Before this course the idea of creating a book display or promotion would have been daunting, now it is exciting! It was really interesting to see the impact that a good book display can have. Watching people browse through books that I had carefully chosen and pick up books that they wouldn't normally read was great. I would like to think that my book displays opened them up to the idea of reading something different or new.

Our book displays now contain books from all over the library not just fiction. All types of genre are being promoted and in a more interesting way than before.

One of the results of taking the course is that I know some of the borrowers a little better and feel more comfortable about asking them their opinions. I’m not a big reader myself, but I do now have the confidence in myself as a recommender of books!

For me, one of the most important things in the course was how to read book covers. This has helped enormously in choosing books for readers and for displays. It has given me the confidence to choose books for both young and old and has saved me a lot of time and effort too.

The biggest difference I find since taking the course is that I am more confident in approaching readers. I found it relevant to my every day work, using things that add to my working experience.

My displays now change all the time so that there is always something attractive to greet people when they come in to the library. Readers have been very complementary about the displays we do now and have said that they are very good and that it’s much easier to find something good if they are short of time.

Working through this course it became painfully obvious just how badly we were utilising our display areas. Even making the simplest alterations, such as putting more books face-out made a huge difference to the level of use we saw in these areas.

It was also helpful to be reminded once again what a useful resource our borrowers can be. Readers love to talk about their books. They are always willing to tell you about a book they loved and point you to an author they recommend.

Apart from the obvious benefits to the library as a whole, I look on this experience as having given me another set of tools to allow me to share the books I love with our patrons.

Comparing bookshops such as Waterstone’s to our library was quite an eye-opener.

One thing that I realised was that in our library we were taking it for granted that just because people were coming into the library, they would borrow books and other library items.

Book promotion is something we need to look at constantly to make sure we are always tempting anyone who walks through our doors to borrow a library item, especially when we have captive audiences at library events - the perfect opportunity to promote books and reading.

By actively promoting books from all areas of the library using specific displays or more generic ones, all people entering the library could be tempted to borrow library items. We still need to do more of this on a regular basis with different displays and promotions.

For instance, despite many adult learners attending courses in our library I found out that they didn’t borrow books to take home to support their learning out of course hours. I devised an active promotion with these readers in mind and many of them told me that they had tried something new as a result.

I hope to be able to pass on my experiences to colleagues at our library and keep looking for ways to improve our methods of book promotion whether they be identifying areas of the library that may not be issuing as well as others and bringing them to borrowers attention, or just imaginative ideas for book promotions.

When I started the course I was nervous about my ideas and did not have the courage to stand by my convictions when attempting a display, now I have the confidence to see where areas of the library can be improved and ‘revamped’ by a simple display.

I can now choose distinctive and yet interesting reads for any display, and know how to structure it for the right result.

Customer service is at the centre of my job and I find it really rewarding when I help somebody with their reading choices. I particularly enjoyed being able to chat with customers about how a book makes you feel and how this affects their next selection.

One customer commented that he really enjoyed books by P.G Wodehouse and wanted to read books by authors who had a similar writing style, I introduced him to many authors, including Tom Holt and I remember feeling that I could not have done this without the knowledge and experience I had gained through doing Frontline.

I would like to thank all my colleagues work, particularly my supervisor, because without their continued support I don’t think I could have done it as well.

While I was doing this course, my city was hit by 2 major earthquakes. The first of these badly damaged the Kaiapoi Library, but I found the Frontline principles useful in thinking about what we needed to do to maximise use of the very small temporary library which has replaced it.

After the second earthquake I was struck by how many library users wanted ''comfort-reading'' rather than anything stressful, and I ran a popular ‘books without shocks’ display. I remember one thing a reader said in reaction was: ‘I came in the door and there was my book waiting for me!’

I find that I am now much more aware of the needs of browsing borrowers. Understanding their point of view better has made me much more comfortable engaging with them to talk about books or to help them find something that appeals. The displays I create are so well-used that it can be difficult to keep them topped up.

Frontline has given me new skills to do better what I love doing.

