It is almost time for the New Year to start. The weather has been trying to prove to us that winter is coming. This is the time of year that people like to settle down in front of the fire with a good book to read. This cold-weather display idea comes from the December issue of Book Page. The title of the bulletin board is “Get Your Mitts on a Good Book.” Make a paper snowman with sticks for arms and add a pair of mittens for his hands. Print color copies of the covers of your new and most popular titles. Here are 10 more display ideas for January.
National Soup Month
This is a terrific time to display all your soup cookbooks. You could even get preschoolers involved by sharing your favorite version of the folktale Stone Soup.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday (January 3, 1892)
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor who is best known as the author of the classic fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Display all your books by Tolkien and DVDs of his works. They are sure to get checked out.
National Bird Day (January 5, 2016)
“National Bird Day” is not only a good day to take time to appreciate the native wild birds flying free outside our windows, it is also a perfect time to reflect on how we treat the native birds of other countries. Display books from the children’s area as well as the adult collection about wild birds and pet birds. Add some bird houses and bird feeders and even some bird seed to attract attention. Activities can be found at http://www.nationalbirdday.com/.
Clean Off Your Desk Day (January 11, 2016)
Clean Off Your Desk Day heralds the beginning of some serious spring cleaning. Do you really need all that junk, old paperwork and mess on your desk? If the answer’s no, take the opportunity to do a little tidying! (This is not a display idea. I put this day in mostly for me, but I thought there might be others out there that could benefit from this special day, too.)
National Hat Day (January 15)
Cold head? A great solution might be to wear a hat; and what better opportunity than Hat Day? Invite all your preschoolers to bring multiple hats to story time this week. Read Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina and The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Set up a display of all different types of hats. Use your catalog to find other stories with the word “hat” in the title.
Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday (January 17, 1706)
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. Display all your books about Ben Franklin—both from the children’s area and adults’ biographies.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 18)
Although Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, the federal holiday has been celebrated on the third Monday in January by Presidential Proclamation since 1986. Display your books and DVDs about the civil rights era along with biographies of Dr. King.
Popcorn Day (January 19)
Such a simple food, but popcorn is an international staple for movie-goers everywhere. Sweet, salted, buttery of drizzled with toffee, it can range from healthy to sickeningly sweet! Beyond food, popcorn is sometimes used as decoration, or even as cheap packaging material! Celebrate Popcorn Day by offering all your patrons a bag of freshly popped corn. No one can resist this fragrant treat.
Lewis Carroll’s Birthday (January 27, 1832)
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and photographer. Set up a display of books and DVDs in the children’s area highlighting Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
International Puzzle Day (January 29, 2016)
International Puzzle Day is celebrated on January 29, 2016. It was created in 1995 by game companies in the United States. On International Puzzle Day, puzzles of all size, shape and form will be honored. Gather all your books that have puzzles to be solved, including the “Where’s Waldo” and “I Spy” books , if they are not all checked out. Set some easy wooden puzzles out in the Children’s Area and find an intriguing jigsaw puzzle for a table in the adult area. It is surprising to see how many people will stop and work until they can put a piece in place.
Zane Grey’s Birthday (January 31, 1872)
Zane Grey, American dentist and prolific author of tales of the Old West, was born at Zanesville, OH. Grey wrote more than 80 books that were translated into many languages and sold more than 10 million copies. Display books and audiobooks by this popular author. Prepare a bookmark with all of his titles. (see http://www.zgws.org/) Be ready to request the books that you don’t have through interlibrary loan.
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