I spent most of last week putting together the layouts for my exhibit. Four cases, four layouts. I have two different kinds of cases to work with, both of which presented pluses and challenges. Two of them are Foyer/Portrait Gallery cases. I used one case of this style for my Manuscripts exhibit in the spring. The other two are Lincoln Room cases (which makes sense because the exhibit will be in the Lincoln Room). The Foyer style cases are long and thin, and they have a wooden bar down the middle of the top, visually dividing the case in half. They are tall, which means that you can angle materials, but the sides are wooden, so you can't put anything too close to the front if you want people to be able to see the bottom of it without craning their necks. The Lincoln Room cases aren't as long, but they are wider. They are also shorter. But the sides are glass and the entire top is glass. It's easier to look at the whole case in one go, which you cannot easily do with the Foyer cases. I popped into the Lincoln Room a few times to look at the cases to get an idea of how things would look in them.
I did not use as many items as I'd taken notes on, which is what I anticipated would happen. I'm a firm believer in having more things than you can actually use. Taking things out is easier than finding things to put in. On Friday, Becky okayed my layouts, which meant that I could start writing labels. Since I finally had my items selected, I began to put flags in them, identifying what item number they are (to match with the layout and the item list), what number case they will be in, and if they will be open to a certain page or remain closed. I also began working on the explanatory labels. Instead of having an individual label for each item, I'm putting in narrative labels. Each author will have a label discussing their work, and each theme will also have a label. The picture above is what my table looked like on Friday. Those are the items I've selected for the Ray Bradbury section of the exhibit (well, most of them. The manuscript pieces aren't out). There's my notebook with my notes about the books, the item list with the item slips sitting on top,
Fahrenheit 451 open on foam rests, and the other books piled up on the side.
I will make a point of saying that being able to have so many items out on the table at once is highly unusual. When a patron is using items in the reading room, they can have one item on the table at once (or one folder if it is manuscript materials). If they need to compare two items, they can receive special permission to have both items out at once. Exceptions are made for super special researchers and for people who work at the library, particularly if they're working on an exhibit. I love being able to have so many of my items out at once. They may not be centuries old, but I find them exciting. Of the six books I've pulled for Bradbury, four are first editions and two of them are signed. I know that not everyone finds this super exciting. And that's completely fine. But these are books and authors that I grew up hearing about or seeing on my parents' bookcases. That, if nothing else, makes them special to me.
I did not use as many items as I'd taken notes on, which is what I anticipated would happen. I'm a firm believer in having more things than you can actually use. Taking things out is easier than finding things to put in. On Friday, Becky okayed my layouts, which meant that I could start writing labels. Since I finally had my items selected, I began to put flags in them, identifying what item number they are (to match with the layout and the item list), what number case they will be in, and if they will be open to a certain page or remain closed. I also began working on the explanatory labels. Instead of having an individual label for each item, I'm putting in narrative labels. Each author will have a label discussing their work, and each theme will also have a label. The picture above is what my table looked like on Friday. Those are the items I've selected for the Ray Bradbury section of the exhibit (well, most of them. The manuscript pieces aren't out). There's my notebook with my notes about the books, the item list with the item slips sitting on top, Fahrenheit 451 open on foam rests, and the other books piled up on the side.
I will make a point of saying that being able to have so many items out on the table at once is highly unusual. When a patron is using items in the reading room, they can have one item on the table at once (or one folder if it is manuscript materials). If they need to compare two items, they can receive special permission to have both items out at once. Exceptions are made for super special researchers and for people who work at the library, particularly if they're working on an exhibit. I love being able to have so many of my items out at once. They may not be centuries old, but I find them exciting. Of the six books I've pulled for Bradbury, four are first editions and two of them are signed. I know that not everyone finds this super exciting. And that's completely fine. But these are books and authors that I grew up hearing about or seeing on my parents' bookcases. That, if nothing else, makes them special to me.
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