Displays on a Dime

Quick, Collaborative, and Economical Approaches to Library Outreach

Presented by:

Dowling College Librarians

Michael Aloi, Lisa Esposito, Joyce Gotsch,

Diane Holliday, and Chris Kretz

February 3, 2005

Introduction

Who Are We?

Who Are You?

Today’s Goals

Collaboration– Learning from each other

Practice Creating Displays

Displays as Outreach

Why we think displays are important

Who we are reaching

When we do displays

How we do them

What kinds of displays do we do

How We Do Displays

Collaboratively

Cheaply

Kinds of Displays

Fixed

Traveling

Rapid Response

Online

What Are Fixed Displays?

Located in permanent cases. Installed for a long period of time. Involve a lot of planning. Include objects as well as library

materials.

The Value of Fixed Displays

Encourages use of collection. Enhances library atmosphere. Shows support for the community. Re-enforces connection with students

and faculty.

Displays encourage us to look at our collection in new ways.

Dowling-Related – Courses or Programs– Campus Events / Annual Theme– Faculty Activities

Library-Related

How Do We Choose Our Subjects?

Who is Our Audience?

Students Faculty Administration Visitors

Materials

Items in the collection– Real or photocopied

Props– Loaned– Special Collections

Reusable items– Boxes– Fabric– Bookstands

Annual Theme

Celebrating Italian-American Culture.

Special Collections

The Gilded Age

School of Aviation

Celebrating 100 Years of Flight

Faculty-Led Field Trips

“Dowling Digs Wyoming” led by Dr. John Tanacredi

Special Collections

D-Day: 60th Anniversary

A New Course (offered by the Visual Arts Dept.)

From the Sketchbook to the Stage

Faculty Lecture Series

Goya: Witchcraft & Superstition

How This Might Work for You:

Activities related to:– People on your staff– Community Members– Non-profit community groups

Remember: Use the activity to promote your collection!

Some Things to Keep in Mind

Lock up valuable stuff (objects, reference materials, etc.)

Leave some things out for browsing Provide a bibliography with more

materials, websites, etc.

Have Display, Will Travel

How Do We Choose Our Subjects?

Campus Activities Outside the Library– Faculty Lecture Series

Outside Organization’s Events Held at the College– Long Island EcoSummit

Faculty Lecture Series

Goya: Witchcraft & Superstition

Long Island EcoSummit

Who is the Audience?

Students Faculty Administration Visitors

Permission: To Ask or Not To Ask?

Is your display going to invade the space of the event or participants?

Where Are Our Materials Going?

Into the Wilderness…

Traveling displays take items out of the safety and control of the library.

This affects item selection.

Additional Supporting Items

Bibliographies

Faculty author

stickers

Book stands

Simple fabrics

The Value of Traveling Displays

Visibility for the library Shows library support for community

activities Outreach to new patrons who may

never have set foot in the library, but now they see that the library has materials on a topic that interests them.

Rapid Response Displays – How To Choose The Subjects

The event may be a current news item:– The Death of Ronald Reagan – September 11 attacks

An item of community interest:– Local activity or event– Town council vote

Other items of high patron interest: – New movie based on a particular book

These displays should be very visible and located in high-traffic areas of the library.

Design Process Determine topic and audience Check catalog for adequacy of holdings Pull books and examine for eye appeal -

color, size, condition, illustrations, etc. Brainstorm types of objects/artifacts that

would be appropriate – Put out APB Gather all materials Start playing!

Putting It All Together

Mark the spot Determine elevations Anchor the display with your largest,

eye-catching item Distribute books by sub-topic, size, color,

or illustrations Scatter open spaces with topic-related

“medium-sized stuff”

Finishing Touches

Stand back, check for balance, range of textures, and esthetics

Walk away and return later for a “first impression” or

Review display in a mirror Signage Handouts

Directions for Activity

Break into groups of 5: Find people with objects similar to yours (think: theme).

Each group will be given a box of “stuff”. Use your objects and “stuff” to create a

display on a table. Be prepared to talk about your display

(use of color, height, objects, etc.)

Online, Displays Never Die

Showcase what you’re doing Document what you have done Create a continuing resource

Dowling Library Displays Page

The Display Web Page

Keep it simple One or two

images Links

Archive of Past Displays

The Power of Linking

What’s Involved Photography Web page creation/maintenance Bibliographies

Creating PDFs for Free

DocMorph (National Library of Medicine)

http://docmorph.nlm.nih.gov/docmorph/docmorph.htm

Free registration Upload files on the web Converts them to PDFs (or TIFFs, text,

or synthesized speech)

The Truth About Displays

Highly visible, economical and effective Invite people to think of the Library and

collection in new ways Think outside of the case Many hands make light work

For More Information

Presentation and Bibliography available at: www.dowling.edu/library/aboutus/dime.shtm