• Download a report that Pat wrote for her library service about taking Frontline click here

Having completed the course I find that I am much more aware of how I am promoting the stock. I’ve targeted overlooked or 'tired' titles and given them a chance to be noticed. I am also more aware of how people choose books and that time is a huge factor in most people's lives. The 'Quick Pick' promotion is refreshed on a daily basis and is here to stay. It has made an impact on issue statistics.

Readers have reacted well to my promotions. I did one that mixed fiction and non-fiction and a lady said that she never did read non-fiction but had been tempted by a travel book I had displayed. Some time later she told me that she is now reading travel books and had developed an interest in social issues too. She said that she had never realized how much she was missing before.

One thing that made an impression on me is the success of my final promotion for Young Adults. I had many, many misgivings beforehand. I expected it to fall flat on its face. However it was great success. I came away with the distinct feeling that all areas of the library can be promoted successfully regardless of preconceived ideas.

The experience I gained on Frontline has benefited both the library users and the library itself in terms of issue statistics. I believe that all front line staff should be given the opportunity to participate in Frontline. It will help them in their work and will have long term rewards.

Well, it has come down the wire but I have finished my time hanging out with Frontline.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time completing this course. It has made me look at my physical library space and my mental library space with fresh eyes and a new attitude.

I have always loved interacting with our customers and talking about books but now I have more confidence in approaching them. The way I talk about books has changed because I no longer focus on the plot and relying on having read the story. I am better able to look at the book and analyse the message it is sending.

I think it has made me better at my job.

The Frontline course motivated me to try different approaches and to use tried and tested techniques from other areas.

I was very impressed with the role of my mentor at Fulwood, Tracey Brennan, who made useful comments and gave speedy responses.

I think that one change the coursework made is that my borrowers will notice how valued they are by staff.

The course expanded my approach and as a result I created a highly successful Library Guide which was displayed on the Inter-Library News Network

I worked for 10 years in book retail and produced many displays for my stores. Frontline enabled me to learn that book displays in libraries are very different from those in book shops.

In libraries displays are not just piles of the same bestsellers, they often highlight hidden gems and give the reader a chance to explore something different. These displays were far more interesting to put together and more rewarding.

If there is one thing that I remember about doing this course it was the good feeling that I got from my displays being borrowed by customers and the nice comments they made.

Frontline has made me more aware of how to display and promote the stock. It has made a real difference in our library and has enabled me to be more proactive and confident in recommending books to readers and putting displays together.

While undertaking the Frontline course I had the opportunity to relocate the entire young adult section. It now lies between the juvenile and adult fiction areas. I added new display shelves and removed all young adult signage. Along with my mentor we revised the collection. Statistics showed that there were twice as many issues from the young adult section in the 6 months after I changed the area compared with the 6 months before. Many people who would never have taken a book from the young adult section regularly peruse it now.

I was lucky to have a wonderful supervisor who guided and supported me through the course expertly.

Frontline gave me the confidence to try out new ideas.

Since I finished the course I have targeted different kinds of readers with an imaginative display that changes regularly.

My readers have taken to my displays really well. They tell me that the library has a great selection of books on display and that they appreciate the time they save NOT having to go and look on the shelves to find something good.

I have really enjoyed the Frontline modules and tasks, found most of the advice and tasks to be very useful. The course made me aware of the different types of the cover designs and the audience they are aimed for and more importantly it made me confident talking about books and recommending a good read

I received many positive comments on the appearance of the library and the face on displays, one reader said, and ''it is like the books are calling for me'' In this library I would say that shelves are tidier, displays are eye catching and staff are happier and more confident.

I had a wonderful mentor who supported me all the way and made it all fun and enjoyable and I'll always be grateful. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is working or thinking of working with books!

One thing that resulted from my work on Frontline was that many of our readers definitely read and enjoyed books that they would never had normally have done.

The key to success is the position of a display. I reorganized the whole library to make the displays more effective. I reduced the number of dumpbins and concentrated on making the displays in key locations really work hard. My colleagues helped me keep them looking really good.

It was a really useful course; at times very frustrating and even the bits that weren't a raging success here were useful because it identified quite clearly what we could do better!

