Take them! Take them all!
A fairly regular question I get from library patrons is, “Can I take a book from this display?” Or, they circle a display without asking and I tell them they can take anything on it and they look a little shocked. But here’s the thing about books, DVDs, CDs, books on CD, or equipment boxes that we have on display – those displays are for you, our patrons! Librarians create displays based on ideas that we hope you find interesting and put items on those displays in the hope that you will take them home with you. We want you take items from our displays and it warms our hearts when you do, because that mean’s we’ve made a successful item/patron match.
A patron’s main concern is taking an item and ruining the display. First, taking an item doesn’t ruin a display. While we try to keep our displays well stocked and maintained (more on this in a minute), a display with some gaps in it means that patrons really like the display and are interested in the topic it’s covering. Gaps in the display might also encourage other patrons to take books – after all, if someone else has already created a gap, the second or third person won’t be “ruining” the display. Taking an item from the display doesn’t ruin the display for another reason – librarians have back-up display items. We design displays with the intent that they get “ruined.” Take the books – take all of them! We have so many more we can use to replace the ones that people take. And you know what? Take those books too! We have others.
In short, displays are here to serve you. We want you to take the items we’ve decided to showcase. We hope you like them.
Post by Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist
About #FDL
Welcome to #FDL! #FDL is a twice weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria. Twice a week, library staff will make posts that highlight some aspect of library life and relate it to you – our readers. Have you ever wanted to know which Dewey number represented a certain topic? Are you looking for book recommendations based on your favorite television show or television recommendations based on your favorite book? Have you ever wondered about the secret details of librarian life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then #FDL is for you. We look forward to writing posts that are informative and entertaining and hope that you enjoy getting better acquainted with Fondulac District Library.