Week 6 Prompt Response: Passive Horror Program Idea
I thought it would be fun to create a
passive program plan to promote horror books in different parts of the library’s
collection. With the following ideas and visuals I've gathered through Google searches and Pinterest, I would present this to my boss.
The overall theme of the passive program would be “Choose Your Own
Horror Adventure!” to borrow the idea from the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would have a display towards the front of the library with the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but at the desk alongside the title featured poster example (made in Canva), I would have papers divided up into different categories, similar to this display idea
pictured by Cape May County Library (pictured below).
I would select horror-related books from the following sections:
- Adult graphic novels (like The Walking Dead and The Sandman)
- Adult nonfiction (true crime, nonfiction collections of horror short stories)
- Adult manga (like Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan)
- Adult fiction
- Adult fiction audiobooks
- Teen horror fiction
To divide the books into categories like Cape May County's example, I would print each of these out on different colored papers:
- Something short
- Classic
- Real-life!
- Told in pictures
- Out of this world (fantasy)
- Modern
Withing the category slots would be slips of paper giving exciting introductions to the book/adventure as if the patron were the character in the story. For example, to introduce the book the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I would write something like, "You think you've finally got the formula right. To abolish the evil within. Time for the ultimate test... If you take the serum, go find "S" in adult fiction or if you value safety over trying the serum, choose a different slip."
Depending on how popular it gets, I could make it more elaborate by adding more steps/clues, but initially I would keep it like this to be flexible and passive. I would put spooky bookmarks in the books featured on slips to make it easier for patrons to flag down the books. I'd also have additional copies of books to replenish as needed. For those wanting to just casually browse, I would have a central display of horror books.
I like ideas such as this that ask patrons to not only choose the type of books they like, but also get them to engage in the collection by actually going to the shelves and finding the books. It's so easy to put up a display where they can pick a book up, but it's more fun and interactive to be able to point them to the shelves in a fun way and have them discover the books themselves. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks! That was my thought too; maybe this type of program would help patrons wonder into sections of the library they don't normally explore on their own!
DeleteI love this idea! I like that you have included both people who would enjoy getting up and moving around the shelves, as well as those who are content to linger over the main display. So fun to include bits and pieces of each book involved as well, like the serum from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Gives you a peek into each book without spoiling it.
ReplyDeleteI thought that including a fun glimpse of the book would help more books get checked out, especially considering some classic books that have outdated (or otherwise not too eye-catching/nice) covers that don't look too appealing :P
DeleteThis is so fun! My only question is, how would patrons checking out titles affect the program? Would they take the clue with them/Would you remove the clue once the title is checked out? I especially like the idea of a "choose your own adventure" for readalikes (i.e. You just read a zombie book- do you a) go for another monster title or b) see what horrors humans can create?)
ReplyDeleteFantastic idea!
I've been thinking about those exact questions ever since publishing this post! I considered maybe have a pile to put the used slips, so that at the end of the day I can see (based on the returned slips) which books were selected and refill those as needed. Or maybe before the library opens, make sure to have at least two copies of the same book on the shelves. I wish I could implement this idea right away so I can figure out what would work best in practice!
DeleteWhat a fun idea!! Like Shannon said it's a great way to get people exploring your library and collection. Also, who doesn't love choose your own adventure?!? Super creative! Full points!
ReplyDelete