Passively Recommending Books

A 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. 

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 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. 

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 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. 

Clive Cussler book display put up after his passing in 2020 . These are easy to put up and can help circ backlist titles. Don't forget large print and audiobooks as well. Another suggestion would be to add a handout with information about your ebook collection if it includes the author's titles. 

One of my favorites, @RAforAll , asked for a Mardi Gras book display with New Orleans themed titles. I started with just fiction because that was the fastest and easiest. As the display emptied out, I added non-fiction and audiobooks. For non-fiction, some places to check are: biographies, music, cooking, history, and travel.