Valentine's Day in the Library

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I love a good holiday display! I'm the only youth librarian in my library system, so I get to do displays for everyone from babies to teens. A holiday display is an easy way to highlight a little something for everyone. Here's what I did for the readers of picture and teen books in the library. I had grand plans of doing something for the chapter book readers, but we really only have 2 spaces where it makes sense to put a display. I need to brainstorm a solution.

Picture books: 
I usually put picture books in our display case. Unfortunately this is the darkest area in my department. It is also very narrow here by the entrance, so it is impossible to get a good picture. But I tried!

I cut some hearts freehand out of cardstock. Once I put tacked them into the display case, I realized it would be fun to decorate them like those awful-tasting conversation hearts you find around Valentine's Day. I used a Sharpie and wrote things like:

  • Text Me
  • 2 Sweet
  • Luv Ya
  • Read Me
  • Call Me Maybe
  • Happy Valentine's Day
  • Be Mine
Incidentally, I converted the back of my metal display case into a bulletin board by buying a package of cork squares and hot gluing magnets on the back. You want to make sure that the magnets are thick enough that they won't sit too close to the real back to accommodate tacks and pins. 

Teens
I did a Book Valentine display inspired by Mollie's blind date teen display. She was kind enough to send me the files she used so I didn't have to create them from scratch. I just changed the font and converted the shapes to red and added a heart from auto shapes  Of course, the week I made this display is the week my department killed all 3 color inkjet printers. The only other color printer we had left is one with serious Horizontal Lines of Doom. I cleaned the print heads over and over but it didn't solve the problem completely. I hope to get a laser printer for us soon. My plan in the meantime is to try and convince ever-more dubious children that stripes are the new chevron. 

Speaking of stripes, I wrapped the valentine books in red and white striped wrapping paper from a roll my cat enjoys picking fights with. The note on the front has a line for the item's barcode to be handwritten so that the books can be properly accounted for in our ILS. I did put more than 3 books out. This is a progress photo. :) 

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