Displays are essential for both making the library feel welcoming and accessible, and also helping with browsing. I often go and pick staff picks for displays when the desk is slow, but recently we got a memo reminding us that it's not just important to find books that are good - we also have to find books that look appealing. The librarian in charge of coordinating the displays told me that she will always pull books if they look old and gross or have boring covers. There are so many factors that determine whether someone picks up a book, and we have to consider all of them to create a good display.
All through October and November, we've had this display that says "Fall Into a Good Book," which first had Halloween and fall books and now has a lot recipe books for Thanksgiving. The central part of this display is a stuffed body with a pumpkin head that looks like it's fallen off a hay bale. He's cute, and it's fun to watch the kids come in and look concerned for poor Punkin' Head, patting him on the head, trying to help him sit up. One little girl took the little bandanna out of his back overall pocket and blew his nose with it. Meanwhile, the parents who are monitoring the children see the books and ask if they can take them from the display - the answer to which is, "Of course! Don't you know this is a ploy to up our circulation?" (Okay, maybe minus the last part.)
The really fun thing about displays is that they do help people to have a smaller pool of books to browse, but they also give them something memorable. Having the Punkin' Head display is fun and I think it helps people claim ownership over the library because they feel like it's a more fun and inviting place to be.
