This is another of those larger exhibits my son helps out on. I want to do a much longer post about the Berenstain Bears and their evolution across the decades, but this one was a bit of a test for something I want to do every year as a kind of a summer reading program.

Currently the main branch of our local public library is closed. Academic libraries aren’t fill-ins for public ones, but one of the neatest collections we have comes in supporting the Library School and the College of Education. It’s the Children’s and Young Adult Literature Collection.

This collection ranges from the kinds of books small kiddos will enjoy like picture books and large format read alongs (Think The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Cat in the Hat) to more robust series (like those from Rick Riordan or Wings of Fire–a title I only know because my son is reading the series now) as well as all (now over 100) of the Newbery Medal winners. These are on display (and circulating) on the Main Floor.

These books are all circulating and can be checked out by anyone with a valid OU id card. This means that faculty, staff, and students on campus have ready access to shelves full of material to read over the summer.

But before we could put the Bears in we had to take MAD out. We had a March MADness exhibit up showcasing the collection of MAD Magazine from one ouf our Special Research Collections (John and Mare Nichols Rare Books)

That…took some time. And some cross-referencing.

Time to get down to business.

This little exhibit showcases some of the titles through the years with some games and puzzles. With this one we brought down all the bear titles from the collections normal location (3rd Floor West) and have them on stands for checkout. And they care circulating like crazy. Every couple of days I come back in and check my shelf on circulation and take 15-20 books back out to their stands to await the next kids who have been dragged to campus during their summer vacation.

With this type of movement with these titles I think it is safe to say getting things out and down is a boon to circulation. Even moreso than rubbing your hands together. Hopefully this is a fun trend that can be repeated as we move through other titles that need to showcase on Main. Beginner Books has an anniversary coming up, there is science literacy to be had with the Magic School Bus, we are really only limited by our own imagination, and adherence to dull, aloof, academicianiacs.

I’ll add this to the longer Bears post (whenever that gets done), but until then, if you haven’t read this light, jointed authored autobiography of Stan and Jan Berenstain, do yourself a favor and find a copy. It’s a delight.