August Book Display Ideas

 Back to school starts in August with school supplies and the pending new school year appearing all over. Beyond the usual back to school, 100 days of kindergarten, and other youth materials, don't forget adult and non-traditional students. By setting up a display of adult materials on grammar, writing, basic mathematics, and other related subjects, you can remind your patrons that your library does have these books available. If you have databases with test preparation, writing help, or foreign language help include information on them as well. 

August 6 is Hiroshima Day or the day the City of Hiroshima holds their Peace Memorial Ceremony to remember those lost in the atomic bombing and to pray for world peace. There are plenty of US Government sites with information for patrons. The National Park Service and the Deparment of Energy are among them. Include some memoirs from survivors. Beyond non-fiction titles about the war, the dropping of the bomb, Imperial Japan, post-war Japan, and the aftermath of the bombing, there are plenty of novels about the dropping of the nuclear bombs. Goodreads comes through again with a list. The film Oppenheimer has also generated interest in the subject. Town and Country has a list. 

Congress has designated the second sunday in August as the Spirit of '45 day to honor the sacrifices and achievements of the World War II generation. There is likely plenty of material in your library to fill a display around World War II as a theme. Include books about everyone who participated in the war effort. 

National Lighthouse Day is celebrated on August 7. Beyond non-fiction books about lighthouses, don't forget the cozy mysteries with a lighthouse theme. Visit the site cozy-mystery.com and search for lighthouse. Crime Reads has a list of mysterious lighthouses in fiction. There are also romances and books set in a variety of seaside towns with a lighthouse at least on the cover. 

August 9-16th is Elvis Week. Beyond books about Elvis, his contemporaries, and influences, the King of Rock and Roll has a huge place in popular culture. There are lists of novels with Elvis as a theme or in which he makes an appearance. Don't forget your DVD collection and information about your digital music services.

The Perseid Meteor Shower is August 12 and 13. Astronomy books and books about space can be placed on a display as well as fiction with meteors as a theme or even on the cover. Search broadly and look for comets as well as meteors or anything impacting Earth. Check your DVD collection as well. 

August 26th is Women's Equality Day to commemorate the adoption of the 19th amendment, granting women the vote in the United States in 1920. Beyond titles directly related to the fight for women's suffrage, you could set up displays focusing on mysteries, horror, science fiction, and fantasy written by women. 

Read Comics in Public Day is celebrated on comics legend Jack Kirby's birthday, August 28. Beyond setting up a display with graphic novels, hold an event in your library where patrons can come together to read comics. If possible, partner with a local comic book store. Remember that some of the titles which drew the attention of those who would ban books were graphic novels. 

August 30th is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's birthday and is celebrated as Frankenstein Day. Beyond her classic novel, you can set up a display with the many books that have built upon her work as well as nonfiction books and biographies about Shelley and her contemporaries. Alachua County Library District (FL) has one of these lists, including youth materials, and so does Pima County Public Library (AZ). Goodreads has a list of Frankenstein books. Arapahoe Libraries (CO) has a list of Frankenstein retellings as does Goodreads. One of my favorite Frankenstein retellings is Eynhallow by Tim McGregor. 

Using Donated Books as Passive Readers Advisory

 My library system has a program we call Libraries Unshelved. Donated books in good condition have labels placed with our library's information and explaining that whomever has the book is welcome to either keep it, pass it on, or return it to the library. We also include bookmarks or flyers with program or digital services information. 

A program like this could be expanded to provide passive readers advisory by changing the information on one of the labels or flyers to include readalikes for the book. This will help guide the reader to other titles if they enjoy this book while also providing a clue as to whom the book will appeal. Don't forget to include non-fiction and youth materials in your program. Non-fiction and fiction can also be used as readalikes for each other. There are many non-fiction titles that are compelling and readable as any fiction book. 

If most of your donations go to a book sale, you may need to work iwth your administration or friends of the library group to get a program like this started. It could be expanded to include patron input if you supply a form that allows a patron to include a short review and their own readalikes. That information can be included with the book as well. 

