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WHAT LIBRARIES CAN LEARN FROM BOOK STORES
Displays. Sharon Baker's book display experiments in three public libraries showed that effective displays must be in high traffic areas. Books on display near the front desk checked out 300 percent to 1,000 percent more frequently than books on the shelf. Books displayed at the rear of the fiction stacks checked out, at best, only 60 percent more than hooks on shelves. Displays on window sills and other isolated areas in the library are a waste of time.
- Source: "Why Book Displays Increase Use; a Review of Causal Factors" by Sharon Baker in Public Libraries, Summer 1986, p. 63+. |
Prime display area. Retail experts say a store's prime display area is five to 20 steps inside the store to the right of the front door. Barnes and Noble puts the display of best sellers in this spot. Behind the new books are staff recommendations. Other new books are directly in front of the front door.
In many libraries these display areas are empty or filled with the circulation desk. In a Barnes and Noble store customers can stand 10 steps inside the front door and read a hundred titles. Ten steps inside the front door of many libraries, patrons see only open space. Though we often praise libraries for having this open space, most patrons come to the library to see books. Reading titles from this spot in many libraries requires binoculars. Librarians should consider displaying their books in their prime display space. By the way, when displays are on the right, items should be facing left so people will see the item face on.
Library displays often have books standing up on a table at about waist high. Displaying objects on a flat surface is boring and suggests that the objects are insignificant. Use blocks and stair step displays to elevate books to between eye and waist level.
End caps. Retailers claim end panel displays sell more items than half-of-one-side of a range of shelves. More libraries should take advantage of this experience by placing book displays at the end of shelves. One of the best ways to display books at the end of shelves is using slatwall end panels. Below are links to suppliers of slatwall end panels and the brackets needed for display books on slatwalls.
Brodart
Demco
Gaylord
Highsmith
Carlson JPM
- From a presentation by Chris Rippel (Central KS Library System) to the KS Library Associa tion on September 11, 2003. URL: www.ckls.org/~crippel/marketing/ bookstore.html |
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