I love making displays – it’s always so much fun to think of new and exciting themes, and pick out the best books to put up on display.
Normally I’m responsible for the kids and teens displays while a colleague manages the adult ones, but because I was the only librarian in the branch in the week between Christmas and New Years, I had free range over all the displays. I went wild!
When coming up with display ideas, I try to think of themes that will be easily to restock if I’m not around – nothing too specific or niche. I’m not very artistic, but thanks to free design programs like Canva, even I can make professional-looking, eye-catching signs.
I don’t really like resolutions – they’re usually negative and unrealistic – so instead I focused on learning something or reading something new in the new year.
THEME ONE : NEW YEAR, NEW SKILLS
This is a really easy display to refill – books on any kind of hobby, craft or skill will work here. Nonfiction doesn’t tend to circulate as well as fiction, so it’s nice to give some of these great books a moment in the spotlight.
THEME TWO: COOK UP SOMETHING NEW
Who doesn’t love cookbooks?? There are so many lovely cookbooks in our collection, and they display so beautifully, with their gorgeous covers.
THEME THREE: NEW (TO YOU) READS
The ultimate in lazy displays! Any fiction title can be plonked on this table – easy peasy! It’s especially nice to showcase older titles or ones that haven’t moved in a while.
Do you get to make displays at your library? If you’re a library patron, do you ever pick books off the displays?
I have three sections of front facing shelves that fit about 45 books, so put displays there, as well as on top of some center fiction shelves, and a rotating set of shelves. The rotating I fill with sports, war, mystery and one other topic, sometimes dogs, sometimes humor, since those are all books that are requested frequently. The other displays are books that still have the structural integrity to stand, so usually some of the newer titles. Sometimes I do colors, sometimes themes; just depends. Sometimes the kids will pick them all up, and sometimes not. Just depends! Your displays look much more thoughtful.