Library Displays...Do they promote reading?
(To read the rest of this entry to see two examples of how things are going go to my blog: Library Displays...Do they promote reading?)
Inheriting a library in October is kind of like fostering a full grown dog. Adopting an adult dog comes with its caveots for certain. House training may/may not be up to your standards, leash training may be iffy, social behavior is most likely non-existent, but the dog is so pitiful you take him home, and slowly turn this lost and confused animal into something that will share your home in harmony.
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| Scooby - Our adult rescue! |
When I came into my library there were two 12' long double sided 42" tall double sided wood book cases that were empty and another three foot long section at the front of the library. There were 8 spinning clear book displays on top of the book cases crammed full of tattered paper backs from the 1990's and so much dust and dirt I about choked breathing the air. We won't even go into the office and storage spaces, that's another blog post all together!
So, the question came, how can I make this look more like a library and less like a ghost town?
I started by asking questions of the faculty that I did know at the school. I spoke to the athletes that I knew from coaching track and I sat in the space and just tried not to cry.
What I learned was that the students were readers, but no librarian in the library had scared them away. I also learned that the faculty didn't use the library instructionally, and the janitors never came in the space because they had been told not to clean it. Clearly I needed to change all of that almost immediately.
What I learned that was the most interesting was a friend told me that what he has observed in the past several years in the library was that anything placed on top of the book cases either by design or mistake got checked out. Hmmm...why is that? Were they lazy? Were the displays that amazing that students couldn't resist them, or did they simply need help finding their next book?
I needed to figure out how to display books in a way that will let them know who I am as a librarian and promote books in a way that is interesting and worthy of their attentions. To do this I did some homework of my own. I scoured the web in search of some answers.
This is what I found to be of tremendous help.
25 Ways Schools Can Promote Literacy and Independent Reading by Kimberly Tyson, Ph.D., learningunlimitedllc.com
· http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/25-ways-schools-can-promote-literacy-independent-reading/
o Point 11 – Collaborate with the local library. This point was one to ponder. How could this benefit my students? Well, quite simply, this is something that needs to happen because we aren’t open until 9 pm, but the public library is. Steering students towards databases and resources available to them at the library can help them get their homework done and increase uses for the public library. A win, win in my mind.
o Point 15 – Read what Students are Reading. At the elementary school this is much easier, but at the high school level this is much harder. At 200+ pages on average for each book I have started listening to books on tape in the car, reading during lunch, reading all weekend, I cannot keep up! However, when I can speak from a first-hand experience with students about books they light up and become instantly interested in the book you are pitching!
o Point 18 – Promote Books Through BookTalks – this goes back to the reading what they read point discussed earlier.
Twenty Rules for Better Book Displays by Susan Brown
o There are so many amazing, simply rules listed in this post that I felt it was silly to list them all out. However, these two are probably either the biggest sin, or the most neglected.
§ Displays should reflect your patrons' interests, not your personal interests – OMG! This is my pet peeve. The last librarian at my school loved vampires and zombies. Which I do understand are popular, but when I checked the circulation history of these books and topics there were only one or two check outs in the past 4 years. IMHO this does not seem like money well spent.
§ Cross promote. – Just like we’ve been saying in this class, how can we let students who are busy with limited time want to come in and visit our space and check out these displayed books.
Realistic Ideas to Get Teens Reading by Ginny Wiehardt
o There are some good tips here, and some points to consider. Particularly the extended hours point. In York County, there are activity buses only on Tuesday and Thursdays. The bus pick up time is 5:00pm. I’m going to lobby that during sports seasons that I keep the library open these two days from 7:00 am – 5:00 pm and then keeping regular teacher hours from 7:00 am – 2:30 pm on the other three days. This will mean that technically I’m “giving” hours that I’m not going to be paid for, but it may mean helping students when they need it most.
o The other great point is to ask for feedback. I’m going to begin next year with a student and faculty survey. How is the library doing? What do you want to read? What can we do better? The climate survey that had I begun at the beginning of the year I would have done this year.
It sounds like you have really thought through how you would like your library to appeal to ALL of the school community. I love that you are lobbying to keep the library open while the athletes are there after school. I'd love to see photos once you have your library the way you want it!
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