Frontline gave me the opportunity, and the time, to really think about how I use display in my library. It has given me a lot of satisfaction to watch items fly off my displays, and to hear borrowers talking about finding things they hadn’t tried before.

My library looks more up-to-date as a result of my work and I think it offers something interesting and a little bit different to readers. I enjoyed the course and made use of it numerous times.

I am looking forward to being a Supervisor, to see what ideas other people come up with and see how well they work.

Focusing on readers rather than stock has resulted in me displaying a far higher percentage of books.

Readers here were surprised and pleased by the displays I have done. One person asked me: ''Have you got more books now?''

I would recommend that all library staff do all seven segments as much of the really interesting information and work come towards the end

One thing I enjoyed about the course was doing something different; a course that was computer based and practical at the same time. I really liked being my own "boss", going as quickly as I wanted to thanks to the support from my line manager and colleagues.

Every borrower visits the library for their own reasons and with their own "baggage" (for want of a better word!). Interviewing people, I realised that often they wanted to talk about books with their own lives in mind.

I have become obsessed with displaying books. Our branch is typical 1970's build with shelves that really only cater for "spine-on displays". I have had to "make-do" and create a shelf that can allow face on displays, utilizing materials and space to transform the display area as well as the books themselves.

I have created a display, face on at the entrance to my library. I have also placed other displays in prominent areas and their success has allowed me to keep them there.

I think borrowers can see a difference in our library as a result of Frontline. Our stock is looking less crammed and we are using more 'face on' shelving methods which have resulted in a more attractive browsing environment.

‘Less is usually best' and targeted displays are an effective method of encouraging borrowers to step outside their comfort zones.

The idea of letting the books do the talking has proven to be invaluable. I’ve vastly improved my display skills as a result of Frontline. Some of the strategies that I learned are now instinctive. For example I can’t walk past a dumpbin without feeling the urge to create a better visual impact. This is ok in my own workplace, but I have to control myself in other libraries!!

Suzanne says she was really skeptical about doing Frontline. However, once she started she found herself tackling it with real enthusiasm. Suzanne says:

''It is so easy to put up barriers and let negativity take over when confronted with a new task. This is human nature. However, I am happy to say how much I enjoyed the course and the sense of achievement at having completed it successfully.

I found the course made me look at the library I have worked in, for the last 18 years, with fresh eyes. . . It has been interesting to prove that you can produce a really eye catching display, that speaks for itself, without the need for any poster or decoration.

I believe that borrowers have already noticed the quality and variety of the face forward displays at Maidstone library. Before, most borrowers would head straight for the returned fiction/non-fiction bays, however I do see many more borrowers browsing the displays which are changed and topped up regularly.

One customer, who I interviewed for module 1, continued throughout my course to ask how I was getting on. He was genuinely interested in the ideas surrounding Frontline and was really pleased to be able to answer my questions constructively. He was very pleased to hear that I had successfully completed the course!''

Suzanne’s colleagues say that her library has completely changed in its appearance since she did the course. She’s now gone on to be a peer Supervisor of others, and is enjoying supporting them to make their own new ideas grow, too.

If there is one thing I will remember about doing the Frontline course, it is how delighted borrowers were to be asked about their reading preferences. They loved to give an opinion on their likes and dislikes. I find that the Book of Day is still useful, as particular borrowers always look for it, and often add one of their own.

I am now much more aware of how important it is to display stock to its best advantage. I regularly put books that have not been taken out for some time on display in a prominent place and I always find a borrower for them. I like the fact that I can surprise borrowers with old favourites, which they had forgotten all about.

The face-on display section is proving very popular and borrowers are delighted with it. I use a combination of fiction and non fiction. It gives the borrowers more of a choice.

In my opinion, it was well worth putting in the time to get this course done.

It was interesting, while doing this course, to realise the impact that the covers of books have on people. Previously I had thought that the cover made little difference to whether a book would be borrowed or not When a young female reader took out four books from the display I had just set up I was overjoyed!

