Week 6 Prompt Response: Promoting Horror at the Library

One of my favorite ways to discover and promote books of any genre is by connecting them to movies, television shows, or other types of media. I think it's such a fun way to introduce readers to new books! I sometimes find it easier to talk about books in terms of the movies, TV shows, etc. they are similar to. For example, if you liked The Witch (2015), you'll probably also like Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom, as both are gripping, unsettling stories about witchcraft and magic that take place in 1600s New England.

The display pictured here is one I put together for Halloween last year. It was primarily composed of popular horror movies, but I also included the books many of those movies were originally based on. I think multimedia displays provide the perfect opportunity to pair books with movies and television shows that share common stories or appeals. My goal with this display was to introduce patrons who have either watched one of the movies or read one of the books to its counterpart. Some patrons may not know that many of the horror books on the display are adaptations and may be enticed to read the book to compare the two, or vice versa. A different spin on this display might be pairing horror movies with books they are similar to, which would provide librarians with a broader scope to work with and patrons with more books to choose from. Another idea might be to display horror books and movies during the summer to promote books from the Summer Scares reading list.