Displays and Displacement of Circulation

Abstract

Studies of displays have, in the main, been limited to examining the effect of the display phenomenon on the items on display. An experiment involving eight small public libraries in one Illinois library system tested the broader effect of displays on tumover rate and total circulation. Results found that displaying books from the adult circulating collection did not significantly increase overall library circulation or circulation of adult books. While books on display may circulate more often, there is evidence that this circulation is displaced from other areas of the collection.