I understand much better what influences people to borrow, what catches their eye and what to avoid. My library is much less cluttered and I’ve removed home-made posters, signs, collages etc, and concentrated on using modern, attractive display furniture that is regularly topped up.

Not everyone was convinced about what I was doing at the time, but I enjoyed the course and I feel it will be extremely valuable for my colleagues.

The real value of the course for me was discovering the diversity of opinion and taste of the library users and the fact that the consultation / interview process covered a wide range of ages and both sexes. I enjoy taking the time to consider displays from the point of view of the borrowers. I think that too often we think that we know what's best for our borrowers and tend to forget the diversity of tastes among our readers.

Whilst I was doing the course, one reader said to me that it was so nice to be consulted and her remarks taken seriously as she had been going to public libraries for many years and had never been consulted on anything in relation to book displays, reading habits and the like.

Whilst doing the course I was able to demonstrate that a well-thought-out display makes all the difference between books being taken out and enjoyed by borrowers and languishing on the shelves for months on end. I think that our displays are more varied and interesting now and appeal to as many tastes as possible and our readers opinions and input are considered a little more than heretofore.

It is exciting to watch borrowers becoming involved with my initiatives, such as the recommendations on the noticeboard. I get a real feeling of success when someone picks a book of the day I have chosen or a display empties quickly.

One reader who was choosing something from a promotion I did said to me: ''It makes you try something different . . . it really works when there are so many books you don't know where to start.''

I'm much more confident and much more competitive about how I present things in the library now. For example I sometimes set myself a challenge to see how quickly I can get the book of the day to go out, or to rescue a good book that's not been out for a while.

In my library we use more paperbacks in displays and more thought is going into how the returned today section is managed rather than it just being used as a place to leave things.

One thing that I am still doing as a result of doing Frontline is lots of displays of all kind – fiction as well as non-fiction. I have noticed that these quickly empty, especially at weekends. My staff colleagues are joining in and I think readers do see the difference.

Readers who use large print were especially pleased that I had brought CDs and large print non-fiction and various genres together as this stock rarely gets attention and it certainly helped these readers choose more widely.

I really enjoyed starting Book of the Day because it was so popular and am looking forward to seeing how my staff colleagues who are doing the course will use it.

I feel more confident about approaching readers and talking about the books that they read. What I remember most is how to display books effectively.

Customer Services Supervisor

I have worked at Saffron Walden Library for 20 years. In 2007 the library was refurbished and we now have a lovely bright modern looking building, new furniture and new books. Having done Frontline I feel I have been refurbished and refreshed too.

Talking to customers as they looked for books opened my eyes to much more than just display. I found customers are visibly unsure where to go and what to do. Yet when approached they are really keen to talk about their reading and to find out more. It really brought home to me the importance of 'meet & greet' staff.

In the past I was often apologising for something we were not doing, now I feel proud to be here; we have terrific books for free, we have great experienced knowledgeable staff, we offer a brilliant service.

Adult Information Services Librarian

Taking the Frontline course really changed and developed the way that I think about books.

One change that is evident in my library as a result is an increase in face out display. Frontline really drove home to me the importance of our borrowers being able to really see the books that we have on offer. Lines of spines are not the answer - so much good material is lost and it is not an appealing, creative or convenient way to browse. Face out display is where it's at.

Borrowers say that they trust that librarians will make good choices about what they put on
display and so it’s vital to be able to know what to do to promote a range, no matter what our own feelings about them are.

I considered myself quite savvy about borrower behaviour but Frontline has opened up a whole new realm of understanding of how our borrowers operate and what strategies we can employ to give them (and therefore us!) much greater value.

Branch Librarian

The course made me think about how customers perceive our libraries, and the changes we made as a result of doing Frontline has resulted in many more borrowers now use the quick pick and returns areas.

More thought has gone into where we locate displays and as a result, they are more effective.

Name: Sue Hoyle

Libraries: Wakefield Libraries, Mobile library

Doing Frontline developed me as both a member of staff and as a reader. When doing promotions, it showed me how to do different displays and themes I might not have thought of before. Now ideas almost jump off the shelf, and it can be just one title that gives me the idea!

