Unshelving September - Making a Plan in Advance

 September is the start of the autumn season and school is rolling into session. It's also the build up to spooky season for everyone who loves Halloween. I did a September post in 2024 and the information there is mostly still applicable. One change is that Islam, like Judaism, follows a lunar calendar. The holidays in Islam change months year to year. Malwid is in August this year.  

Here is a general list of September celebrations. 

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are September 11 and 20, respectively. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the first day of the Days of Awe which end with Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.  It is a time for self-reflection, introspection, forgiveness, and accepting forgiveness.
Books on these topics can be used to enhance a book display or fill in as titles are checked out. 
Here are some book lists:

Chicago Public Library - Rosh Hashanah Books
PBS Kids- Picture Books That Celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Jewish Book Council - High Holidays
Hey Alma - 17 Books That Will Get You in a Reflective Mood This High Holiday Season

Library Card Sign Up Month is celebrated in September. 

You can use the theme of this year to highlight your books and DVDs about music as well as CDs and music streaming services. ALA has sample proclamations and other resources including social media graphics here. 

There are a number of food related celebrations in September. Beyond cookbooks, you can use fiction with that food in the title. 
National Gyro Day - September 1 (You can expand this to any Greek food)
World Coconut Day - September 2
National Cheese Pizza Day - September 5
World Samosa Day - September 5
National Peanut Day - September 13
Fortune Cookie Day - September 13
Eat a Hoagie Day - September 14
National Cheeseburger Day - September 18
Ice Cream Cone Day - September 22
National Drink a Beer Day - September 28
National Coffee Day - September 29

With Celebrate Bisexuality or Bi Visibility Day on September 23, how you handle it depends on your community, library, and local/state laws. One way is to set up a romance display and focus on books with bisexual characters. 
Arapahoe Libraries -  Bi-Bi-Bi! Romance Books With Bisexual Main Characters
Meet Cute Romance Bookshop- The Bi(sexual)s Have It: Bi Characters in Great Romance Novels
Goodreads - Bisexual Romance Books
For those looking to expand this display, look at the Lambda Literary Awards which have  bisexual fiction and bisexual non-fiction categories. 

World Translation Day is September 30. Search your collection for books in translation. You can even have a tiny display on a service desk with an easel. Add a new book when one gets checked out. 

September 30 is also  International Podcast Day. Your collection may include books about how to start a podcast or editing. Add books from these lists to make a display: 

Goodreads - Books By or Related to Podcasts and Podcasters
Bookshop.org - Books by women podcasters
Brooklyn Public Library - 20 Books By Your Favorite Podcast Hosts
Cambridge Public Library - Podcasts that wrote books
Reddit - Best books written by Podcasters
              Podcasts that also have a book

 

September Book Display Ideas

 September is almost here already and it's time to start thinking about book displays. Planning and scheduling them in advance is the best way to make certain that they are best able to help you market your backlist, programs, and services. Have fun with them and let staff be creative but don't lose sight of how they can be a serious marketing tool. 

Back to school is the first topic that comes to mind when September rears its head. (Even though many students will return to class in August.) No doubt your youth librarians have picture books with themes including first day of school. There are also many juvenile fiction titles about school friendships and problems. Look to your adult fiction and non-fiction sections for books which reference school or teaching. Don't forget books about mathematics, grammar, and other basics. In addition, work with your local schools to see what topics, upcoming assignments, and focus areas would be most helpful to your patrons. Curate lists of your eBooks and databases that will also help students and teachers. 

Labor Day is September 2. For adults, there are fiction titles which focus on different careers and work in general, even if just in the title. Remember that we are trying to put backlist titles face out and give them some more attention rather than create a perfect collection of books on a given topic. Check your collection for books about careers, the history of the labor movement, and labor law. There are also usually plenty of youth titles covering careers and work. 

9/11 has been given the name Patriot Day. Your collection likely includes titles related to the event and the aftermath. Here are some lists with some suggestions: 

Flight 93 Recommended Reading from the National Park Service
Seven More Books Worth Reading About 9/11 and Its Aftermath from the Council on Foreign Relations
9/11: Books About the Impact of September 11, 2001 from Chicago Public Library
7 Books for Kids About September 11 from the Floyd County Library
Remembering 9/11 with Kids & Teens from New York Public Library

Mawlid, the birthday of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, is celebrated by Muslims on September 15 and 16. Collect titles about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad for adults and children. If you find few in your collection, bring this up to whomever does collection development for your library. Planning book displays is a great way to identify where your collection could use some additional titles. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15. As a build up to Halloween and spooky season, set up a display of Hispanic horror authors. The Horror Writers Association has a blog, the Seers Table, which includes interviews with diverse authors. The Smithsonian has a page with information about Hispanic Heritage Month. Don't forget cookbooks, history books, and books about civil rights struggles in the Hispanic community. 

 The autumnal equinox falls on September 22. With the growth of interest in paganism and witchcraft, your collection likely includes some titles which could be incorporated into a display. Include books with fall themes or fall images on the cover including craft books. There are cozy mysteries and romance books which would work on a display. 

Books to Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and Harvest Time! from Evanston Public Library
Autumn Equinox from Goodreads
Autumnal Equinox: Books & movies for fall from Oak Park Public Library

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19. This is a fun holiday to celebrate with book lists and displays. Use pirate broadly and reach into your fiction collection to find titles. Your adult non-fiction collection likely includes books about historical pirates as well as more modern ones. Any book with pirate in the title or a pirate on the cover is fair game for a display. 

Arrr, Ahoy Me Hearties! Books for International Talk Like a Pirate Day from Book Riot
International Talk Like a Pirate Day Book List from Charles County Public Library
Books to Read for Talk Like a Pirate Day from Jacksonville Public Library
Talk Like A Pirate Day from San Jose Public Library

Hobbit Day is September 22. You should include cozy reads as well as read alikes for Tolkien's creations. For read alikes, look into the epic fantasy that your collection includes. Think about creating a book list or display that has the spirit of Hobbits rather than exact matches. Your library's staff likely have their own favorite cozy reads. In addition, include breakfast books because a second breakfast is always a good idea. 

Comfort Reads For Hobbit Day | Staff Favorites from Orem Public Library 
There and Back Again: Hobbit-Inspired Reads from Chicago Public Library 
Happy Hobbit Day! from Arapahoe Libraries
Books Like Lord Of The Rings from Goodreads
15 Books Like Lord of the Rings from Book Riot

National Indoor Plant Week is September 15 - 21. With the increase in interest in indoor plants and the rise of the "plant parent" this is a good time to review your collection for current titles on the subject. Beyond non-fiction books about plant care and identification, look for fiction with plants on the front including lush general plant themes on the front. As this has been a trend recently, there should be plenty of candidates.