Week 6 Prompt

Integrated Advisory 

I am a huge fan of integrated advisory! Why, then, did I post a picture of books? Movies have the highest circulation numbers at the branch I work at, so I wanted to do something to highlight another part of our collection. If our patrons know movies, perhaps they might be interested in reading the book a movie was based upon, or might enjoy learning that their favorite movie was inspired by another work. This seems to be the opposite of the examples used to explain integrated advisory, but perhaps the same basic message applies: It is important to highlight genres across collections and not limit within one material type or collection. 

This is one example of a display I have made at the library I work at. First and foremost, I am not a fan of glass display cases for items you intend to circulate. Even with the sign I placed in there to ask a staff member for assistance checking out one of the items, it tends to deter patrons from engaging with the material and fulfilling the goal of checking out the material. Don't get me wrong, glass display cases are great for other initiatives and promotional tools, but they might not be the best for creating interactive displays. (Given the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in handy for lowering contact when we were open for computer use but were curbside only for material checkout.)

I find open shelving units or cake stands for displaying items to be the most effective ways to provide a collection of similar materials that you want patrons to look at, pick-up, and maybe even check out. Personally, I love making displays and coming up with creative and unique displays that catch someone's attention. Horror would be an incredibly fun genre to display because there are so many formats to highlight. Perhaps my movie-loving family has influenced me, but I would love to place classic horror movies along side newer ones (i.e. The Shining vs. Doctor Sleep-same storyline, but a fun example nonetheless!). An obvious next step includes horror books and maybe audiobooks. Perhaps the not-so-obvious next movie includes adding graphic novels and CDs. Horrorstör by Grady Henddrix is a prime example of a work that is a novel that includes illustrations, yet not so much so that it reads like a graphic novel. Soundtracks of popular horror movies are also exciting to listen to. In time for Halloween or even driving thru the mountains in Colorado (thanks Mom & Dad for playing the soundtrack to theThe Shining during our vacation), it is another way to experience this genre.