Enhancing Library Engagement Through Book Menus

By Jenna McManus, Megan Price, and Rebekah Rustad

This article examines a creative approach to highlighting book recommendations through engaging “menus” that students can browse in public high school library learning commons. Using Canva templates, the menus were designed to reflect the school community’s interests while intentionally showcasing diverse voices and Canadian authors. This initiative also prompted teacher-librarian reflection on collection gaps and the importance of displaying a wide range of titles. A survey assessing the impact of the book menus found that while curated displays influenced some students’ reading choices, peer recommendations remained a key factor. These findings will inform future book promotion strategies to better engage both avid and reluctant readers.

Combining Passion with Librarianship

As a foods teacher turned librarian at Shas Ti Kelly Road, I am always pleased to find ways to merge my passions for food and librarianship. When I came across Lindsey Krabbenhoft’s Book Menu idea, I was eager to implement it in our Library Learning Commons (LLC).

Given our limited display space, I continuously seek creative methods to promote books. The book menu allows students to browse curated selections in a compact and engaging format. It serves as an excellent alternative to a catalog kiosk, which our LLC does not have due to security and privacy concerns. Placing the menu at the circulation desk, near the return slot, encourages students to explore book selections while returning their materials.

Implementation and Customization

The Canva templates provided by Krabbenhoft served as an accessible and adaptable starting point. The frame templates made inserting book covers quick and efficient. As I became more comfortable with the design, I customized pages to align with our school’s interests. For example, our Hunting and Fishing page has been particularly popular in our rural school setting.

Additionally, our LLC received a Raise a Reader grant last year, which allowed us to create a food literacy project. We purchased movie and book-themed cookbooks along with grocery store gift cards, encouraging students to host Dinner & Show evenings for their families. Currently, we are developing Staff and Student Picks pages to further engage our school community.

The flexibility of the Canva format enables quick modifications to reflect seasonal themes and school-wide initiatives. Moreover, we can easily share menu pages on our school website and social media platforms, extending their reach beyond the physical space of the library.

Expanding the Idea at Prince George Secondary School

After Jenna shared her book menu concept, Rebekah and I were so inspired that we decided to create our own! Since both of us are proficient with Canva, and are fortunate enough to operate fully staffed, we opted to design our own templates from scratch. This was a little more time-consuming, but we enjoyed the challenge of creating read-alike categories that we wanted to highlight and that students would also find engaging. The brainstorming process for the category themes was particularly exciting, as we combined our personal reading knowledge with online research, book lists, and cross-referenced titles from our school collection.

Initially, our goal was to have a single book menu with 10 double-sided pages, requiring 20 read-alike categories. However, we quickly identified 34 potential categories, so we decided we would rotate the pages to display different themes every few weeks. As we delved into category menus, we found ourselves exploring sub-genres and had to decide how far down the rabbit hole we wanted to go. For example, we ended up breaking fantasy into categories like Realms of Wonder, Dragons, Through the Wardrobe and Romantasy –while incorporating additional fantasy books into other menus like Strong Female Leads and Black Voices.

The categorization process presented us with additional unique challenges and prompted further discussion as we created the menus. For instance, should Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros be categorized under Dragons, Characters with Disabilities, or Fierce and Fearless? Should books appear in multiple categories to reinforce their visibility (repetition effect)? Or should we limit each book to one category to maximize title diversity and display as much of our collection as possible? Ultimately, we decided to prioritize variety, ensuring that as many books as possible were featured. In cases where a book fit in more than one category, we kept an open mind and often went back and replaced titles with ones that we thought were a better fit.

Prioritizing Diversity & Identifying Collection Gaps

As we curated our book menus, we intentionally highlighted diverse voices, both as standalone categories and within broader themes. Canadian authors were marked with a small maple leaf to increase visibility for students and support Canadian publications. This commitment to diversity also helped us identify gaps in our collection. For instance, difficulty in filling the Characters with Disabilities category prompted us to research and acquire new titles that we had not previously known about. We also tried to include a mix of popular and obscure titles to hook both avid and reluctant readers.

Enhancing Engagement Through Displays & Digital Integration

Upon assembling our first physical display menu, we were so pleased with the result that we immediately ordered a second display menu and expanded our selection to 40 read-alike categories (20 unique ones per menu). As this project had taken up so much time already, we discussed implementing additional ways we could promote student engagement. Some of these strategies included:

• Bulletin Board Display: Featuring menu pages to reinforce visibility outside of the library
• Expanded Website Pages: Including book descriptions and sequel information to be published on our library website
• Endcap Displays: Pairing menu pages with physical book displays for increased circulation

The results were immediate as we saw students frequently engage with the menu, and books displayed on the endcaps were being checked out, much to our delight.

