Pursuing excellence for library service to children
The month of November is dedicated to celebrating the many indigenous tribes native to the United States. A great way to share information about Native Americans with your patrons is through interactive displays. A few years back, I created an interactive bulletin board to celebrate Native American tribes local to our area. It was a team effort, and it is to date one of my favorite displays that I have made
Women’s History Month is around the corner, and it’s time to get your displays ready so children can learn the fascinating and sometimes little-known stories captured in the following children’s books. Dig in and enjoy!
It takes courage to purchase books that could become controversial. And it takes even more courage to place them on a prominent display. You could, of course, keep these titles in their categorized place on the library’s shelves, with nothing drawing attention to them, or off in the corner, where only those walking by might see them. That way, you might think, those who need them can find them if they make the effort—the books are available—and you’re also not opening yourself up to a range of complaints. But the truth is that those who feel marginalized in our world may not know how to find the books they need, or they may be afraid to ask. Bright and inclusive displays highlight the collection and, more importantly, welcome those feeling alone with a big, literary hug. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we purchased what books we could…
How are your Circulation numbers doing? Are your books leaving your library? Simi Valley Pubic Library set up a circulation goal of 21,500 item checkouts for December 2017, just slightly higher than our numbers for December 2016. Interestingly, our December checkouts tend to be less than November, even when important Holidays fall in December. Thus, when it comes to “Operation: Gets the Books Out” we must be intentional, we want to be motivated, and we want to go the extra mile. Use your shelf space as much as you can It will be easier for library users to grab books that are readily available. Caregivers with small children will appreciate your shelf displays, since there is not much time to make a book search. Use table displays located at strategic locations Book displays can have a variety of related subjects. For example, you can display Holiday picture books together with…