Week 15 Prompt

What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library's fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays - anything that you see as getting the word out.

Displays

One of my favorite ways to market my library's fiction collection is to create book displays. I love coming up with fun themes and selecting books to display. Doing this also helps me become more familiar with the collection as a whole. As a Teen Librarian, I like to choose themes that are particularly relevant for teens. For example, I recently made a display titled "The Tortured Poets Department" that features novels in verse to celebrate National Poetry Month and the release of Taylor Swift's latest album of the same name. I also love making mixed-media displays to pair books and movies. We have several displays throughout my library, and our patrons seem to really enjoy them!

Book Talks

At the previous library I worked at, we were often tasked with creating book talk videos to post to our social media. This was a great way to connect with patrons during the pandemic, but it eventually fizzled out once the library reopened. The book talk videos I made were essentially bite-sized annotations with a summary of the plot and a few appeals. Live book talks at programs or outreach events can also be a great way to market books. I've seen lots of libraries offer "Book Tasting" programs where they talk about multiple books and sometimes offer treats to go along with them!

Staff Reviews

At the previous library I worked at, we were also tasked with writing blog posts to promote our collection. I enjoyed writing reviews of YA books to market them to our teens, and I always made sure to find read alikes to post alongside them. At the library I now work at, staff can volunteer to write book reviews that will be featured on our website's homepage. This is also a great way to connect with patrons, as many might have similar reading tastes and decide to follow the recommendations of a specific librarian they trust.