Attractive Displays for Teen Spaces

Before I started my career as a teen services librarian, I worked for a bookstore for six months. The combined children and teen section of the store was separated from the rest of the bookstore, and it was there that I learned the importance of displays to attract readers to books. Bookstores are in the business of selling books. They have created display-friendly atmospheres to market their books and attract their audience. Since public libraries are in the business of circulating materials and keeping their customers reading, display spaces are necessary for marketing the collection. Many renovated libraries have incorporated new display spaces. This is great; however, many other libraries still have a small area with no display space to work with. Some libraries have a budget to purchase materials for displays but some have not. I have been a teen services librarian for ten years now and have worked in a newly renovated, display-friendly space as well as a small, traditional teen space. I incorporated what I learned from my bookstore experience with what other teen librarians have taught me to create displays to attract teen readers for Teen Read Weak[TM] (TRW) 2008. Displays are the silent salespeople and appeal primarily to people's emotions. Materials need to be arranged so teens will see them, pick them up, and read them! This can be done through clever displays, tie-in themes and props, and special arrangement of materials. The bookstore employed someone full time who just worked on displays for seven of their locations. This person used her creative abilities on designated display areas at each store location. Displays were planned out ahead of time by creating a rotation schedule, coming up with themes, designing or sketching out the displays, buying the supplies, and setting up the displays. Teen librarians can also take these steps in creating attractive displays for their large or small areas, a perfect way to showcase TRW @ your library. First, look at your space for potential display areas. Every nook and cranny counts. Displays can be set up on tables, counter tops, shelves, desks, window ledges, and on slatwall. Ideally, the room should have a bulletin board and a marker board. If this is not possible, set up an easel and a large cardboard poster to act as a bulletin board. Can you spare the top half of a shelving unit? Have it taken apart and use the back of the unit as a bulletin board. Bulletin boards are a versatile tool in promoting your collection. I sometimes make my bulletin board interactive by covering it with black construction paper for a chalkboard effect and attach fluorescent gel pens or chalk. Ask a question, like "Who is your favorite vampire?" Teens can respond by writing in their colorful responses. Look up. Don't forget your ceiling as a display area. In the past, I've hung star balloons that were no longer being used by our publicity department to highlight a theme. For a music display, I attached some of my scratched CDs on pieces of yarn and dangled them from the ceiling. Just make sure that this won't set off your motion-alarm system! Once you have found display areas, the next step is coming up with what you want to display and how you want to dis-play those materials. If you have different display areas, you can have more than one tie-in to this year's theme, Books with Bite, for your materials, or you can use a space to promote a TRW program. Keep your displays neat, clean, and not overly cluttered. Ideas can come from the TRW Web site, the TRW wiki, or the Books with Bite pocket-sized pamphlet that all TRW registrants receive as a download. After you come up with the materials you want to display, add props for atmosphere. Tie in props to your TRW display from everyday found items. Props can also be used to capture the attention of your audience. It is important to recognize that props help carry out a story, their purpose is to present and sell. …