[LM_NET] HIT: Shelf displays

[Lori Bervoets <lbervoets@GMAIL.COM>]

Thanks to all who responded, I got some creative ideas about shelf
displays.  Here they are:

I saw your post on LM_NET.  I wrote up a review of two books that look
at  how to do library bulletin boards while I was getting my MLIS.
Worth A Second Look for KnowledgeQuest (May/June 2006 Vol. 34 No. 3).
The topics for the boards would work well for your shelf displays, I
would think.
You can see some of the bulletin boards I created from these books
while I was doing a Directed Field Work experience for my MLIS at:
http://students.washington.edu/agk3/portfolio/bb.html
Searching for additional articles via Google creating+library bulletin
boards  or school library+bulletin boards will find additional ideas
of topics for your book shelf displays.

One year I did "April" books, books about things that happened in
April.  I had the Titanic books, and the Abraham Lincoln books, and of
course, now I forget what the rest were.  You can pretty much come up
with something for every single day if you want to, using websites
like www.on-this-day.com

What about GIRL POWER or GIRLS RULE as a theme?  You could pull some
newer as well as older titles.  For example, Caddie Woodlawn, Ramona
books (Cleary), My Louisiana Sky, Roxie and the Hooligans (Naylor),
Ginger Pye, Ida B., So B. It, and Strawberry Girl, represent a cross
section of titles in which the main character is a girl or triumphs
over seemingly insurmountable challenges.  In addition, these books
are both old and new titles and award winners (or nominees) from the
Newbery and Bluebonnet Award lists.

You may want to browse those scholastic book order leaflets. They often have
interesting groupings like wild nature, or pet power, or boredom busters, or
horsing around...you get the idea.

How about readalikes for popular titles? How about inviting selected
older students to put up displays during the second semester?

I had fun once by using color....all green, all yellow covers...
Made for an interesting mix of books.

Dewey by the numbers, sports by the season,
Inventors, Important Women in History,   If You Liked.... so you can
put up books similar to Harry Potter, etc.  Also I have student art on
display or even Science (usually solar system) and Social Studies
(States) projects on display.  The kids LOVE seeing their work in the
library.

I do one about movies too, the kids love that.
I do "The Secret lives of Toys". I include Winnie the Pooh/Velveteen
Rabbit/Toys Go Out/ etc.
"Teacher's Favorites" I ask all the staff their favorite kids' books,
and display them with their names. That's a great conversation starter
with the kids, they love finding out that teachers like the same books
they do.
"Trips" to certain places, France, China, etc where I mix picture
books, novels and non-fiction.  "Trips to the Moon" is fun.
Different periods of time can be fruitful, it's fun to include some
objects along with the books that are from the place or period.

I pare up fictional books with titles
that offer nonfiction accounts.  This is great for historical fiction,
and I find I can use short and long titles to appeal to readers with
different tastes and abilities. I also pare the biographies with books
books that deal with the historical period or concepts for which the
person is famous.  This works well with science.

This year I did a display of  Noisy/Construction books.  I stink, Im
Dirty with toys of steam shovel trucks etc.  Also
I brought in some army men, tank and placed all my Army,
Navy..Military Books, you might also tie it in with the US, Patriotic
etc. I pulled a pirate display and placed with a lego pirate ship.
After the students picked their books they were allowed to work legos,
pirate puzzles, etc.  How about gross bugs?  I pulled non-fiction
bug/worm books (correlation with curric) and placed a handful of bugs
(bought at dollar store)  They really thought this was cool.  I also
placed some fiction.  Van Allsburg's Two Bad Ants,
Eric Carle's Very busy spider, very hungry caterpillar.  Different
levels.  It didn't matter to the boys, they just thought it was cool
to be around the bug books.

Lori Bervoets, Librarian
Hunters Bend Elementary
Franklin, TN 37069
Lbervoets@gmail.com

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