Spooky Books and Spooky Sweets

One of the more interesting questions asked of me in the 6th Rizal International Conference after presenting my paper concerned reading promotion to young adults. I answered by starting off with the three kinds of readers: avid readers; reluctant readers; non-readers. Different strategies can be employed to make them visit the library and borrow books. The easiest to entice are the acid readers. 

Here is the proof.

This week, I introduced the library's Spooky Sweets Spooky Books borrowing promo. Students who will borrow three "spooky books" will get a spooky sweet. It's a one day book-reading promo that will start in Oct. 30.

On Monday, I first displayed books that fall under the horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy genre. Any title that would qualify as a scary or spooky read, I set it up on display. Stephen King was a default choice. Along side his book, I put up Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand and Rick Yancey's The Monstrumologist. The library has two PC desk I use as display area for books. I set the books there for everyone to see.

On the other PC desk, I set up Joe Hill's Locke and Key, Erin Hick's Brain Camp and G.Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen.

After recess, four books were borrowed by two students who are avid readers and frequent borrowers of the library. I then, replenished the vacant display racks with new books. I pulled out classics like Dracula and Frankenstein; contemporary Pinoy graphic novels like the Trese series by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo; and the parody on the three wise men, Unholy Night by Seth Graham Greene. By lunch time, Dracula and Frankenstein were gone.

On October 30, reluctant and avid readers flocked the library for the books, and yes, the goodies. We had a good number. We had 25 spooky sweets this morning. At the end of the day, we only had 10 spooky sweets left. So this book promo spiked our circulation statistics today.

Locke and Key and Alif the Unseen were borrowed at recess.

The spooky sweets were made by Ms. Joan Everly Macalalad. She is the baker behind Cup N Cakes Wonderland.

The Best of Philippine Ghost Stories was borrowed too!

What I'll be doing next is to get feedback from the borrowers by having them fill out a bookmark for a quick review of the books. I will then post these bookmarks on the library bulletin board for everyone to read. It will be up there for one term. What happens to the bookmarks at end of term?

That is another story. Keep visiting the blog and you will find out what we did with the bookmarks!