More December Displays!

"Unwrap the Gift of Reading"

Again-not a completely original idea of mine. We did this last year and decided to repeat it again. I put a bit more effort making the graphic this time so I think we can save them and hopefully use them again in 2014. Similar to the Blind Date with a Book idea some library use around Valentine's Day.

I reused the green background from a co-workers previous display, which is great because 1) it fit the color scheme and 2) I suck at putting up the background paper!

Mine always ends up with tears (in the paper) and tears (mine weeping at my failure)

Members of the Youth Services staff select their favorite books or anything that sounds intrusting and cover them in wrapping paper, leaving only the bar-code showing in the back.  Suggestions are attached on a gift tag on the front and instruction that allow patrons to unwrap their books only after they have checked them out and taken them home.

Detective stories and gourmet cooking. Can you guess what book this is?

Goodbye Movember..Hello Decemeber Displays!

Time to switch the displays in the teen section. Thankfully I was able to do it without interrupting any patrons, who usually love to sit in the armchairs at the end caps just as I'm ready to work on them.

This was my display for "Movember" I've seen variations on the mustache display posted about the internet and decided to give it a try. The letters are all hand cut and the result was quite striking. (IMHO)

Absent from this photo is my mustache box. 

I've been trying a new "book-mark-marketing" campaign to give away freebie or passives in my displays as well as promote upcoming teen events. I hand cut over 100 mustaches and attached them onto craft sticks to serve as bookmarks and general silliness. 

"Please take one" pleaded the little box that held them.  While I hope most of them got into the hands of their intended audience, most did not. They were raided after preschool story times and by flocks of second grade girls. But the most annoying was a shevler (an adult) took two dozen for herself and then gave them away to circ staff. Rather awkward situation trying to ask for them back, as they were given as "gifts"

So I just placed them in the books as bookmarks and I think maybe a few books went home. Happy to have brought joy to some folks....but I couldn't spend the entire month of November cutting out mustaches.

Onto December! "Make Reading a Hobbit" at the suggestion of my boss who liked the ALA poster but didn't have time to order it. We had some Hobbit book marks already on hand. I'm waiting to see how long our one available copy of "The Hobbit" stays on the shelf (Who wouldn't want to read it with Martin Freeman on the cover and his face on a super cute bookmark?)