Did you ever just inwardly groan when you need to find something in the kids non-fiction section. I think it has something to do with the teeny tiny spines that make it difficult to read the call numbers, or the fact that every book is a different size and at least for my department one of the aisles is dark and spooky. Imagine what it is like for a kid to try to find something in all of that. Not fun. So in an effort to make the non-fiction section in the children's department, at Dover Public Library, navigable by young readers and non-readers I made some visual subject signs in a rainbow of colors. We tried to keep it as simple as possible and not make too many signs because that could become just as overwhelming as no signs. I also made smaller matching labels to go on the ends of the shelves. So what happened after we added the labels? Parents point out the signs to their kids and explain, "See the picture of the dinosaur? That's where the dinosaur books are." We get fewer questions from parents and teachers about where to find books in these general areas and instead get questions on more specific topics. It has also made shelving books in the non-fiction section a lot easier, especially for adult department staff who are less familiar with where everything is in the children's department. And the colorful signs make the spooky aisle feel a little less spooky.
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There are so many clever banned book week displays. I made these quote posters to go with our display of books in cages. I also made an info poster about what censorship is and what the library stands for. This was really important to me because many people don't know that libraries actively promote intellectual freedom and fight censorship. I actually had someone tell me they were glad a book was banned. I think they thought we were for censorship.... awkward. So with your clever book displays this year and for years to come don't forget to explain what censorship is and that the library is for intellectual freedom. The zip file includes 1 large quote poster, 1 info poster and 8 mini quotes also appropriately sized for sharing on social media.
Photo grids are so cool! Photo grids can be a great way to feature photos on your library's social media and website. They allow you to organize your pictures in fun and entertaining ways, and they are so easy to make on Canva. They have lots of options with a combination of different sized photo spots to form your grid, then all you need to do is upload your photos and drag them into one of the spots and they automatically snap in place. Photos will automatically be centered and cropped to fit the grid. You can double click a photo to adjust it, slide it around and stretch it to fit the way you want. You can also add other graphic elements and text on top.
Let me show off this cool grid I made of my cats, Carmello and Custard. My library recently renovated the Adult, Teen, and Technical Service departments. It was a huge undertaking with beautiful results and really changed the face of the library. We were able to update wiring and change the flow of traffic, as well as make the environment more welcoming and attractive. We moved our front desk, opened up one side of the library for social and reading spaces and added a cozy fireplace. Honestly the fireplace is my favorite addition. I like that while we updated the environment, we didn't sterilize it into feeling like an Apple store. We really wanted it to be cozy and inviting. There is a lot of wood, and earthy colors. This was also the perfect time to update the public perception of our library. The general perception of the library is : it's the place with all the books. Yup, we are! And so much more. So I made a series of posts about things our patrons might not know about. I used Canva to design these posts and I posted them twice a week on the libraries facebook, in between the book quotes and book spotlights. We had some good responses from people asking questions about the services and tagging their friends in the posts. I have made 34 of these posts so far.
You can do this for your library too. Poll your coworkers about services they wish people knew about. Choose a consistent design to transmit the information. One of the great things about Canva is that it has creative templates for you to choose from, or you can design your own template from scratch making it simple to do a repetative task. I also like adding graphic elements from their library because many of them have the option to change the colors. By choosing these adjustable images and changing them all to white and aqua I was able to create a cohesive style. And don't forget your library's logo. Getting ready for the new year, ticking off my to-do list and battening the hatches for the onslaught of habit reforming resolutions at this special time of year. So tasked with making a book display for the new year I made this display based on a display posted by Librarians vs. Storytime. I always appreciate the cross pollination of ideas in libraries and how librarians are willing to share their great ideas and help each other make amazing programs and services. You are welcome to print this poster and set of bookmarks for your own display.
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AuthorMallory Thompson, assistant librarian at Dover Public Library and graphic design librarian aka designbrarian. Sharing graphic design relevant to the library with my fellow librarians and book lovers. Archives
September 2019
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