Library of the future. Ideas for attracting new customers.

Knowledge is power, first of all it can be taken from books. There is a great variety of literature in our time: different formats of books: audio books, e-books, books in Braille, tactile books and regular printed ones.

There are small printed editions that fit in a lady's handbag, there are large ones that are convenient to read at home. Different covers: soft or hardcover, each book has its own quality of paper and font of different sizes, not all books have pictures.

For children, books are made in which you can open and close windows, look for answers to riddles, in some books pieces of a secret map are hidden on the pages of the book. There are books inside with a big castle.

There are many different authors and every year there are more and more of them. A wide variety of topics: psychology, philosophy, medicine, geography, needlework, plants, books on repair, computer programs, interior decor, school subjects, publications for students at the institute, teachers and others.

Many people have already forgotten that you can not buy books in stores, while saving the family budget, but take them in the library. But in Russia, unfortunately, libraries are not in demand among people, because spending time in it for an adult or a child should be interesting, comfortable, because the design of the building should attract attention, because you want to return there, because books should be available always, the library fund should be replenished with new books and the library should work every day.

Consider the factors that can be used to attract people to the library, to interest people in reading books, what additional services can be offered in the library.

• Interior.
• Terminals.
• Master classes.
• Video.
• Board games.
• Boards of announcements.
• Various book formats.

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Interior.

Most often, the standard library is located on the 1st floor of an ordinary apartment building. In exceptional cases, there is an unusual design of the library itself, for example, in Belarus (Minsk), the national library resembles a giant diamond.
Kansas City Public Library, USA in the form of a bookshelf; Library of Louis Nyuser, France in the form of a head-book and other original buildings around the world.

Near such buildings I want to take a picture, I want to go there and see how everything is located inside the building.
What should be in the library to attract more visitors? Reasoning on this topic in our article.

Wardrobe.

In the winter season, all people wear outerwear. When you come into the room, it becomes hot. Libraries do not have a separate place to hang outerwear.
Usually hung on the back of a chair. Therefore, the first rule is to make a small recess, a closet or put a floor hanger.

Bright colours.

Most often, schoolchildren come to the library for books, who are asked to read and study the material. Therefore, it is better to use bright colors, landscapes. Color therapy has a positive effect on the state of the human body, and some colors contribute to a better assimilation of the studied material.

Winter Garden.

It's nice to sit with a book in your hands in a secluded place among different types of indoor flowers.

Many libraries are located on the 1st floor and it is possible to make an extension with glass to them, a lot of light will pass through them. Put up shelves, arrange different plants.

Each reader, employee can bring a plant (cutting or grow from a seed) and thus do not have to spend money on buying flowers.

In large cities, people are looking for solitude, clean air, a pleasant atmosphere, so a winter garden would be in great demand.

TV set.

In the library, you can show cartoons, Russian or foreign films of the old years, create various interest clubs.

Furniture.

Frameless furniture is becoming more and more popular. Also comfortable, modernized seats, so that a person himself takes a pose that will be convenient for him.

You can also install a net or a hammock, a rocking chair.

Light.

Light also plays an important role. To read books, you need good light, for this you need to place reading places opposite the window space, or put large chandeliers everywhere and install additional lighting.

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Terminals.

Of course, people come to the library to study literature, to take books for home reading, but in summer weather the hot climate makes you want to drink and it would be nice if there was a terminal with food and drinks.

In addition to regular readers, local residents will be able to come in to buy water, at the same time they can take a book to read.
In addition to the food terminal, you can install a terminal with newspapers, magazines, postage stamps and envelopes. The last point will reduce the queues at the mail.

There is no such idea yet, but it is possible to install terminals that will sell children's products, such as puzzles, so that children or adults collect pictures or buy as a gift.

There are drawing sets that are made in the form of cells with numbers that need to be painted over with a certain color and the result is a picture. Many girls and women embroider pictures and there are ready-made kits with threads. There are no terminals with this type of product.

You can sell in terminals postcards, small bouquets of sweets, gifts for children and adults.

The terminal facilitates the procedure for purchasing goods. Each terminal has instructions for its use. In addition, the installation of the terminal brings additional income to the library.

Master classes.

To increase the number of visitors to the library, you can conduct interesting master classes. For example, how to make a postcard, a grain doll, a bouquet of sweets, pack a gift with your own hands.
For ideas, you can use our website decortop.techinfus.com/en/, in the decor section, then do-it-yourself tab, a lot of creative ideas with step-by-step photos and a detailed description. Photo master classes on any topic, any budget, and they are constantly replenished.
If it is possible to do free master classes, each person will come with their own material, if this is not possible, then organize inexpensive master classes worth 150-400 rubles, depending on costs, execution time.

During the master class, you can recommend books for creativity, interesting books to read, or new items that have recently arrived at the library.

Families who do not know how to spend their time will come to the workshops or bring their children. Especially, master classes will be enjoyed in bad weather, when people do not know how and where to spend their time.

Video.

You can organize showing cartoons for children, showing old Russian films, videos about nature, animals, plants, school topics, cities and countries, films in English (and other languages). Then discuss the seen movies - this develops speech, then recommend books in which you can read about the biography of the director, poet, actress, singer, books in English, books about animals, about a particular city or country.
If the video was about school topics, then recommend books on certain subjects: physics, chemistry, life safety and others.

