CLIENT:
Kansas City Public Library
Kansas City Public Library
ROLES:
Concept / Design / Illustration / Branding / Copywriting / Marketing / Content Development
ABOUT:
The Readers Services team at the Kansas City Public Library had been working on developing a customized reading recommendation form where patrons could answer some questions about what they do or don’t like to read, and a librarian would then provide them with a selection of book suggestions. The feedback from users was very positive, but the name “reading recommendation form” wasn’t grabbing attention.
Working with the Library’s Director of Readers Services, I created a new identity for the project, and we began plans to expand it into an official service. I proposed we call it Shelf Help, a personalized “read-alike” resource that would help book lovers discover new titles with the help of KCPL’s friendly experts. We began by revamping the printed questionnaire; I designed it with a more pleasing visual layout and helped write fresh copy, and also established a streamlined rating system for how users would categorize their book genre preferences. For the identity, we leaned into the idea of “help” by using the iconography of a lifesaver, offering readers guided assistance instead of wading through an ocean of possible book choices. I wrote marketing language and designed a logo mark, and developed promotional materials such as bookmarks and digital graphics for social media. In coordination with the Library’s website team, we developed a dedicated service page and an online version of the Shelf Help user form, which allowed the Library staff to more easily receive submissions and respond to patrons by emailing their custom-made reading lists.
The service eventually expanded to include additional iterations: Gift Shelf Help lets users submit information to get book gift ideas for friends and family; Family Shelf Help aids parents and caregivers looking for reading recommendations for kids; Holiday Gift Shelf Help, a seasonal version of the service; and during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Phone Shelf Help was introduced, which let patrons call the Library to get book suggestions as well as place items on hold.
Shelf Help became a popular service, allowing the Readers Services team to have more direct engagement with patrons and to offer a unique value-added experience for book lovers. (A collection of testimonials from users can be found at the bottom of this page.)
When the Kansas City Chiefs were making a run for the Super Bowl in 2020, I came up with the idea to tweak the Shelf Help service as part of the Library’s football-themed promotions. During this period, we temporarily renamed the service Coach Read's Shelf Help (in honor of Chiefs coach Andy Reid), and talked up how our team of librarians could offer patrons a playbook for personalized book recommendations.
Testimonials
From time to time the Library ran promotions for Shelf Help that used reviews from satisfied patrons who raved about how the service helped introduce them to new books or authors. Here's what some readers had to say about their respective experiences:
"It's a great list. So great, that I've read four of them already. But that's perfect, because it means you get me. And now I'm looking forward to reading the others. Thank you- this is fun."
— Leigh P.
— Leigh P.
"Thank you so much for the great suggestions. You were dead on with my taste in reading. This is a great service for the library to provide, and I will definitely put the books I have not read yet from your list in my reading queue and recommend this to my reading friends!"
— Becky M.
— Becky M.
"Boy, did you hit the mark—the first one listed, Devil in the White City, is one of my favorite books ever. I can’t wait to dig into the others."
—Trudy K.
—Trudy K.
"Thank you so much!!! I'm so excited to start reading! I've been wanting to read something good but could never figure out what I should read! You are a huge help! I don't know which to read first!"
— Staci D.
— Staci D.
"I just wanted to say thanks for creating this wonderful list for me! I especially liked that none of these books were on my to-read list yet."
— Carolin M.
— Carolin M.
