MYSTERY READS
Premise:
Books from your collection are wrapped up and put on display. Patrons can then pick up an item and borrow it, without knowing what they are going to get.
Preparation:

1. Books will need to be pulled from the shelves. Try to have a selection of new and old books, various genres and fiction and non-fiction titles.
2. Staff will be needed to wrap the books. Depending upon the number of books you want to put out, set aside at least a few hours for wrapping.
3. The barcode of the book will need to appear somewhere on the wrapping. Some libraries use gift tags, others write the barcode on the wrapping paper.
4. Where to put them? Having a dedicated area to "Mystery reads" near the checkout counter sets the books up like impulse buys. Patrons can make their own selections and then pick up an extra "Mystery read" on their way out.

Things to think about:
Check the books to a display location or to a display card. That way when someone asks for a specific book, your staff doesn't waste time checking the shelves for an item that's not there.

Displays - link to flickr sites?
Events
Author talks

Home library promotions
Reading circles