At today’s check-in we discussed displays.  Here are a few things that came up:

• Staff favorites are often a hit (have as many staff participate as possible, and be sure to include books for all ages, 0-adult).
• Themes can be fun—let yourself go wild.  You can tell if a theme is popular by how often you have to replenish the materials on display.  Maybe switch it out sooner if things aren’t going out.
• New materials are always good to display—many libraries do all-ages displays, some put them on top of shelves or in end-caps.
• Face-out shelving is great—but don’t crowd the shelves with face-out, either.  The goal is to make things easier and less overwhelming for people.
• If you are having a program about a specific topic, it is fun to pull in books from other libraries to supplement your associated display!
• Christy (Pepin) said when she was trying to decide whether to start a collection of PlayAways, she pulled in PlayAways from many other libraries and put them front and center on a book cart.  When none went out, she decided this was not a collection for her.
• Discussed the pros and cons of a Last Chance bookshelf (books that are in danger of being weeded if they don’t circulate).  It can be a fun way to highlight great books that have not been circulating much, but Claire from Rice Lake pointed out that one thing that can happen with those is that they go out one time, then back on the shelf for three more years, then back to a Last Chance book display, and never get weeded even though maybe they don’t deserve shelf space.  So if you do a display like that, make sure it is highlighting books you think are terrific but overlooked.
• In Ellsworth they are experimenting with having an interactive display/drop-in program associated with a book display.  Right now they have a gratitude station, where people can use a die-cut paper figure to write down a thing they are thankful for, which will be made into a chain for display.  Books about thankfulness/gratitude are part of the display, too.
• Several folks have library scavenger hunts (Prescott, River Falls, St. Croix Falls), with pictures around the library to highlight various areas (audiobooks, hold shelf, etc).  Kids/families can find all of them on the list and then either get a prize…or not!  Either way works.
• In Roberts they have a Giving Tree where people can take off leaves with a dollar amount on them and make a corresponding donation to help pay off kids’ fines.
• Rebekah from Osceola highly recommends a library pet.  Mr. Licky, the library’s python, is a hugely popular “display” every single day!

NEXT TIME:  December 1, 2-3 pm, we’ll be talking about these cool things:

• Everyone will share a big or small success from 2021
• We’ll talk favorite books for youth published in 2021
• We’ll think about check-ins for next year:  topics, format, frequency