Each group feeds back on where they disagreed and where their perceptions of the tool were changed by the activity it was placed in. Then think about how much this applies to shelving books. Often it is clear which title belongs in which category but many narrative non-fiction books could be shelved in more than one place. Cod by Mark Kurlansky can be shelved in history, geography, science, cookery, economics and is actually subtitled A Biography!
Readers who know of Kurlansky's book and know how to use the catalogue will be able to track it down wherever it is shelved. But what about those who don't know it exists at all? Or those who take a quick look in what they think is the most obvious area, don't see it and give up? The only way to help these readers is to get the book off the shelves and display it outside of its classification.
Discuss, too, how placing the tool in an unexpected category creates an unusual juxtaposition which often leads to a widening perception of the uses of the tool, a stretching of the category and a leap of the imagination from the reader.
If you are promoting non-fiction in the library, be inventive with what you choose to promote and how. How far can you broaden the category? What might readers not expect to see, what might they be tempted to explore? It’s the same with types of read, don’t promote sandpaper with sandpaper - promote it with a drill bit. You get more out of both and attract two types of reader to your display. Suppose I didn’t like gardening – would I look at a gardening books display, no. But if it had another theme?
The key to successful promotion is to start from the reader’s point of view. Not to focus on the genre, category, supposed quality, nor the author, but to ask yourself what kind of read it offers. Is it a fireside read, or a book to read on holiday; a read to help you explore, or one to help you escape. This reader-centred approach helps you to promote a wide range of books to a wide range of readers, rather than being trapped into recommending single titles you already know to those who happen to ask.
