Book displays are a great way to highlight underused collections, increase circulation, and to encourage discovery in your library. In this free webcast with Susan Brown, director of the Chapel Hill Public Library and Nancy Dowd, co-author of ALA’ s best-selling book, Bite-Sized Marketing: Realistic Solutions for Overworked Librarians, will show you how you can create book displays that will leave readers asking for more.

1. CREATING GOOD BETTER
AWESOME ENGAGING
DISPLAYS
Susan Brown
Chapel Hill Public Library
#bookdisplays

2. WHAT YOU’LL LEAVE WITH…
• Understanding of value of displays
• Basics of engaging display content
• Basics of engaging display design
• Creative ideas from me – and you!

3. http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-
special/twenty-rules-for-better-book-displays

4. WHY DO WE DO DISPLAYS?
• Increase circulation
• Highlight underused collections
• Better serve browsers
• Celebrate holidays/special events
• Why do you do them???

5. It’s all about DISCOVERY
“In an era where readers can find
discover books in the supermarket, on
their iPhone, via Amazon, and from social
sites such as Goodreads and Pinterest, we
need to make sure that libraries are
engaged in book discovery and consider
it a priority. Engaging book displays are
just one way of helping readers discover
great books.”

6. And CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
“But it is our collections of circulating books and
materials that are our most visible attributes and
most effective components in providing a
rewarding experience to our visitors. So it is
essential that they be arranged in ways that
make them easy to find and also irresistible to
browse.”
-Anythink Visual Branding Guidelines

7. And ENGAGEMENT!
En/gage: a) to hold the
attention of: <her work engages
her completely> b) to induce to
participate: <engaged the shy
boy in conversation>

8. 22 Photos of, 34 Ideas
for, and 20+ Rules for
Creating Engaging
Displays

9. 1. Displays should reflect your
patrons' interests, not your personal
interests. You might be
fascinated by ancient Japanese
sword fighting or the history of
dominos, but that doesn't mean
that books on those topics will make
a good display.

10. GAME NIGHT
ludopieces by ajmint, CC SA 3.0

11. 2. Displays should be popular. While
a fair amount of time might be spent
filling a display fixture, the ultimate
goal is for that fixture to be empty.
If, after a day or so, the same books
are still on the display unit, consider
a new topic.

12. 3. Don't limit yourself to
books. Whenever possible,
include a mix of audiobooks,
DVDs, and even CDs. Or only
audiobooks, DVDS, and CDs.

13. 4. The books (or movies or cds)
should be the stars of the
display. Choose items with fresh,
visually appealing covers in good
condition. Buckram bindings should
never, ever be on display.

16. 5. While the books are the
stars, eye-catching visual
signage is extremely important.
This does not require bells and
whistles or a graphic design
degree. In fact, when it comes
to display signage, less is more.

17. • Incorporate white space into the sign
design.
• Alternately, consider filling up the canvas
with one great image.
• Use fewer words rather than more: if you
need a full sentence to explain what the
display is about, you need to re-think the
idea.
• Choose card stock over construction paper
and simple color palettes over neon and
glitter.

21. TRUE CRIMES
crime scene tape by ash photoholic, CC BY 2.0

23. FALL
feuille rouge by ash monnaiux, CC SA 3.0

24. TURKEY DAY
pumpkin pie by brownies for dinner, CC BY 2.0

25. 6. Choose a simple, readable font
over an intricate one. A few fonts I
would suggest removing
permanently from your display
repertoire: Algerian, Bauhaus, Comic
Sans, Jokerman, Old English, Ravie,
and Snap.

26. Serif
Sans Serif

27. Algerian Bauhaus
Comic Sans
Jokerman
Old English
Ravie
Snap
Arial
Californian
Century Gothic
High Tower
Times New Roman
Poor Richard
Verdana

31. Austen & After
Austen & After
Austen & After
Austen & After

32. Austen & After

33. Austen & After

34. HAUNTED HOUSES
HAUNTED
HOUSES

35. HAUNTED
HOUSES
These books will
keep you up all
night!

36. HAUNTED HOUSES
haunted house by barbara, CC BY 2.0

37. 7. If there is an icon or other key
visual element associated with the
theme of the display, be sure to
include it in the signage. This might
be a logo or a symbol or simply an
author's photo. It may be all the
sign needs.

42. 8. Use props judiciously. You want browsers to
interact with the display by taking items off.
You don't want them to feel that if they do
that, they will be messing up a work of art.

47. 9. You want them to check display items
out, so make it clear that they can. This
may be obvious to us, but it is not always
so for our customers.

50. 10. Add value. A great way to add value to
a book display is to include a bookmark
with further reading, listening, or viewing.

52. 11. Cross promote. Readers who find
your displays interesting might also
enjoy your library's book blog or be
interested in resources like NoveList
or NextReads email newsletters .
Consider a small sign that points
them to these resources.

53. 12. Use Chase's Calendar of
Events judiciously. While the list of
special months might be
interesting and might appeal to
our urges to inform and educate,
our displays should be popular,
not pedantic or preachy.

55. National Chicken Month
chickens by christine paulus, CC BY 2.0

57. 13. Let pop culture inspire your
displays. Leveraging pop culture
demonstrates that libraries are fresh,
fun, and relevant, not stodgy, serious,
or old-fashioned.

60. 14. Let current events inspire your
displays. Displays - like libraries - should
be responsive and relevant. Stay in tune
with the local and national news.

63. 15. Let your community inspire your
displays. Is this year the centennial of
your town's founding? Consider a local
history display. Is the local theater
opening a production of Hair? Consider
a display of books about the 1960s that
also promotes the production.

64. 16. Consider moving beyond tightly
themed displays to more general ones
that can be used anytime – or
continuously:
• Staff Picks
• Patron Picks
• People You Should Meet
• Greatest Hits of the ____ (insert decade)
• Good Books You May Have Missed
• Award Winners
• What Your Neighbors Are Reading
• Genres
• Other ideas?

65. STAFF
PICKS

69. 17. Promote "hidden"
collections, but only if
they pass muster with
Rules #1 & 2.

71. 18. Unless the items are priceless
or irreplaceable, do not put book
displays behind glass. It's the
equivalent of a "nanny-nanny,
boo-boo" to customers.

74. 19. Be flexible. Be willing and
ready to change plans
and throw up a display based
on the news of the day.

76. 20. Have fun! Displays should
be fun, both for you to create
and for your customers to
browse.

78. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE…
• SIZE DOES MATTER
• LOSE THE CLIP ART
• SUPPLY IS IMPORTANT
• WORKS FOR KIDS, TOO
• MAKE SURE THE SQUEEZE IS WORTH
THE JUICE
• MAKE IT EASY FOR EVERYONE

79. WANT TO KNOW MORE?
• Anything Visual Branding Guidelines
• Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
• Pinterest & Flickr
• Retail environments

80. WANT TO FIND IMAGES?
http://techsoupforlibraries.org/blog/free-images-
library-website-newsletter

81. QUESTIONS? IDEAS?
Susan Brown
Chapel Hill Public Library
sbrown2@townofchapelhill.org