Ever been to a bookshop and noticed that you gravitate to those books facing out?
It’s actually a ploy by the bookshop owners to entice customers to pick up the books and leaf through them. Once a book is in the hands of a customer, there’s more likelihood that the book will be bought!
Well ….. I thought ….. if this idea works in bookshops, maybe it will work in a school library.
So, I selected bundles of books, enough to fill the depth of a shelf, and sat them facing out. If I could, I’d select books by the same author, but sometimes it was just whatever was at hand. I also tried to ensure that the front book had a colourful, appealing cover and ….. well ….. if the truth be known ….. I tried to mix up the colours on the covers so that my library patrons were hit by a rainbow look rather than a mass of all the one colour. I aimed to have face out bundles of books scattered over alternating shelves of each bay.
For those purists among you who I can hear cringing at the idea of disrupting the nice shelf order of books, I can only say that it was worth it! Books placed face out were regularly picked up and borrowed by my young adult readers. Books stacked face out were also the ones that a group of students would stand around chatting about.
Give it a go. If it worked for me, it may also work for you!
Hi Bev
I’m about to order shelving for our new LRC and the priority will be fitting in as much face out shelving as I can!
I’ve been very fortunate to do some PD with Kevin Hennah who is inspiring in designing, marketing and branding library spaces. These are a few points I jotted down from a session about actively selling your collection…
I think what you have Bev done by “disrupting the nice shelf order” and front facing your books is proof that what Kevin recommends in actively selling your collection does work – you have got the books into the hands of your customers!
Kim
Hey Kim – thanks for your comprehensive reply! It’s quite interesting that what I’ve done instinctively has some ‘expert’ advice behind it. Thanks so much for your comments.
Hi Bev,
I’ve also had success with face out displays in our secondary school library. I also check out what good book shops do. It’s difficult to find display furniture that allows face out display – most spinners are now spine out, although I have seen some new ones in the Raeco catalogue. Setting up genre dispays has worked for us – especially Chick Lit for teenage girls who prefer reading Dolly magazine!
Beryl
It’s good to hear that others have had success with face out book displays – such a simple idea, but so effective! Thanks for letting me know that the Raeco catalogue includes some new display spinners – I’ve not checked for a while.