Showing a video, discussing it brings together people of the same interests of different age groups, so you can find friends, expand your circle of acquaintances. Schoolchildren will receive new information, develop and their school grades will improve, people of retirement age will be able to find friends and have fun.

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Board games.

There are a wide variety of board games. For any age and family budget. There are games educational, cognitive, quizzes.
For example, a board game called "Scrabble", a game of composing words from letters.

Board games Memo: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Crimea, flags, natural wonders of Russia, amazing animals, paintings by Russian artists, space, sights of Russia, the whole world. It consists of cards with images (2 pairs), first you need to put them face up, and then turn them over and look for a pair. The game expands horizons, trains memory, develops attention.
Board games quizzes. They contain cards with questions and answers.

Board games in English allow you to memorize words, expressions in English, expand your vocabulary, and pronounce the word correctly.

Many board game manufacturers are interested in promoting their product, so they are happy to cooperate. On some sites you can find places and information where board games of this manufacturer are played.

If board games are played in libraries, then children will develop, it will be interesting to spend time after school or on weekends. They will find friends.

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Boards of announcements.

People buy books, study, and then they may not be needed. For example, schoolchildren and students no longer need the literature they have studied, so you can compose, print out an announcement and hang it on a special board in the library. Unfortunately, in Russia there is no such practice.

Libraries in small towns and villages are not funded by the state.

There are libraries that accept books of various subjects. Not all people know about this, so it is better to write an informational announcement and hang it in a prominent place. People will not throw away books and magazines, but will collect and bring them to local libraries.

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Various book formats.

Today, there are books not only in printed format, but also audio books, e-books, Braille editions and tactile books.

Books of any format should be in the library, because all people perceive information from the outside world differently. There are people auditory - these are those who perceive information through the auditory canal, people of this type have an excellent memory. This is a rare type of people in society.

You can go to school, work in public transport or in a car and listen to a work of art, learn a foreign language.

visuals - these are people who perceive information through vision, who "see" the world around them, they need to see the text, formulas, manuals. This type of people in the world most.
Next, consider the formats in which there are books.

audiobook - this is when a work is read by a person (usually these are famous actors or a group of persons), recorded on an audio medium, in another way it is a “talking” book.

At this time, you can relax, clean up, care for flowers, engage in creativity and at the same time listen to a book. Audiobooks can be turned on for small children before bedtime, for example, fairy tales.

Electronic variant – display of text in electronic form. When a book can be read from any technical gadget: cell phone, tablet or computer.
Not all people like printed publications, flipping pages, carrying books with them is easier for them to read books from electronic media.

Books for the blind.

There are many “special people” in the world who perceive the world not like everyone else. Do not forget about this category of citizens.

New houses are built with special buttons for blind people, in state museums there is also a guide for such people, there is information for them, there are special books in Braille or tactile books for such people also exist, though in small quantities, not all publishers publish books in in this format and not all libraries have such books in their collections.

The first tactile books were created by members of the club "Joy" of the central library system of Grodno. Each spread of the book has soft pictures and an explanation in Braille. These are “warm books” that are read not with the eyes, but with the hands. For their creation were used: fur, buttons, zippers, leather, feathers.

Relatives can borrow books in any format from the library for "special people" or create "warm books" with their own hands.
There is a lot of experience abroad in creating special literature, teaching visually impaired people, this experience can be taken into account and improve the quality of life of all people.

Creative people can create tactile books with their own hands and give them to people who need them or donate them to libraries.

In the future, it is planned to release a Finger Reader ring for a blind person. The device is in the form of a small ring, worn on the finger. A finger is guided through the text on a book or on a tablet and its voice acting is going on. A very small font does not recognize the text, it recognizes starting from font 12. A camera is installed in the ring, which recognizes the text. This device is also suitable for people of retirement age, as well as ordinary people for traveling. Since the device can also read foreign text and can be used as a translator.
Today, after all, this gadget needs to be improved.

Despite the fact that it is the 21st century, the computerized process is still not everywhere. In many libraries, the process for obtaining a book is as follows. When a person borrows a book from the library, the reader is given an information card that lists the title of the book, the author, and the deadline for returning it. They should also contain information about the library: opening hours, lunch break, website, if any, address. But unfortunately, not everywhere it is.

Books need to be treated with care, they need care, so it is best to wrap books in a cover. For this, a dense garden film (which is used for greenhouses), a transparent tablecloth or a film from product packaging is suitable.

Libraries do not work 7 days a week, they have a certain work schedule and usually Sunday and Monday are libraries days off.Many people work fixed 5/2 schedules, work outside of their homes, arrive late and don't have access to the library in the evening because they are no longer working.
It will be ideal when the library will always work. From early morning until late evening.

Each library should have a website, groups in social networks, write about new products (books and magazines that have been received by the fund), and create news.

If the library windows face the sunny side, it is better to darken them with window film or blackout curtains. An interesting article on this topic: 6 ideas for sun protection in an apartment.
When entering the library, it would be nice if people put on shoe covers so as not to stain the floor when the weather is bad outside.
It is best to divide books by subject, create libraries separately in the direction: business, medicine, flowers and plants, a library for mothers and others.

Read books, magazines, borrow them from the library or donate your publications, because knowledge is power!

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