I really enjoyed our readings this week. I think because many of the ideas presented were ones I came across when I did my Special Topics paper on Passive RA, which is a topic I think is a lot of fun. I think coming up with engaging ways to showcase the collection to patrons is an exciting part of a librarian’s job - one that allows you to stretch your creative muscles and try new things. Here are three ways I would like to market fiction books someday in the future:
Displays, in particular ones that group a bunch of books together by theme - like “Read Your Way Across the USA” with books that take place in various states, or “Read ‘Em and Eat” with books that feature foodie stories. I loved the “Good Books You May Have Missed” cart that Sariks (2005) talked about in the article (although, from the sounds of it, the system they had in place to rotate and add books to their cart was a little more work than I was imagining). I also love the funny displays I’m sure many of us have seen online, like this one:
Social Media. Promoting the collection online was always a good marketing idea, but it has become invaluable during this pandemic. I love seeing when libraries post reviews of books by staff members, or simply highlight new books in the collection by posting covers. Social media posts have the advantage of letting patrons interact with the library’s post, so you can track how your post is received. I am a big fan of #bookfacefriday, like the example below from Long Island Children’s Museum (bonus: this book is about Mister Rogers - love him!):
Scavenger Hunts. My local library often has paper scavenger hunts for kids where they have to walk around the library and locate, say, Waldo from Where’s Waldo, in different sections of the library. They are given clues similar to a treasure hunt, and they explore the library and learn where to find non-fiction books, or where series books are located. If they find every Waldo, they get a small prize at the end like a bookmark or a Hershey kiss. Scavenger hunts could easily be set up for patrons of all ages, and modified to fit all kinds of themes - send adults looking for things that relate to Bridgerton, send teens looking for things that relate to Minecraft, set up a Broadway scavenger hunt for patrons to find books (and music and movies!) relating to Broadway shows...the possibilities are endless!
References
Saricks, J. (2005) Promoting and marketing readers’ advisory collections and services. Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. ALA. 136-160
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17859319253235286/?hl=en
Ohhhh... I love the scavenger hunt idea! Teaching people the layout of the library while having fun and exposing them to different areas is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI also did my paper on passive RA and found some overlap in this week's topic. The name of the game is displays. :-) I also liked the good books you have missed cart. That is a display that my library does, but only from time to time, and usually it is not by the reference desk. It did sound like the version Saricks described is a lot of management, but I'm guessing (hoping?) it maybe does not feel so intensive once you're used to the system.
Also, bookcase Friday is something I only just recently came across. I love it! Maybe I'll mention it to my library's social media person.
Hi Amber,
DeleteI remember you also did your paper on passive RA options. And the other week we both chose the same articles to reference. Clearly we share the same brain :)
That's neat that your library does a cart display like the one in the reading. Is it something you see your patrons stopping to look at often? I feel like if I saw something like that in my library, I'd definitely stop to take a look!
Sara,
ReplyDeleteThe scavenger hunt idea is so great! We do this for children at our library as well but it did not even cross my mind! Thank you so much for pointing this one out! I also like that you included social media as an idea. And of course, the classic display - you cannot go wrong with that! Thanks for the ideas!
Thanks Bobbi! I've always loved things like scavenger hunts and treasure hunts - such a fun way to explore places. I know my kids always want to do the ones at our library (well, when they were offered pre-pandemic.). I think it's something a lot of patrons would take advantage of.
DeleteThanks for your comment!
We use scavenger hunts in my children's department all the time, but I never thought to expand that to our adult patrons. That would be so much fun! And depending on the prizes for completing the hunt, I bet lots of adults would be interested in participating. It's definitely an entertaining way for them to learn our collection!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessie,
DeleteI know, right? I bet tons of adults would enjoy a scavenger hunt. I think interactive experiences like that are really good at teaching people things in a sneaky way. Like they are having so much fun, they don't even realize they are actually learning something in the process. It's a win-win situation.
I'm jumping on the scavenger hunt train! You unlocked a core memory from when I used to participate in them as a kid. Being able to teach people (or children) the layout of the library in a fun way makes a great programming block.
ReplyDeleteSocial media promotional campaigns are also a wonderful suggestion, especially now. People are spending more time in front of their computer more than ever. The likelihood of seeing a title on the library website or through and internet program has gone up exponentially! Great ideas and great plans.
Hi Tess,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Glad to know you are also a fan of scavenger hunts!
I've gotten so many good reading suggestions from social media posts during this past year. My library will post things, or publishers will post about new books. I appreciated those so much when my library was completely shut down, and I still enjoy them that things are open again. My TBR list is a mile long!
I love scavenger hunts at libraries. Where I work we have done them with every open house to get patrons more familiar with where different books are located. Kids love them! We did one with Harry Potter, a holiday open house, and summer reading. We just switch up what they find in different areas. One year my coworker's mom helped us out and patrons spelled out part of A Christmas Carol. I love that you included scavenger hunts as an option!
ReplyDeleteHi Abby,
DeleteThat's fun that your library does so many scavenger hunts. I love all things Harry Potter, and I bet that one was a big hit with your patrons. I'm curious about the Christmas Carol one you mentioned. Were patrons looking for letters without knowing what they spelled, and then they had to rearrange the letters to spell the title? I bet puzzle lovers everywhere enjoyed that one.
My sister's library collaborated with other libraries around the state to set up a giant scavenger hunt. Each library hid one object and if you find it you get a raffle ticket. The more libraries you visit, the more chances to earn to win a prize! We got really excited about this and visited over 13 libraries one summer.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteThat sounds SO FUN! What a great collaborative idea!
Hello, Sara. It was such so nostalgic to think about scavenger hunts again. I know at our local library, they hide two elves (elf on a shelf) around the library come December. They also win prizes if they manage to find every single one in the library, or across the branches. I think these sorts of methods of drawing attention to circulating items are great, especially social media. An attractive post is able to draw the attention of younger generations while also actively engaging them with the library's others posts. My sister (who also works at a library) gushes about her own displays now and then. I'll have to mention perhaps a smaller scale scavenger hunt to her. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteScavenger hunts are a great idea!! Full points!
ReplyDelete