Book Tasting

Grab your fork and knife. It's time for a fine dining experience, and books are on the menu.

Thanks to multiple blogs and magazine articles that I have read lately, I was inspired to try a new idea in the library: Book Tasting.

The goal is to put books into students' hands that they might never pick up on their own. It is a way to show off some books in the library collection that you know students will love if they would only take them off the shelves.

To create the desired experience, I did a little table decorating, created menus, put together a classical music playlist, stole some fake flowers from my home, and hired a waiter (aka my enthusiastic assistant, Tom).

As students "tasted" their book appetizers, main dishes, and desserts, they filled out menus to help them process their thoughts and have a take-home reminder of what books they might like to check out in the future.

Afterwards, I looked through the menus to see what the students thought of the books they tasted. My favorite responses were when opinions changed as students took the time to look through a particular book. 

Many books received positive reviews. Others will be put back on the shelf for another day.

All in all, I'll call the Book Tastings a success. Many new library books have been checked out and are finally getting their much deserved time off the library shelves and into the hands of curious students.