Here are the slides from my presentation at the New England Library Association Conference in Springfield, MA. It was a great conference. If you have any questions or would like more assistance with learning best practices when it comes to book displays or passive readers advisory, please contact me.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Monday, October 9, 2023
October Book Display ideas - Not Horror!
So, it's October and you want a book display that isn't horror? Here are some ideas that you can use.
You could always go horror - adjacent and do a true crime or horrible history display with your non-fiction. If you pick the best readable, narrative non-fiction and put it near your fiction stacks, there are books that will get checked out. This is a display that will flow into your horror book displays and lists.
Remember that you can be funny and refuse to fall into anything! Put up a display of beachy, coastal romance and fiction. Put up a sign with a flip flop and proudly demonstrate your refusal to give up summer. There are plenty of books with beaches on the front that you can use. You could tie it into a coast/ocean horror display with books like Daniel Kraus' Whalefall.
Mean Girls Day was October 3 but a book display of the books you think that the characters from the movie would like and books that fans of the movie might enjoy would also be fun.
Other holidays celebrated this month include:
Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah - Put up a display of fiction by Jewish authors and books about Jewish history. See what you have that is not Holocaust specific. There are plenty of times of the year when those books can be brought out.
Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day is almost upon us. You can get warmed up for Native American Heritage Month and put out some fiction by Native American Authors. There are plenty of horror titles that you can use including ones by Erika T. Wurth, Jessica Johns, Stephen Graham Jones, and Owl Goingback. See if you have any titles about your own area's Native American culture and history.
National Coming Out Day is October 11. Remember that books by Queer authors should be part of your passive readers advisory all year. Find narratives and fiction about coming out. Include resources on bookmarks and small flyers for those patrons who might need it. Add links to your online passive readers advisory.
October 15 is National Grouch Day. There are many lists of the hot, grouchy heroes of romance. This is also called the grumpy/sunshine trope. While by now you know that you can promote your horror collection all you, don't forget your romance collection when it's not February. Here are some links:
Goodreads
Another Goodreads list
Romance Rehab- Sexiest Grumpy Heroes in Romance
Here are some reviews from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Book Riot with a list of grumpy sunshine titles
Another romance display/list option is October 18th's No Beard Day. Display those romances with heroes on the cover who do not have a beard!
October 17 is Black Poetry Day. Putting poetry on display is a great way to get it to circulate if you don't have a dedicated audience for it. When I put a spotlight on poetry, the books do get checked out. See what anthologies with collections of Black poets' work and individual titles you have in your 811's.
There is apparently an International Sloth Day on October 20th. Use it to put up those long, difficult titles that take forever to get through. Encourage people to slowly enjoy a great book that is longer and more challenging. Also, do a youth companion display with picture books and non-fiction about sloths.
Finally, October 29 is National Cat Day (isn't that every day?). There are so many cat-themed cozy mysteries. You also likely have pet books about cats as well as youth titles with cats as the central character.
I hope this list gives you an idea about where you can start if you want a non-spooky display to put up for October. Don't stress about fitting a theme perfectly; let's just get some love to our backlist titles!
Sunday, October 1, 2023
On Using Subject Headings for Book Displays
I wanted to follow up on a question I received during the PLA webinar about passive readers advisory as a way to market your collection. Don't forget that books can be approached in a lot of ways. One way you can start is by looking at subject headings. You can search a lot of library catalogs by subject. They are often hyperlinked which makes it easy to search.
If we look at the example in the last post, What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman, here are the subject headings from the MARC record:
Missing children
Homecoming
Palmists
Father and child
Kidnapping
Man-woman relationships
Occult & Supernatural.
Horror fiction
Gothic fiction.
Thrillers (Fiction)
There are likely lots of titles on your shelves about kidnappings, homecomings, and missing children.
If we look at the publisher's summary of the book:
Madi returns to her hometown and reconnects with an ex from high school, now known locally for his refusal to give up looking for his infant son who has been missing for years. As Madi gets drawn into the search, she begins to see visions that lead to disturbing revelations about the real story of the boy's disappearance"-- Provided by publisher.
After striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market. It's there that she connects with old high school flame Henry McCabe, now a reclusive local fisherman whose infant son, Skyler, went missing five years ago. Everyone in town is sure Skyler is dead, but when Madi reads Henry's palm, she's haunted by strange and disturbing visions that suggest otherwise. As she follows the thread of these visions, Madi discovers a terrifying nightmare waiting at the center of the labyrinth--and it's coming for everyone she holds dear.
There are more that can be pulled out:
Reconnecting with an ex
Visions
Teen mothers
High school flames/sweethearts
This is before we dive into the setting or the fact there are crabs a'plenty in this book.
Never forget that there are many ways to approach the same book and when you are assembling as display, don't trap yourself into thinking that you don't have enough of a certain kind of book. You can be liberal without you interpret a book or a theme.
I mentioned that I turned haunted houses into "Not So Happy Home" and included suspense novels about bad marriages, abusive relationships, and even added non-fiction about home repair.
I hope this helps!
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Book Display Idea Using One Book - What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman
As we are about to enter spooky season, I thought I would put up a quick post about using one of this season's most anticipated horror titles, What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman. The idea is to show how you can assemble these book displays in a variety of ways. Books can become book friends by pairing them together using different approaches. There isn't one answer.
This book is about parental grief, hometowns, and being haunted by the past. It's also a southern gothic folk horror book with a healthy dose of body horror. The sense of dread and overall creepiness builds as book progresses. Fans of domestic suspense who are open to some horror will love this book.
The plot? From the publisher's (Quirk Books) website:
After striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market.
It’s at the market that she reconnects with her high school boyfriend Henry McCabe, now a reclusive local fisherman whose infant son, Skyler, went missing five years ago. Everyone in town is sure Skyler is dead, but when Madi reads Henry’s palm, she’s haunted by strange and disturbing visions that suggest otherwise. As she follows the thread of these visions, Madi discovers a terrifying monster waiting at the center of the labyrinth—and it’s coming for everyone she holds dear.
The easiest display would be to grab what titles from Chapman's backlist you have and add other horror published in August - October and create a "New Horror for Spooky Season" display or list. But let's look at some other options. You can always include some suspense and thrillers in with horror if you need to fill it in.
The book takes place in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay region. A display tying together other authors from the region would be fun. Travel, regional travelogues, and history books could also be used. You could expand to coastal or beachy towns in general. Find suspense and horror with that setting.
If you peruse the author's social media accounts, you will quickly learn that crabs are part of the story. Creepy marine animals are another way to pair this book with other titles. It could be expanded to include animal horror in general. Displays should draw attention to your backlist titles; don't worry about being too precise.
On Goodreads, readers have labeled this book as gothic and Southern Gothic. Other Southern Gothic horror novels, would make for a great display. There are a number of authors from the American South creating great horror and suspense.
The idea of parental grief is also present in the book. Look through your collection and find fiction and non-fiction titles on parenting, issues with parenting, childhood issues and so forth. You can use the title of the book as inspiration while you search your catalog.
Don't forget to put up information about your hold/reserve service as well as any eBook collections where you have the title. Use the display to market your services, never assuming that the patrons know about all of them!.
Using Passive Readers Advisory to Market Your Collection -Links
If you are visiting from today's PLA webinar, Using Passive Readers Advisory to Market Your Collection, welcome!
Here are all of the links from today's presentation:
https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/
https://horror.org/category/seers-table/
https://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/
https://simmonslis.libguides.com/NontradWesterns
https://wccls.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1350633061/1911579069
https://bookriot.com/queer-historical-romances/
https://indypl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/1953821989/2039340739
https://bookriot.com/books-like-lord-of-the-rings/
https://ppld.org/sites/default/files/readinglists/epicfantasy.pdf
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/best-fantasy-books-novels-series
https://www.briankeene.com/store
https://beverlyjenkins.net/books/
https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/authors-and-books/your-next-5-books
https://libguides.fau.edu/freeresources/readers-advisory
https://www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-recommendations/lists
https://concordnh.gov/1350/Reading-Recommendations
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Book Display/List Help - National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15-October 15 every year. According to the many US government agencies who take part "It traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latin[e] Americans." Every year a theme is chosen for the month. This year it is: Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America.
