Oh rats!

These precious little fellows jumped off the shelf at Watermark http://www.cleverpapers.com/ and asked to come back to the library. Pictured here above my monitor they have caused quite a ruckas. Now you may be thinking "why rats"? Well, the display possibilities are endless. Think Chinese New Year coming soon. However, they showed up the first week our new librarian Anne started in October. I handed them to her and asked her to create a display around rats. She later said she thought this was some sort of a new librarian hazing ritual. (Note to self: next new librarian assign display on snakes.) The "Oh Rats" display was very popular. So much so that weeks after is came down a young customer asked where "those books on rats were". Apparently, he saw the display and had been begging his mother ever since for a pet rat. They were back at the library to stock up on information. This made me pretty happy except that the mother was glaring at me the whole time. Perhaps I should have steered them to another display on cute, fluffy kittens. As you do displays you constantly learn what works and what doesn't. (Another note to self: remember to tell the custodian that the "trash" in the display is actually a prop and he doesn't have to remove it each morning.)

To Have and to Hold

We have given our merchandising presentation to many library districts in the metro area and one concern always comes up.


"Doesn't a display take titles away from customers placing a hold?"

or "How do you find it in a display unit?"

First, take the sour puss candies out of your mouth. Let's remember our mission: helping customers connect with our materials. Do you want the alternative to be that items just sit and grow dust?

To this we offer a resounding "Not a chance!"


While it is wonderful that we offer many electronic services, we shouldn't neglect the patron that actually visits. Many feel that we place too much emphasis on the request lists. A lot of this worry comes from a fear of change. We are used to the old ways and believe that to remove a book from the shelf is to doom it to the black hole of lost items. Displays aren't meant to take titles away from customers. In fact, when done correctly they will showcase titles that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Current displays, like a holiday one, are anticipating what the patron will be looking for and puts the titles front and center.


Here are a few rules of thumb that will make this a fearless process.

• Keep the number of displays in proportion to your collection. Displays should be little showcases, not the majority of your collection.
• Communicate to your staff what is on display.
• Stay organized by using a calendar or a display list at service desks.
• Don't include often requested items in a display. Put those items at the check out desk for a quick turn over.

When you create eye-catching displays, chances are the titles will be checked out before someone requests a hold. But be ready to offer some alternatives to your patron if the title is unavailable.

Chicken Soup for the Merchandiser's Soul

I love this display idea. It is easy to do and circulated very well. Using all of the titles in the Chicken Soup series gave a unified and very 'bookstore' look. The next time I do this display, I'll stack many soup cans on the top shelf to give it more of a 'Warhol' look.
Hmmm the repetition of the similar covers already looks reminiscent of Andy Warhol, this could look cool as part of a pop art theme. Imagine other endcaps featuring pop art books and how easy would it be to make pop art style signs on the photocopier? One endcap could even be soup cookbooks with the Warhol soupcan pictures as a backdrop. I am inspired already!