Changes are a comin’…..

Part of the strategic planning for 2007 has included implementing merchandising techniques. Under the strategic issue of “Access to RPL Services, Programs and Collections,” our goal is providing adequate facilities for needed library services. Our action plan for 2007 states: Evaluate and implement merchandising techniques to increase access and add appeal to the library’s collections.

So what does merchandising really mean in a library? One of our goals as librarians is to make our collection accessible. For many, that means that materials are in the right place, in the right order, so that they can find the specific item they are looking for. But for many who come in to browse, all those books with the spines facing out are unappealing (the publishers create eye-catching covers for a reason!) and it is difficult to find something that really interests them. So we asked ourselves, “Can we do both?”

We have a merchandising team who has been studying merchandising in libraries. They attended a training session at the Minnesota Library Association conference last fall. They read about it. They visited libraries in the Twin Cities to see how they merchandise. Then they worked very hard to create a proposal to increase visibility of the incredible resources we have at the Rochester Public Library. Some of the things you’ll see:

• Better use of the library’s walls and aisle end caps using slat walls and plexiglass to display materials with their covers out
• More gondolas and octagons to create “market places” for displaying materials
• Moving computers to open spaces for the market places
• Highlighting the best view in the library. The reference reading area will move to the rotunda with the view overlooking the river.

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