Week 15 Prompt Response
I believe that two of the best ways to
market the library’s fiction collection is by creating books displays because
they provide a snapshot of a particular section of the fiction area and are
visually appealing, which helps to draw the attention and interest of patrons,
and bookmarks, particularly for patrons who cannot stay at the library for
long, to take with them and read over at a later time.
The three ways that I want to market my
future library’s fiction are through book displays, book talks, and booklists.
As I stated previously, I believe book
displays are influential in portraying to patrons what materials the library
has to offer; they draw the attention of the patron because they are not only
visually appealing but also highlight a small collection of items a patron
might be interested in without overwhelming them with a large number of
materials from which to choose.
Until last semester, I did not know about
book talks, but once I learned about them, I thought they were a persuasive way
to present prospective new reads to patrons. Book talks are brief videos in
which a librarian or other staff member describes a book, providing enough
detail to outline the basic summary and pique reader interest without revealing
any spoilers (Millikin University, 2023).
Booklists are another way I would like to
market my future library’s fiction. The librarians in my library system
frequently post booklists to our website that feature a variety of topics. For
example, in the past few weeks, booklist titles posted to our website include
Space Opera for Teens, Just a Touch of Magic, and A World in Flames – eBook
Edition, to name a few. Each of the booklists provides a short description of
what kinds of books are featured, an image of the book cover that acted as a
link to the checkout page, a hyperlink to the author page, whether copies are
available, and if so, how many, and a brief plot summary. Booklists are an
effective way to reach patrons outside the library, particularly those who
frequently utilize the library’s online catalog to find more books to read
because they are easily accessible on the catalog homepage, and the librarians
present them in short segments that make them more easily digestible for our
fast-paced, technologically reliant society.
References:
Staley Library. (2023, March 27). Children's literature: Book talks. Millikin University. https://millikin.libguides.com/childrens-literature/booktalks
Hi Lexi,
ReplyDeleteBookmarks are such a great idea! They didn't even occur to me when writing up my response, but they are absolutely fantastic. I feel like you hit a good point with drawing attention to how some patrons don't have the time to browse the collection, and bookmarks really are a great way to offer those people recommendations.
Book talks are such a fun idea! Our library usually has a few virtual book talks a year with a small roster of staff members presenting directly to patrons, but rarely does them on a smaller scale. The shorter-form videos sound ideal for posting to social media, especially given the current popularity of BookTok. It could also be a great opportunity to hear from more librarians/library staff about their favorite reads, which could help promote more niche parts of the collection and/or reach more patrons who don't read what is usually promoted through the more formal book talks.
ReplyDeleteI also love that your library already creates booklists! This is something I really wish we had more of, but currently most of our booklists listed on our website are from other entities (NPR, celebrity book clubs, etc.). If our library curated lists of our own, I think it would feel more meaningful and appeal more to our patrons.