Surveying the Impact of Book Menus

We spoke with our regular patrons and were encouraged by their enthusiasm, but we wanted to assess whether the menus and posters had an impact on students who did not frequent the library as much.

After a few weeks, we conducted a survey asking students: “Have the read-alike displays inspired or influenced your reading selection in any way?” Over two days, we gathered responses from nearly 150 students:

• 28% said yes
• 22% were unsure
• 50% said no

Students who responded “yes” highlighted how the displays helped them discover books they might not have otherwise considered. They mentioned that the visuals were engaging and that seeing multiple covers together piqued their interest. Some even noted that the displays encouraged them to read more frequently.

Among those who responded “no,” common reasons included a preference for word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and a tendency to stick to familiar authors or series. Their feedback showed us that while curated displays can be impactful, peer recommendations are also a significant factor in influencing book selection.

This survey provided valuable insight into how different student groups interact with book promotions, helping us refine our approach to better serve both avid and reluctant readers in the future.

Conclusion

The Book Menu project has proven to be a dynamic, adaptable, and effective method for promoting books and engaging with students in our library learning commons. By leveraging creative displays, digital integration, and strategic collection development, our LLCs have promoted a love of reading and helped both reluctant and avid readers find new book recommendations. As we continue refining and expanding our book menus, we look forward to exploring seasonal themes and empowering student voices.

One of our goals is to implement a student-led reader’s advisory, allowing students to help curate future book menus and strengthen peer-led recommendations. Our survey results indicate that this approach is a major factor in students’ book selection.

Beyond benefiting our own libraries, book menus offer a practical and adaptable strategy for librarians looking to enhance book promotion. With potential for both physical displays and digital integration, this approach encourages students to move from passive browsing to active exploration. We invite fellow librarians to experiment with book menus, share their experiences, and join us in reimagining how we connect students with books.

Book Menu Categories at PGSS

The categories we came up with:

Institution Details:

• Prince George Secondary School
  • Student Population: 1,470
  • Library Supplies Budget: $9,000
• Shas Ti Kelly Road
  • Student Population: 850
  • Library Supplies Budget: $4,500

Have a look at PGSS Book Menus in Canva

Please feel free to email us with any questions or if you would like access to our Canva templates.

rrustad@sd57.bc.ca
mprice@sd57.bc.ca
Jmcmanus@sd57.bc.ca

Reference

Krabbenhoft, Lindsey. “The Book Menu.” Jbrary, 20 Aug. 2024, jbrary.com/the-book-menu/.

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Megan Price is a teacher-librarian at Prince George Secondary School, which serves approximately 1500 students, about 500 of whom are Indigenous. It is a role she embraced in 2020 and has passionately pursued ever since. She holds a Teacher Librarian certificate from Queen’s University, which she obtained to solidify her commitment to this career path. Additionally, she serves as a resource evaluator for BC Focused Education Resources.

In her spare time, Megan enjoys walking her dog, reading (having completed an impressive 295 books in 2024), and participating in yoga and fitness classes. She achieved her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in October 2024 and aspires to offer free yoga classes in the near future.

Megan is deeply committed to social justice and Reconciliation, reflecting her broader dedication to fostering an inclusive and equitable community.

Rebekah Rustad is a teacher-librarian at Prince George Secondary School (PGSS), one of the largest secondary schools in Northern BC, with nearly 1500 students. In her 5th year as a teacher-librarian, Rebekah is dedicated to nurturing a love of reading and fostering a vibrant school community through the power of books. In October 2024 Rebekah was awarded the BC Teacher Librarian Association’s New Teacher Librarian of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field.

Born and raised in Prince George, Rebekah is committed to representing her northern community. Outside of her work, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, their 3-year-old son, and 1-year-old daughter. Rebekah’s love for storytelling extends beyond the library—when she’s not promoting books, you can find her exploring board games, cinema, and graphic novels, always on the lookout for creative ways to engage her students.

Jenna McManus is a dedicated teacher-librarian at Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary in Prince George, BC. After 15 years of teaching Foods & Nutrition and running a school lunch program, Jenna transitioned into the library over the past three years. This year marks her first full-time role in the Library Learning Commons. Jenna is currently pursuing her Teacher Librarian certificate from Queen’s University to ensure she has the skills and tools needed to provide the best possible support to her school community.

In her spare time, Jenna enjoys spending quality moments with her 12-year-old son and their dog. They love outdoor activities like camping and bike riding. Jenna also has a passion for crafting and entertaining, and she is well-known for her exceptional cooking skills.

Jenna is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment at her school, reflecting her broader dedication to community engagement and student well-being.

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