Opening the Book
Online Courses

Although I have worked in libraries for many years and feel confident greeting and helping customers, doing the course has been a really useful experience, enabling me to take a fresh look at how I work and sharing my ideas with my colleagues. I now try and structure some time every day I am at work to ensure displays are looking great - hopefully generating issues! I keep a list of what topics we've used (and if they've worked or not!) also any ideas for future displays.

I think the course creates food for thought, especially for people new to the job. Recently we have moved to "Shared Services" with Council administration staff which means new staff do not necessarily have library qualifications such as the longer term employees. This causes me concern, but at least a course like this can give employees with no library background a bit of an idea on what we are trying to achieve.

This course has been wonderful for looking at stock from a different angle. To look at things within genres - subgenres in genres like space opera and satire under the sci-fi umbrella. I particularly enjoyed the graphic novels section and the practical part of setting up a display to showcase a genre. I would say that is great for understanding genre, marketing books and for broadening knowledge of the stock.

The most useful thing I have learnt is the importance of displays, how they are displayed and what they are displaying. I've seen many more books coming off the display since the gaps were filled up and some interesting, but not subject-specific, books were put up. The underused fiction section also looks much friendlier than a random row of books now that it has some colourful ones facing out. Now just to keep it all up.

I have learned a great deal from this course, especially the value of good displays and marketing your stock to attract borrowers to items they might not normally borrow or were aware of. My awareness of this has been increased and wherever I am placed on cover, I apply these methods. My aim to provide a better variety of stock in displays and choose carefully what to include and not go straight for the obvious author.

I've enjoyed trying new things within the library, some ideas I've been able to keep and others not. The changes I did with the Young adult area of making the book shelves all look different, moving the books around looks great. Issues have increased and the youth love it that their area is different and not the same as everywhere else. I enjoy walking past a display and changing over books that have been there too long and seeing the new ones going out the door.

The course made me think more about the various areas of the library and how we look. I enjoyed the content and it is very easy to understand and follow. I particularly enjoyed the exercise where I moved the covers of the books on the screen and tried lots of colours against each other.

I would say that the time was suggested was very realistic and it was nice being able to log on any time or any place that suited me and go straight to where I was on the course.

Over the duration of this course, I think what has stood out most is the importance of varying the colour of the book covers in the displays and leaving fewer gaps around books. This has much improved the appearance of our book displays and made them more attractive to customers. I also am now always on the lookout for areas of clutter. I think decluttering in libraries probably needs to be an ongoing process.

I want to let you know the course so far is excellent.  I enjoy the modules.  I feel revved up and informed and inspired working through and applying ideas in our own library.  The content is absolutely applicable and relevant and reflects library practice in our contemporary world and into the future.  I appreciate all of the work that goes into developing such a course and the incredible passion that drives the motivation and expertise.

One thing I've learned - or rather, been reminded of and given tips on how to implement - is the central importance of creating a certain impression on library users as they come through the door and move around in the library space. A quick glance and smile sets the tone, and can make the difference between someone feeling able to come and ask a question, and leaving without getting what they wanted from coming to the library. It's an empowering and motivating way to approach our work.

When I started this course I thought I had a well-run library with well utilised stock.
From the first lesson I realised how mistaken I was!!
I decluttered and refocused my approach to displays and stock.
I have removed myself from the barrier that the desk had become - and would like to think I am becoming like one with the user.
Thanks to everyone for all of their help and for teaching me new ways to promote our library's books and services.