Regardless of where your library, it's a great way to showcase some of your backlist and remind patrons of the authors and books they may have missed. In addition to fiction, you can display non-fiction like travel, cooking, and history. Remember that your patrons are as curious as you are so don't decide in advance that they won't be interested
For your social media, blogs, and online lists, here are some links you can use. Remember to vet any site before you suggest it to your patrons.
- One thing you can do is curate a page of virtual tours and exhibits for your patrons. They can also be used by local groups and agencies in your area. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America has a page up which includes a link to a 360ยบ virtual tour of La Casa Azul, Freda Kahlo's former home. The National Museum of the American Latino also has some virtual exhibits . The Museum of Latin American Art has virtual exhibits on their homepage. There are other museums and sites with virtual tours through Hispanic countries.
- The US government has a website which serves as a main hub for all of the various government agencies' content. You can break out the content from the various sites as you wish. Included are everything from the Census to the National Park Service to the Smithsonian.
- This is 2021's list but don't forget to include links to sites like GLAAD's which celebrate the Hispanic/Latine LGBTQ community.
- PBS has information on all of their programs and documentaries that they recommend you watch for more information on Hispanic heritage, history, and culture. They have added some new documentaries for this year.
- For younger patrons, teachers, and homeschoolers you can include things like the activitites and lessons on the National Education Association's webpage for Hispanic Heritage Month.
- Remember to check your local schools, colleges, and universities. Many will put up information online or will advertise events during this time.
- Always include links and information about whatever events your local community including local government has scheduled. If you don't know where to easily find them, this is a great time to gather links to where that information can be found for future use.
- If you have local restaurants, chefs or community organizations willing to help, you can post a suggested list of recipes for to try.
Book Lists are part of what you will want to include. For some ideas:
The Seattle Public Library has a list of recent non-fiction.
The Horror Writers Association has a series of blog posts for the month.
Boston University has a list of 25 titles, including YA and graphic novels.
Los Angeles Times - 11 Books to Read During Hispanic Heritage Month
Arapahoe Libraries has a list of Latino Authors to Read
Goodreads has a list of Hispanic Authors Books.
Bookriot - 8 Hispanic and Latine YA Authors You Should Definitely Read
Goodreads - Latinx YA Books
School Library Journal - 26 Must-Have Latinx YA Books Filled with Romance, History, and Magical Realism
Reading Middle Grade -31 Best Latino Middle-Grade and Chapter Books
Palo Alto City Library - Middle Grade Books: Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Book display / List Help - International Crime Fiction/ Crime Fiction in Translation
Crime fiction is very popular but lists and displays often have the same best selling authors on them. You could likely name 5-10 of those authors easily if asked. One way to dig into your backlist and help patrons find series and authors new to them is to look at crime fiction in translation or international crime fiction.
The Petrona Award -Awarded to the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year
The award is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia and published in the UK in the previous calendar year.
Dagger for Crime Fiction in Translation - The Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award
This award is for crime novels (defined by the broadest definition to include thrillers, suspense novels and spy fiction) as long as the book was not originally written in English and has been translated into English for UK publication during the judging period.
Translated Crime Fiction Books - Goodreads
Lawrence Picks: Best Mysteries Translated Into English, recommendations from the Mystery Book Club - Lawrence Public Library
International Crime Fiction - Crime Reads
4 Different Styles of Mystery Novels From Around the World- Book Riot
Australian Noir and the Best Australian Crime Fiction - Book Riot
Akashic Book's Noir Series - Many of these are set in international cities. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.
Irish Book Awards - includes a Crime Fiction Book of the Year category
Ned Kelly Awards - Australian Crime Writers Association
10 Thrilling African Noir Novels -Publishers Weekly
A Beginners Guide to African Crime Fiction - Crime Reads
Latin American Crime Fiction Books- Goodreads
Japanese Mystery/Detective/Crime Fiction Translated Into English - Goodreads
The new Scandi noir? The Korean writers reinventing the thriller - The Guardian
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