Work with your local businesses, recreation department, senior center, and other buildings where the public gathers to identify places where you can place your own Unshelved collection, Places like laundromats and barbershops can be great places to start. Some restaurants and coffee shops may also want to participate. 

Your library's presence in your community can be expanded by placing these curated books in public places outside the walls of your library. Including readers advisory information will help place your library as where readers can come for assistance and support while also helping to create what readers advisory expert Becky Spratford calls "a community of readers" with your library at the center.

Book Review - The Brians of Horror Featuring Brian McAuley and CURSE OF THE REAPER

Because of a joke I made on Twitter, I'm reading through some authors named Brian who write horror. The first was Brian McAuley's Curse of the Reaper. I loved his novella Candy Cain Kills; I love a book with a female villain who is genuinely evil and menacing. 

If you love the wild ride of a great horror film with a slasher running wild, you will also love this book. A film professor, McAuley definitely brings a cinematic feeling to his books. It's a fun book that would pair nicely with the slasher novels of the last few years. Set up a display with this book, other slasher novels, and a ton of your horror DVDs. 

This would also be a great alternative to a traditional beach reads display. People read all kinds of books at the beach. They really love horror, thrillers, and suspense in the summer. I live 15 minutes from the beach in Florida and I can tell you that horror will move in the summer as a beach read. 

I posted a review on Goodreads but I thought I would also post it here. 

It is as much fun as as gory as any movie slasher. McAuley clearly loves the genre and it comes through in the writing. It’s also a novel about aging and the weight of a legacy and the cost of becoming an icon. With bits of scripts mixed in, it’s also a clever send up of Hollywood and the movie industry with its endless hunger for sequels and remakes. 

Recommended to those who loved HORROR MOVIE by Paul Tremblay and it will pair nicely with the upcoming I WAS A TEENAGE SLASHER by Stephen Graham Jones 
The ‘zon says people frequently by it with THE HOLLOW KIND by Andy Davidson which is a great book but completely different.

Book Display Inspiration Using One Book - The Women by Kristin Hannah

There is one book dominating my library's holds lists, both digital and physical. That book is The Women by Kristin Hannah. This does happen periodically - hundreds and hundreds of holds pop up and it seems impossible to obtain enough copies. Hannah does have a back list but chances are most of those books are checked out with holds. So, what do you do? Create a book display with read alikes, advertising your holds list as well as helping patrons waiting for that hot title find something that they will love to read. 

The book is about a nursing student who follows her brother to Vietnam by joining the Army Nurse Corps and finds herself unprepared both for the brutality of the war and the unrest and upheaval when she returns to the United States. This offers many ways to find read alikes. 

You can use:

• historical fiction 
• Vietnam era fiction 
• Books about nurses
• Books about siblings
• Fiction that is centered on women's stories
• Books about returning home
• Non-fiction about nursing
• Non-fiction about the Vietnam era

You an also search for authors who are similar to Hannah. 

Add signage about your holds list, a QR code with a link to your online catalog and eBook collection. Have staff ready to assist patrons by either placing the hold for them or by showing them how to place a hold. 

Here are some lists that should give you an idea of different ways you can approach this type of list or display. 

Library Journal offered some read alikes. 

Arlington Public Library (VA) has some of their own. 

Parker Memorial Library (MA) has read alikes for Kristin Hannah. 

Goodreads has a list of authors who members also read if the read Kristin Hannah. 

The blog, the Book Girls Guide, has their own list of read alikes with explanations about why they think they are similar. 

Sno-Isle Libraries (WA) has lists of titles for readers who liked Kristin Hannah, subdivided by title. 

Using Booklist and Library Journal for Book Display Inspiration

As I have mentioned before, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to book displays or finding ideas. Both Booklist and Library Journal regularly have ideas you can borrow and reshape to fit your own library's needs. While it may not be up to you if your library subscribes or not to either or both, even the headline of an article can help you with book display ideas. 

Library Journal has a feature called Display Shelf on their website. Often curated by Editor Melissa DeWild, these shelves are a great way to get ideas about what kind of fiction and non-fiction displays your library can put up. Don't feel pressure to include every book they have up; use the idea as a jumping off point and search your own collection for titles that will work. 

