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A great way to decorate your library’s children’s room and promote reading at the same time is to organize books into creative and eye-catching displays. When I was working in the busiest library branch in Washington, DC, I didn’t always have time to sit down and plan out an elaborate display, but I still found ways to get creative and keep books circulating. Here are some fun display ideas that can be pulled together in 30 minutes or less.
Fun with Faces
There are a lot of middle grade and YA novels whose covers are illustrated with nothing more than a main character’s face. Set these books up side by side, and have some fun with them. Have some characters appear to look at each other, while others alternate between gazing up and down. Look for covers where characters wink, wear masks, or have unique expressions to make the display even more interesting.
Color-Coded
Scan the shelves and pull books that have a cover in a particular color. Display them in order from lightest shade to darkest shade, or print out a sign with a catchy phrase such as “In the pink,” “It’s not easy being green.” or “I’ve got the blues.”
Multiple Formats
Promote the many formats in which a given book has been published by displaying them all together. For example, you might have Diary of a Wimpy Kid in English, another copy in Spanish, one on CD, and one as a Playaway. Bring them all together in one place to remind patrons of their options and to increase circulation statistics for the lesser-known areas of your collection.
“Last Chance”
When weeding, it can sometimes be difficult to part with high quality books even if no one is reading them. Give kids an opportunity to rescue these books from the discard pile by creating a “last chance” display. It’s possible that readers who have been saving some of those older titles for a rainy day will realize it’s almost too late and give them a try!
Recent Returns
No time to shelve those recent check-ins? Gather them up on a display and show off what’s been popular in your library lately. Kids and parents alike love to feel like they’re up on what their friends are reading, and knowing that a given book was just returned makes them feel like they’re in the loop.
Recommended Reading
Set up a station in your children’s room where kids can write recommendations of their own favorite books. Kids can attach their recommendations to book easels or slip them inside books as bookmarks. Invite library staff members to highlight their favorites as well.
For more wonderful library displays, check out these posts at Provo City Library’s Children’s Book Review and Abby the Librarian’s Easy Book Displays post at the ALSC blog.
Image Credit: ABCTeach.com
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