Remembering Dolly Parton

 Iconic songwriter, philanthropist, actress, and singer Dolly Parton died yesterday. When a famous person dies, patrons will often seek out materials by and about that person. On her website, she lists books she's written as well as her filmography and discography. There have also been books written about her. One relatively recent book that had many holds in my library system is Dolly Parton Songteller: My Life in Lyrics written by Dolly with Robert K. Oermann. 

Beyond her own works, don't overlook books about her peers in country music and the Grand Ole Opry. There are also non-fiction and fiction titles about Tennessee and Tennessee history that you can add. 

To make this an interactive display or passive program, partner with a local agency that distributes books and honor Dolly's Imagination Library by collecting new and gently used books for children. They can be either distributed by your local literacy agency or your library can hold an event and distribute them. If you add a label with your library's information on it, you can distribute them to laundromats, barbershops, beauty parlors, churches, and other places where your community will find them. 

Unshelve with Some help from Barnes & Noble: Great American Novel Picks from Our Favorite Authors

It's not necessary to create great displays out of thin air yourself. Use ideas that vendors and publishers send you in their marketing emails and browse their sites for ideas. Barnes & Noble has a list of Great American Novel Picks From Our Favorite Authors up on their site. You can browse the list of suggestions and find the titles in your collection, add a note with which author recommended them, and watch them get checked out. Library patrons love celebrity reading suggestions which is why I have used Barack Obama and Bill Gates' reading lists to great success. Clearly, B&N knows this as well which is why they have asked a variety of popular authors for their picks. The list is heavy on classic novels like The Great Gatsby. 

A more fluid display and one which would be easier to fill would be a display with a sign that reads Great American Novel Picks and have your staff fill it with their choices. The limitation would be that they need to be novels and by an American author. If you ask them to dig into your collection and avoid the obvious choices, you will have created a display that can be up for a month. The idea of a Great American novel is nothing that you need to clearly define. Pick diverse authors and avoid bestsellers and obvious classic novels. 

Bring in genre fiction and titles from smaller publishers. Your entire staff, regardless of title can participate. Allow them to have fun and try to not police what gets added aside from watching for diversity and as few obvious choices as possible. 

If you want to create something more innovative and a passive program, create a social media post and ask your readers what their choices for a Great American Novel. You can add some of those titles to the display. If you can't use social media for this, put a box up and ask patrons to write their choices down. There will be some degree of excitement as patrons come in to see which books made the display as they discover their next great read. At the end of the month, you can publish the list of entries on your website, blog, social media, or on a sign in your library. 

Unshelve Your Collection - Using Celebrity Picks

One constant is that readers enjoy celebrity reading picks. We can see this every time someone like Taylor Swift is seen with a book under her arm. I have had great success with celebrity reading focused book displays. Bill Gates and President Obama are two people who come out with annual lists. When Gates recommended a book on the history of shipping containers I put it on a displays and it was checked out the first day.

You can find lists by searching for [celebrity name] reading list , favorite books, or reading recommendations. For a different take on this idea, you can create a display inspired by a particular album, artist, movie, or song. Use the title "Reading with [celebrity name] and put up those books along with titles you have that feature that actor, musician, or author. 

Here are some lists to get you started! If you create a display, I would love to see it. Tag me on social media or email me!

Billy Porter Shares His 6 Favorite Reads — Including This Viral Self-Help Book

Radical Reads: Celebrity Book Recommendations

Celeb Book Recs

celebrities with great reading lists?

20 Great Celebrity Book Recommendations

Amazon Book Review - Celebrity Picks

Listopia > books taylor swift has mentioned

What books do we know Taylor has read and liked?

Bad Bunny Reading List

 Listopia > Beyoncé Cowboy Carter Reading List

Pedro Pascal's Favorite Books Just Proves This Man Has Impeccable Taste

12 Celebrity Book Recommendations

Celebrities Who Read Diversely and The Books They Recommend

The Shameless Book Club: Jacob Elordi 

Pop Star Picks: Books, TV & Films Recommended By Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Zendaya & More

Book Recommendations from Celebrities

Book Display Ideas - Celebrity Book Suggestions

People love book suggestions from celebrities. Former President Barack Obama puts out an annual list of his favorite movies, books, and music. Michelle Obama has also mentioned books she enjoyed. There are certainly plenty of successful book clubs attached to celebrities. An Instagram account called Celeb Book Recs collects book suggestions from a variety of celebrities as does the account Book Recommendations from Celebs.

If you see a popular celebrity recommend a book, take note. When you have enough, it makes for a great book display or list. Just watch for diverse authors and titles that are not bestsellers. Also, no one needs to be introduced to classics like The Great Gatsby or The Old Man and The Sea through your book displays. 

I have included a few lists below that can help get you started. Harness the power of celebrity to help move your backlist!

Your Favorite Sci-Fi Author's Favorite Sci-Fi Book

This list features book recommendations from bestselling science fiction authors like Pierce Brown, Liu Cixin, and John Scalzi.

21 Authors on the Books That They Still Think About

From life-changing to pure entertainment, these are the books that resonate with some of our favorite writers.

Our favorite authors share their favorite books

What's Your Favorite Fantasy Author's Favorite Fantasy Book?

Have you ever wondered about George R.R. Martin’s favorite book? How about Neil Gaiman or Patrick Rothfuss?

39 Black Authors On Their Favorite Books by Black Authors

We asked Black authors to share their favorite books by Black authors — the books they return to again and again, the ones that never fail to provide inspiration. Here are the books they love, which are perfect for adding to your own TBR pile.

Ten LGBTQ+ Authors on the Books That Taught Them

James Frankie Thomas, Amelia Possanza, Richard Mirabella, Gina Chung, and Many More Reflect on Their Formative Texts

The 20 Best LGBTQ Books, According to Queer Authors

We asked nine queer authors to share the best LGBTQ books they've ever read. Here are their top picks.

15 Incredible Celebrity Book Recommendations