Displays sometimes bring out creativity at its best. As I have two outlets (a book case outside of the Teen Lounge and a Bulletin Board in the Children's Library), I have two opportunities to catch the attention of young adults and say, "Hey, aren't we cool?" Most of the time I try to keep the Board and the Book Case along the same theme, but sometimes I just need to take two separate routes...
John Green
This month begins the final countdown to John Green's highly-anticipated book to movie adaptation, The Fault in Our Stars. If you haven't heard how psyched-out-of-their-minds-oh-my-gosh-it's-so-deep-and-romantic-and-real teens are about this film, just watch the first few minutes of The Fine Bros. "Teens React to The Fault In Our Stars" video. There is quite a lot of excitement and squealing.
I knew this would be a great method of gathering some attention for the library by employing the hype around TFIOS for my next bulletin board. Having also read and loved the book myself, I knew this would be very fun to translate into something eye-catching for the teens (my own Goodreads review can be found here).
Bulletin Board Design*
Inspiration for this came, as it usually does, from pinterest. This was so simple, yet wonderful - speaking to those who knew about the book and making them break down into small emotional sobs while piquing the interest of those who had not yet read the book.
My initial design was somewhat bland, to be honest. The board began as two clouds with "Okay," the title "Enjoy John Green Books," and my April Events listing (a requirement, as this is the only space in the area to advertise). Pretty meh? Yeah, pretty meh.
Luckily, after mulling over the sadly blank board, I added the small silhouettes of Hazel and Gus and then, finally, the stars and lines connecting the titles. Overall, I really enjoyed the effect. The characters were dwarfed by the overall message, but still present and recognizable to readers. The stars helped guide the eye in reading the title.
Rainbows
Spring finally decided to show up around the end of March and so everyone in the library (staff and patrons) were really in the mood for signs of warm weather like bids, flowers... and rainbows.
Book Case Design*
In reality, this book case was a modest, but fun design. At the top, we have our "Reading Rainbow" (a clip art rainbow wearing glasses and holding a book), surrounded by paper cloud outlines. Each shelf of the display features a color of the rainbow with Yellow and Orange and then Indigo and Violet being squeezed together onto one shelf to conserve space.
This creates a visually pleasing effect with a chance for me to display almost any book with almost any theme. In one shelf alone (green shelf, left to right) I have a fantasy, a horror, a mystery, an action-adventure, and a realistic fiction cozying up next to each, all at varying reading levels.
Displays that focus on an aspect of a book outside of its actual theme or plot really give patrons a variety to choose from and helps cater to a diverse group all at once.
Reaction
The Bulletin Board reactions are always a bit difficult to gauge. As the Board is on the first floor and often does not contain interactive elements, it is something I cannot actively observe. Often I can simply be proud of my work on my Board and never really hear anything about it as it is a static participant in the library environment. As the month continues, I can only hope it catches some eyes and inspires some readers (or nerdfighters).The book case, on the other hand, is a great hit with patrons. There is no rhyme or reason in the books that have yet been taken off the shelf, so I just keep filling it up with more books that fit the color scheme.
Both items were a fun project that fit the time and mood of the month.
I hope your own Spring is going well - I am certainly looking forward to it after a harsh winter! If it's still cold where you live, here's a little Pusheen to keep you company:
*NOTE: The original photos of these designs are no longer available.
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