I think my work has led to borrowers on the mobile trying different authors and different genres, and I am more confident to encourage borrowers to be brave and come out of their comfort zone.

I am an enquiry assistant in a busy central library.

I have always been interested in why people pick up certain books, Frontline has shown me how even a simple display can issue many more books than a random selection.

I enjoy deciphering the covers and it has given me much more confidence in picking booksto recommend to readers. I am looking forward to creating my first serious display."

I work in a regular town library, not too big, not too small, in the very pretty Thames-side location of Marlow. The age range of borrowers is vast, and recently we have seen an upturn in new members joining.

Throughout the Frontline course I have really made friends with a large number of customers, through speaking to them as part of my modules, and still go back to them for opinions and feedback. I have noticed that much less time is being spent on creating displays, making props etc, and instead, we are using are more tried and tested set-ups as per those I used in Frontline. There is also a lot more thinking outside the obvious.. I think more risks are being taken, and more of a rapid response to what works and what doesn't work through monitoring.

It challenges the notions we always had of what does and doesn't work- sometimes proving us wrong, sometimes proving us right, and forces us to look at our workplace through the eyes of a customer. We must all refresh our visual skills once in a while, and be critical of our surroundings. I also think many of my colleagues would benefit from the online discussions and the opportunity to hear what goes on nationwide.

If there is one thing I will remember about doing the Frontline course, it is:
I have learnt so many things from doing this course but if I had to pick one thing then it would be how to set up effective book displays where people notice, take an interest, and regularly borrower the books.

One thing a reader said/did in reaction to the work I did on the course was:
After I set up my display one reader said to me that I have chosen a good location for the display. He said that nearly everybody looks at the returns shelf and because my display was opposite he said people would notice it.

One difference that taking the course made for me was:
There have been several differences to me that have been beneficial from taking this course, such as talking to borrowers or doing displays. But I think the most important difference is my confidence in doing these various things.

One change that borrowers might notice in my library as a result of Frontline is:
Borrowers will see more displays in the library that have been influenced by me because I feel comfortable in putting these together rather than just leaving it for someone else to do.

Any other comments?
This course is very beneficial in completing. Before I started it I wasn't too keen on doing it at first, but after I had started it I soon realised how much it would help me in my job and what it would do for my confidence.

Nanees works as the Library Assistant in a Centre that offers books in English to a wide range of young readers in Heliopolis in Cairo.

Nanees says:
‘The Young Learners’ Centre where I work has entirely changed since the Frontline course.

Before the course, I thought that books were made to be stacked on shelves, and that readers had enough experience to pick the books they want. All I do is issue them. I was wrong. Books should be treated like people; displaying them in harmony, letting them stand for themselves, showing them off for readers to admire and notice them. It showed me the weak points in my library (invisible borrowers, dark corners), the power of communication with readers, and, above all, it built my confidence in what I do.’

Cherith Durrant is the Prison Librarian and Resources Manager at Little Hey Prison, Perry in Cambridgeshire

‘I feel more confident about speaking to my library users about books and suggesting ones for them to read . Frontline took me out of my comfort zone at first - and them out of theirs -but it has mutally benefited us.

Our library has changed as a result of Frontline as we now have regular promotions and our readers contribute useful suggestions for displays . My staff and our Library Orderlies take pride in these displays and put a lot of effort into promoting our stock.

I would encourage Prison Librarians and their library authorities to do the course as even in such a restricted environment it broadens our skills and provides a refreshed outlook on our space, resources and customers. I just wish there was a non-web based version for our prisoner Library Orderlies to do!

Georgina McGarry works at Norris Green Community Library in Liverpool, a busy library situated in a deprived area with a high level of unemployment.

"It gave me a big confidence boost and I now feel happier about recommending books to readers. The discussion area gave me the opportunity to talk to other library assistants from all over the country and I could learn and share new ideas. I was able to use my creativity in creating a book promotion - something that I did not have the opportunity to do before.

It's excellent for those who want to take a real interest in their job and I think it's a great new way to learn. I was actually quite sad when the course finished!"