One of the best things about being a librarian is that the community is really good with sharing not only ideas, but also bits and pieces necessary to adapt the ideas to your own library. Thanks to librarian Kelsey Bogan I’ve started using Shelf Talkers for our “Core Library” displays. Using her template, I’ve adjusted and adapted for the needs of our readers in a number of ways. While her talkers are by genre, I’ve made them by grade and added a genre icon. Because the books don’t stay on the display shelf for very long, there’s also an image of the cover (makes it easy for the staff to shelve as well). At the bottom I’ve also indicated whether the book is available as an Audiobook or eBook on Sora, the number of pages, if it’s part of a series, the pacing or other important content information like images, and the call number.

Making the shelf talkers for 75 books in quick succession meant that I used AI intensively for the first time to help with the 50 word summaries and quickly came to realise its limitations. One is that they all begin to sound the same. Another is that AI has absolutely no idea how to write effective “hooks” so a lot of time was spent with me double checking not just the book summaries but also reviews of people I trust. It is kind of gratifying that there’s still space for librarians who actually read and know the books. Thank heavens too for audiobooks on 1.5 speed to get through a huge quantity of books in a short period of time. If you’d like to use these shelf talkers and adjust them for your needs you can find the templates here:
Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

By Nadine Bailey – middle school teacher librarian, currently living and working in Dubai, formerly in Beijing China, Singapore and a bunch of other cities around the world. Passionate about our students seeing themselves and their worlds in literature and developing curiosity and a passion for reading and learning.

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed in this blog post are solely my own and do not reflect the positions, policies, or opinions of any current or former employer. Any references or examples provided are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements or official statements from any organization I have been associated with.