make this a regular feature of your social media, giving it a name something like new book spotlight. 

Obviously, those books with holds or which are part of popular series do not need our help to get patron attention. Save this kind of promotion for those books which need a boost. Make certain that you include books by marginalized authors, books in translation, and books from small publishers. You could use narrative non-fiction and memoirs as well. 

Five For Friday - Reocurring Book Display Idea: Vampire Novels Written By Women

 A really great idea for a reoccuring book display is what I call #FiveForFriday. It involves simply taking 5 books on any theme that comes to mind and promoting them in your building, on your social media, and anywhere else you promote your library. This is something that can be rotated among your staff so that everyone can participate. You will also have the chance to promote parts of your collection that the staff who regularly put up displays might not have considered. 

One example is from the image below. Titan Books promoted some of their horror authors as retweeted by Gabino Iglesias. It's a simple picture of a ghost holding a stack of books. Create a digital display in your eBook platform, a web page with links to your catalog, and/or a book display in your building that includes these titles. 

Create a calendar at least several months out in advance and allow your library staff to sign up for a Friday. You can create a form where staff can list their theme and the five titles that they wish to promote. Of course, staff should be aware that a library need may preempt their post, pushing the list forward. 

Create guidelines for staff requiring that their five books be backlist titles and not current bestsellers, the authors are not regularly on the bestseller lists, there are diverse authors included, and as much as possible books are not repeated. 

Since we are in October, this week's suggestion is vampire novels. Vampires are back but they are terrifying and brutal. Authors such as Stephen Graham Jones, Hailey Piper, and Andy Davidson have upcoming vampire novels which would also allow you to promote the idea of putting holds on upcoming books. Never assume that your patrons know everything about your library. 

There are likely many options in your collection for staff to select including movies. The pick for this week is vampire novels by women writers. I have picked five suggestions below but use what is in your collection! 

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due 

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins