New Ideas for Book Displays

Last year Kate Spade set up a cool pilot program in NYC during the holiday season that combined online shopping with a live window shopping experience. People could order directly from the window display and it would be delivered within an hour to any location in the city.

The idea of libraries utilizing retail window space for interactive book displays is very compelling to me.  

Malls always have those free standing windows where a store has closed or under renovation. You could go low tech and set up an amazing interactive book display with video loops of the author talking about the book, a few book trailers or one of some of your librarians giving a video taped book talk. A QR code sticker will let people connect to your catalog and download the ebook. Keep it simple and borrow from King County's "Take Time to Read" campaign and put up posters all around the mall with a QR code that leads them to a book talk.

Pop Up Libraries?   
It might seem too much to consider hauling your entire collection to a temporary space but why not consider creating themed outreach activities that extend for a couple of weeks and rename it a Pop Up Library?
 
Take it a step further and partner with a retailer. Create a themed campaign that is relevant to their mission and pull together a series of programs that make sense, create a space at the store for a mini two week Pop Up Library with resources around the theme- maybe even consider conducting a program at the store. The store might love getting a "live performance" by a popular author or other personality. When I was at Ocean County Library, NJ the special events coordinator brought a popular soap opera star to the mall for a book signing and the lines wrapped around the building.

The New Zealand publisher PQ Blackwell opened two LOVE AND CARE pop-up bookstores in Manhattan over the holidays. Don't worry about taking over an entire store, think in terms of creating an amazing space. I love using painted horses for a display table.