Exhibits and Displays: A Practical Guide for Librarians

Exhibits and displays are booming and in demand at all types of libraries. From simple displays of books to full-scale museum-quality exhibitions, library exhibits can highlight collections that surprise visitors, tell stories, and engage audiences in innovative ways. Often, exhibits feature more than books-showcasing art, photographs, archival materials, multimedia elements, as well as hands-on activities. Stepping outside traditional walls, digital exhibits reach audiences beyond the circulation desk and pave another way for libraries to share information, promote resources, and even lead change in the community. Despite the growing interest, most library and information science (LIS) programs do not include exhibit development courses. It is not uncommon for librarians learn exhibit production on the job or through resources in the museum sector. Wearing many hats, librarians absorb exhibit work as part of community outreach initiatives, or take on exhibit duties as a general professional interest in the emerging field. Exhibits & Displays is a practical how-to guide that helps librarians unleash their library's potential to engage and wow visitors. The guide explains how to kick-start and grow an exhibit program through expert advice, insights from professional literature, and winning case studies that cover exhibition development from conceptual planning through de-installation packing and evaluation. Exhibits & Display: A Practical Guide for Librarians covers: - Pre-planning - Curation and content development - Project management - Graphic design and writing for readability - Preservation and collection care - Legal considerations and loan registration - Installation/de-installation and maintenance tips - Hands-on interactives and digital exhibits - Educational programming - Marketing - Audience evaluation - Supplemental examples and case studies Librarians in academic, public, school, and special libraries will benefit from Exhibits & Displays: A Practical Guide for Librarians. The book is also an excellent textbook for LIS courses covering exhibition development and outreach.

Author: Carol Ng-He, Patti Gibbons
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 04/13/2021
Pages: 152
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 11.00h x 8.50w x 0.33d
ISBN: 9781538144039


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/01/2021 pg. 95

About the Author
Carol Ng-Heis an award-winning art library and museum professional who served as the exhibits coordinator at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Illinois. She has written book chapters and articles on a broad range of topics relating to art education and visual learning in higher education, libraries, and museums. Ng-He has served on various committees at the Art Libraries Society of North America. She holds an MA in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is an MLIS candidate at San Jose State University. Patti Gibbons has three decades of experience preserving cultural heritage materials, developing exhibitions, and registering loans in library and museum settings. Currently she is the head of collection management at the University of Chicago Library's Special Collections Research Center. She earned an MA in museum studies from the University of Washington and an MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois, and graduate certificates in special collections librarianship and philanthropy & nonprofit administration. Gibbons is the author of the book The Modern Kiteflier, and she has published several chapters and articles on exhibition best practices, book preservation, and library science topics in textbooks and professional journals, and she is the co-editor of the "Special Libraries, Special Challenges" column in the journal Public Services Quarterly.