Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Black History Month - Food and Cooking

Black History Month book display including non-fiction titles about chefs 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. 

Mary Higgins Clark Memorial Book Display

Memorial book display for Mary Higgins Clark who passed away in 2020When an author dies, particularly a popular author with a long back list, putting up a display of their work makes for an easy display that highlights titles that may not have seen much circulation lately. If you put it in a prominent place, it should empty out quickly but is easy to fill. Don't forget to include audiobooks and large print. 

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Read Alikes for P.S. I Love You

Book display with titles that are read alikes for the YA book "PS I Love You" by Jenny HanA young adult book display in the adult area! Unleashed! It’s read-alikes for PS I Love You by Jenny Han. Mix up your collection and put displays so people won’t expect them. Let fiction readers find non-fiction and people who don’t go to your teen area find young adult fiction.

Not every patrons is familiar with every part of your building. Patrons who come in to use the computer may not think about picking up current young adult favorites. 


American Dirt Read-Alikes

Suggested titles to pick up while you are waiting for American Dirt

This display was a way to encourage patrons to read more about Mexico, Mexican Americans, migration, immigration, etc without being judgemental. You can encourage them to do a deeper dive on the subject as well as to read books by authors they may have not yet encountered. It was a mix of fiction and non-fiction and included a variety of genres. Read alike book displays allow your library to bring midlist and older titles to patrons' attention. 

Westerns! We got them!

Image of book display with various western booksSign from western book display -- "If you wear western clothes ... Are you ranch dressing?"

Westerns circulate well at my library. We put them up several times a year, often when there is display fatigue. Another librarian set up the display and made the sign. 

Large print westerns circulate better for us. This display is another example of moving books out of their regular home and into another area. It's also easy for anyone to fill. 

Women in Horror Month

February Women in Horror Month book display with fiction and audiobooksWomen in Horror Month book display with a variety of titles  included.
in Horror Month book display including audiobooks. Be as broad as possible in interpreting the genre when you put up genre-based book displays. For horror, that could include slipping in some suspense or thrillers. As always, check your display for inclusion. 
Don't leave horror for October only; I guarantee you that people will check out horror all year. 

Black History Month - Black Authors and Literature

Black History Month book display featuring non-fiction about 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. 

ARRTCon 24 Presention - Marketing Your Collection, Programs, and Services With Better Book Displays.

I am a huge fan of Chicago-Area libraries and their library workers. Every time I visit, I learn something from the trip. Recently, I was fo...