So all this semester has been about helping people look for good books to read. This week is looking at the question- HOW to do you get them to READ? ( in other words, how do market or sell the books)
The easiest tool is .... displays. Most people are visual readers ( as am I) so if they see the cover of the book first ( and it's a really good cover with Bright Colors , an interesting cover, or a really good title), they might stop and flip through the pages or read the summary and hopefully CHECK OUT THE BOOK!! Of course, displays might also be used to celebrate or recognize a holiday, person, or season. In the children's department where I work, I can always tell what season it is about the colors and pictures on the books( blues, whites, and snowmen for winter or pinks, yellows, and bunnies, flowers, or mothers for spring.) It also gets us librarians in the mood for that season or holiday (plus people depend on seeing these books for that certain holiday or season.)
Another thing that might be useful ( and this might fall back under the display tool) is a Staff-Recommended shelf. Obviously we ask patrons what they like to read and they might be curious about we like to read. So a little blub about what the book is about and why we like it might be a good starting point for someone looking for a good read or marketing a book that someone might have never heard of. And if they read what to go far, the library might also want to consider creating a webpage or use a book social catalog site ( like Shelfari or GoodReads) to market their Staff Recommended collection
A few other tools that might be useful are (and yes I decided to glop three ideas together):
- Annotated Bookmark Lists- People may favor a certain genre, subject, or author, and having a bookmark featuring topics like " Cozy Mysteries" or " Cool Books for Boys" gives patrons a list that they can use for visits. Because of space, you might want to just list the title of the book, the author, and some key words. If you wanted to expand on it more, you might want to create a webpage or blog.
- Booktalk- Talking about a book ( and saying how much you really enjoy it) is a great tool. We want people to read and encourage them to read is a great way. ( Note- Before I move on, anyone notice Sarick's advice about not limiting ourselves to books we like, but to think about our audience. Part of me feels this contradicts what Baker said when we were looking at book talks, but part of me agrees with it because I mentioned that when I'm choosing books for school visits, I try to go with books that not only they will find cool but I find cool. )
- Web/Social Media- Obliviously this is where the future of libraries are heading. So, if folks are looking for a good read, they can read a blog review by a librarian or find book ideas by way of Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. ( I know I have found lots of useful crafts via Pinterest.)
Work Cited
Baker, J. (2010). Booktalking for Adult Audiences. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(3), 234-8
Saricks, Joyce G. Readers’
Advisory Service in the Public Library. 3rd ed. Chicago: American Library
Association, 2005. Print
I think the social media can be especially effective with teens. I know our teen librarian has started a twitter account to keep teens up to speed with library events, but it can also be a strong tool to recommend books for them to read.
ReplyDeleteIt just occurred to me that one of the teens that I talked to in the last month told me that she was reading a series because she received one of the books as a prize in the summer reading program. Even for older teens, having books that teens would enjoy as (larger) prizes might give them an excuse to read and introduce them to authors they would not have otherwise tried.
ReplyDeleteI like the staff recommended shelf. I have noticed that children love color, so changing the color of the books with the seasons must really work great.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have a staff recommended shelf but we do place staff pick stickers on titles that we have really enjoyed and highly recommend. I do like the idea of have a staff pick display. You are right, we are always asking patrons what they like to read and I bet they are just as curious to see what we are reading.
ReplyDeleteYeah it is very effective. Lately we've been sticking a " Look a Staff- Recommended Book" sticker on the books because sometimes it's hard to put into words how good a book is. Not really happy about it because it sort of takes away the personal WHY of reading the book.
DeleteI think that displays are a great way to market books. We have at least eight different displays going on all at the same time. Right now we have self help books displayed and a display on Shakespeare. Also, when displaying books any staff member can request to have a display, which is a great way to keep all staff involved not just the librarians. I also like book lists. These help patrons that know what types of books they read but would like to try a different author in the same genre.
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