Week Fifteen Prompt Response

Fiction Promotion

1. Annotated Book Lists - I think this is a very underrated way in which to promote the vast array of books that the library has to offer. Especially with larger libraries, I simultaneously love how huge the collections are, but I can easily feel overwhelmed by just how many options there are to choose from when I am browsing for a new book to read. Granted, my "To-Read" list on Goodreads has considerably reduced the need for browsing physical collections due to the 100+ books I want to read, but I think it would be neat to have a well-done and artfully presented collection of annotated book lists that patrons could use to find books. Even if it is a digital collection of bibliographies, there are already so many fan-made lists of best books out there online. It seems to me that the library could easily fill the role of organizing and keeping many of these types of lists to be able to be used by patrons, and could make that a promotional aspect of the library's collection.

2. Special Displays - The most eye-catching thing for me when I walk into a library are the staff made special displays about certain topics, authors, or other criteria that allow the patron to see books they may never have noticed before. Anything from staff favorites, to LGBTQ+ characters (referencing last weeks discussions), to this hilarious display shown below, patrons will be exposed to books they never knew existed or were part of the library's collection.

3. Purchase Comparisons - A different angle in which I think the library can promote it's collection in a very neat way is be reminding patrons that they are saving a considerable amount of money when using the library for their fiction reading rather than purchasing the books themselves. One example of this would be to have a running tally of the amount of money a patron has saved over the course of a year or their life displayed on their checkout receipt, as seen below. 

Another tool that I would promote to patrons would be internet browser extensions that simultaneously display books, music, and audiobooks that are available at your local library that are currently being viewed on your internet browser. One such example is called "Library Extension" for Google Chrome browsers, found here. The picture below shows that if you are looking up information about a book on Goodreads, the extension software simultaneously shows if the book is available at your local library (bottom center of the pic)