Welcoming Library: Tabletop Book Display
The Welcoming Library was envisioned from day one as a migrating collection. The entire picture book collection and pop-up display unit was designed to fit into two crates to allow it to be packed up and delivered to schools, libraries, and community spaces every four weeks. How do you fit a book case able to house 30 books in a small crate? You turn to the woodworking cleverness of Mark Mattos who designed a series of blocks, dowels, sliders, and flats that come together in 10 minutes to make a small bookcase.
This display unit allows the Welcoming Library picture books—set in our New Arrival and New American families—to be seen as a collection, as a unique set of stories to build a conversation about immigration, welcoming, and belonging, on. The book display says, “something unique has arrived at our location, let’s explore it.”
Thank you to Boco Video Productions for this time-lapse video.
Welcoming Library: Wheeled Book Display
I’m Your Neighbor Books has recently gotten requests for the Welcoming Libraries to become a permanent part of a single school or library. The question arises, do those locations still need a pop-up book display? If the Welcoming Library is not being packed for delivery every four weeks, does the host need a book display made of blocks, dowels, sliders, and flats?
I’m Your Neighbor Books knows we do not want to loose the way that the book display turns the picture books into a teaching collection. Nor do we want to loose the portability of the collection, the ability to migrate to wherever the immigration conversation is most needed.
We turned again to woodworker Mark Mattos. Did he have any ideas? He has created a new display, one able to hold the collection, but also—migrate. On wheels, the Welcoming Library could roll up beside you for a seated story hour or into a classroom for their immigration conversation or unit.
We visited his workshop where he made this prototype! The final product will have the I’m Your Neighbor Book multilingual logo on the sides and “Welcoming Library” across the front panel. This prototype is off to master furniture and I’m Your Neighbor Books builder Papa Mendy for production.
