A Current Awareness project created for a Client Services course. Library and Information Technician, Durham College

1. Current Awareness: Indirect Marketing
Dawn Wright
Displays are an important part of customer experience; in clothing stores, grocery
stores, and of course, libraries. In a public library setting, it is quite common for a patron to
walk through the door without having already decided what they want to check out.
Themed book displays can often help those patrons find their next favourite book (Readers’
Advisory 23). The following is my interpretation of the key elements to include in an effective
book display:
Here I have incorporated size, colour, texture, props, and short blurbs of text to draw
the patrons’ attention (Reader Service Skills 36).

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At the top of the display, there is a simple but catchy sign that lets patrons know that
their decorating ambitions are achievable with the help of Stratford Public Library’s newly
added resources.

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Props, such as a hammer, paint brush, paint swatches, and fabric samples, give the
patrons a clear indication of what this display is about. Everything ties into the interior
design/decorating theme, and the props are sized appropriately so as not to overshadow
the real stars of the display, the books! (Reader Service Skills 36)

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A sign at the bottom of the display lets the patrons know that this is a moveable,
changeable display, and that they can borrow any of the books shown (Brown).
To evaluate the effectiveness of this display, it is important to keep track of the
circulation of the items that are exhibited. Trends can be shown by recording any questions
that patrons ask, either about the display itself or related materials. Using this information,
the staff can make changes that will benefit the patrons and increase circulation ("7.2.5
Marketing Evaluation.").

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Works Cited
"7.2.5 Marketing Evaluation." IFLA Public Library Service Guidelines. Ed. Christie Koontz and Barbara
Gubbin. 2nd ed. Berlin: De Gruyter Saur, 2010. N. pag. IFLA Publications. IFLA Public Library
Service Guidelines. De Gruyter, July 2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Brown, Susan. "Ten Tips for Better Book Displays | 658.8 – Practical Marketing for Public Libraries."
658.8 - Practical Marketing for Public Libraries. N.p., 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.
Reader Service Skills. Toronto: Ontario Public Library Association, n.d. PDF.
Readers' Advisory @ Your Library Core Competencies Toolkit. Toronto: Ontario Public Library
Association, n.d. PDF.