Have you considered hosting a BookCrossing Zone in your museum? It could be an interesting way to bring new visitors into your venue.

BookCrossing is the act of releasing a book into the world for other people to enjoy. Donors register books on-line, label them with their registration details and then leave them either in a public place or at an official “Zone” to be discovered and enjoyed. People who find books can read them, register the fact that they found it on the website and then leave the book for someone else to find.

If you host a BookCrossing Zone, your museum will receive visits by BookCrossers looking to release and find new books. All you need is a shelf and a few books to start things off. Register on the website, write a press release and publicise the fact you’re now a BookCrossing Zone, print off some posters and labels for any books that come in.

You’ll probably find that some of your staff and volunteers join in with this public sharing of books and may enjoy the opportunity to broaden their reading matter. Ideally placed in your café or seating area, you may find you cultivate a new set of “regulars” who come in to enjoy the museum’s collections and services as well as exchanging books.

~Amy Cotterill, Museum Development Officer