A shelf that invites a reader
1A school library placed short book recommendations beside the entrance. Many students passed the shelf without stopping. A student volunteer noticed that every card described the book, but none asked the reader a question.
2The volunteer replaced the cards with questions such as, 'Have you ever changed your mind about a friend?' This encouraged students to pause and connect a book with their own experience. It did not make every student borrow a book, but it gave them a reason to examine one.
3The librarian kept both the old and new cards. She wanted to compare their effects before using the new format throughout the library. A useful invitation, she thought, should begin with the reader rather than with a list of facts about the book.