Greek Mythology
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updated 8-9-02

Guidelines to Curating a Library Materials Exhibit
Fall 2003

1. Decide on a general subject area to be featured in the exhibit (in your case, Greek Mythology) and preferably a more specific focused aspect of the general subject (Ex. a particular theme or character type or genre or similar authors.) If you aren’t sure of a focused area, one may emerge in the process of completing step three.

2. Search the online catalog and library stacks for books (including art books) and other materials (sound recordings, videos, etc.) that might lend themselves nicely to the exhibit. Consult with the library staff: they may be able to lead you to items that aren’t readily apparent.

3. Gather materials and then examine them to find a common thread or a specific focus of the subject to feature in the exhibit if not already done in step 1. You will probably gather more material than you’ll actually display. Naturally, some items will be eliminated, but you want to have enough to start with in order to make some choices.

4. Choose materials to put on display that are informative, and in as much as possible, are also attractive or eye-catching in some way. Some materials may contain a single chapter or short piece of information or illustration pertinent to your focused subject. Mylar strips can be used to hold the book open to a particular page if necessary. It is not necessary that an entire book be relevant to the focus of your subject.

5. Choose enough materials to fashion an attractive, provocative and informative exhibit. Avoid overfilling the exhibit case. You don’t want to have so much in the exhibit that it becomes overwhelming to the viewer. Remember, less is more.

6. Arrange materials in appropriate groupings in the exhibit case. A variety of bookstands and easels are available to choose from. It is also perfectly acceptable to dress up the exhibit with fabrics and artifacts related to the subject matter you are exhibiting. These may be brought from home or purchased (if within reason).

7. Create placards with brief yet meaningful captions explaining the significance of particular materials or groups of materials. This step will require doing enough browsing/reading in each resource in order to highlight pertinent information in the captions. Information in the captions should be relevant to the particular focus of the subject. Captions should be created using a readable font style and size (about 16-18 pnt.) and printed on attractive paper.

8. Create an attractive flyer or brouchure and a press release to advertise your exhibit. The press release will be submitted to the Public Relations Office for subsequent printing in Stall News, Newsline, the UNM-LA website and possibly The Los Alamos Monitor and UNM Campus News (main campus). Circulate the flyer to faculty, staff, family members, friends, and fellow students.

The library will provide all materials and equipment needed to complete this project. Please submit your schedule to the Library Director, Dennis Davies-Wilson, so that appropriate times can be set up for you to prepare the exhibit.