Solving Problems with Creativity by Stacy

One area that we have been struggling with this year (which is not technology related) is to create eye-catching, kid friendly displays within the media center but that don't "junk it up", upset the aesthetics of the room when it is used for events that are not library-related, and yet are practical for the space. This has been a challenge. One reason we are interested in this is because at the beginning of the year, we had a skype session with a lady who does amazing, inspiring library displays that are just fabulous. Her  name is Toni Vahlsing.  Anyway, Lisa P. has worked hard this year to create some library displays that are eye-catching but not necessarily disruptive to the space. She has found much of her inspiration on Pinterest. Regardless, I have decided to make this my issue for this particular assignment to see where it takes me. Here's what I discovered:

I was drawn to a series of different words, such as spoon, flying, birds, owl, sifting, leg, ants, boat ride, flight, faucet, and praying based on my interpretation of the symbols. In choosing to interpret these words based on my library display conundrum, here is the "story" that I have come up with:

A strong library display is something that takes flight or literally reaches above the furniture to stand out and not overwhelm what is already in place. Bringing in props that tie into the books that we would like to highlight is a creative way to catch a potential readers attention and would encourage conversation about the books. An example of this would be to bring in a giant spoon from Hobby Lobby to highlight the book Spoon by Amy Krause Rosenthal. Showcase an ant farm to highlight the book Are You an Ant? by Judy Allen. A stuffed bear would be cute to show off Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman. Sifting through the shelves is  a good way to identify lesser known books that are hidden gems. I actually just replaced my kitchen faucet so I could bring in the old to go with Faucet Fish by Fay Robinson. Wouldn't that be an eye catching display? The symbol of a leg made me think of the sneaker exhibit that will be debuting at the High Museum next summer. Wouldn't it be cool to do our own sneaker exhibit here in the library to coincide with the High exhibit? Last but not least, I saw the word "praying" within the symbols. To me, I think of judaics and how hard we have worked this year to connect with the judaics department to ensure our resources are being taken advantage of because we do have such strong judaic resources! Creating a judaics-centered library exhibit with articles that represent praying would be so unique.

I am pleased with the way that this exercise has forced me to think creatively in ways I definitely would not have otherwise. It was not until I set down to type this that I realized the value. Thank you for stretching my mind!