As the year draws to a close, now is a time to reflect on what happened and the perfect subject to think about is books. Over the course of 2023, CityLibrary ran a wide range of displays from the fun to the serious and educational. At CityLibrary, we made sure to have plenty of leisure reading displays for the moments between study when you just need a break. There were displays on poetry, graphic novels, banned books and classics- both new and familiar. We got in the seasonal spirit with themed reads around Halloween and dark and atmospheric winter thrillers. On the Libby app and Overdrive website, the e-books and audiobooks were flying off the digital shelf! Summer and winter were represented by a wide selection of summer reads perfect for the beach or if you just want to dip into something lighter in the hot weather, and the winter season was honoured with titles from the dark and chilling to the festive and joyful.
There were also plenty of displays focusing on celebration and awareness months throughout the year. These displays looked at all elements of these months from historical non-fiction to contemporary novels, all the way to poetry and plays! We focused on:
- LGBTQ+ History Month
- Grief Awareness Week
- Black Futures Month
- Pride Month
- Disability History month
- An exploration of Windrush
- Women’s History Month
- Trans Awareness Month
CityLibrary also ran a series of one off displays- these looked at:
- Award Winners
- When Business goes Wrong
- CityUniWomen Recommends
- A digital display looking at the titles discussed on the BBC TV show Between the Covers
- CityLibrary staff recommendations
- Financial Times Book of the year award
These ran across all sites and platforms and showed the diverse range of titles and resources we have to borrow- digitally and physically! At CityLibrary, we run a series of displays looking at wellbeing and study skills throughout the year. Whether it was about writing a dissertation or about how best to reference all the way to coping with stress or anxiety, there was something for everyone. These ran during our exam period and proved a great success- look out for new titles on upcoming displays! We also ran our annual displays of More Books and Welcome to City. These displays appear every year but every year has new and exciting titles on that are sure to entertain and be a source on information and enjoyment for those new to City and those returning.
Be sure to look out for even more diverse and interesting displays in 2024 with January offering our take a break, exams and study skills, wellbeing, and an Overdrive collection looking at new beginnings in honour of the New Year! If there are any books missing from our collection that need to be there, make a recommendation through Liberating CityLibrary or More Books.