Booklist has articles on Essential reads in a particular subgenre or subject. There are also trend alerts which include books with subjects like Love & Sports. Even if you don't subscribe, you can be inspired by the titles of these lists. Booklist Online is not as expensive as other library databases so I would encourage you to inquire about an institutional subscription. It's a great resource for readers advisory and collection development. 

Another resource Booklist provides is High Demand Read Alikes. With titles like Slow-Burn Love Stories and Women in War, you should be able to find an idea when you are pressed to create a display but don't feel especially creative. They are also broad enough that finding some read alikes in your own physical and digital collection should be easy. 

Borrow From Indie Bookstores - Market Upcoming Titles

 Libraries are not in competition with bookstores. Enthusiastic readers frequent both and a patron who tests a new to them author at the library is likely to buy that author's books at a bookstore. Develop a relationship with your local bookstores and work with them. As library workers, we can also learn from some of the great ideas that come from indie bookstores. 

One great thing I see in indie bookstores like Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL and Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, NH is marketing upcoming releases with signage and an invitation to pre-order a title. They often include a blurb, a cover image, and author information. Pre-orders are an important way for a publisher to know there will be demand for an individual title. 

Assuming that a patron knows as much as we do about the library is a mistake. Library workers spend hours at the library and are familiar with its services, collection, and programs. Many patrons have a particular reason they visit the library or a way they use the building, missing things that might interest them. It's our job to highlight even the most basic services to catch those patrons who are unaware or who have forgotten about them. 

Either in a separate display or as part of the new bookshelf, create signage with upcoming titles and information about your request/holds list. Invite patrons to place holds either on their own or by asking staff for more information. Include QR codes to your OPAC or eBook collection as well. While it's understandable that bestsellers will need to be included, mix in some books that might be flying under the radar as well. 

You will need to have a workflow to change out the upcoming releases regularly as books are published and arrive at the library. Work with your acquisitions department and selectors to be aware of which titles have been ordered for your library. 

Visit indie bookstores in your neighborhood and on your travels. You will learn a lot. 

Talk About the Books You Love

 On his Twitter account, author Joe Lansdale shared some ways you can help your favorite author promote their books. I thought I would note them here and mention ways you can have patrons help give their favorite authors the spotlight. 

1 - Preorder their books. 

2- Put titles on your Goodreads "Want to Read" shelf. 

3 - Good reviews on more platforms.

4 - Social media posts about the books you love. Tag the publisher and the author. 

5 - Let your local library know that you are interested in their book

For library purposes, 1 and 5 function the same. Set up a display and social media posts promoting your Patron Suggestion form. Let your patrons know that they can recommend titles for your collection. Your patrons may make you aware of books you have not heard about, in genres you are less familiar with, and emerging trends.

Regarding number 2, if you have book clubs at your library, you can set up a group on Goodreads for it. Those staff who lead book clubs can spend a little time at one of their meetings showing Goodreads, StoryGraph, and any other book tracking sites you like, demonstrating how to add books and indicate what forthcoming titles they are interested in. 

There are some passive programming ideas in 3 and 4. Set up a way either on paper, via email, or an online form by which patrons can submit book reviews to you. Establish a system for posting those reviews on your social media and in your building. This will help develop a community of readers at your library and will allow your patrons to help each other find great reads. You can tag the author and the publisher in these positive reviews. 

There are two things to note about patron book reviews. The first is that you should never post or put out negative reviews on your social media or in your building. Negative reviews are helpful in finding books you might love because the reason someone hates a book could be why you would love it. If someone seeks out reader or professional reviews, it can be assumed that some will be negative. This program should be about building positivity. If someone comes into your building or looks at your library's social media and sees their favorite book being trashed, that could color how they feel about the library. 

The second is that you need to decide if you are going to redact the patron's entire name, use initials, or just first names. Make certain that participants are aware that you will be posing them for other readers to see. With younger readers, you may need to get parent or guardian approval. 

Follow Joe's suggestions and help your readers generate hype for the books they love and the authors whose work has inspired them.