Tarot Display

[VGimlet]

So, because I started thinking about this while I was on another thread, instead of getting off topic there, I thought I'd bring it up here.

I'm supposed to be doing a tarot display for work. I work at a library, and my co-workers are bugging me, to do another one LOL. I did one quite a few years ago (history of tarot).

I am trying to think of a good theme for this one, that I can tie in to library materials.

Tarot goes pop - and put in some of the movies we have with tarot in them (Live and Let Die, Carnivale, (we have the series on DVD) Music (Rush, Band of Angels, a few others) Books Labyrinth Kaplan's Tarot encyclopedia, those David Skibbons mysteries, etc. (ooh, and maybe girl who loved flowers - by Palladini....)

Or art in tarot - get some of the art books that have associated tarot cards.

Tarot in literature (one of my sub-collections is tarot based on books...)

Any other ideas???? Sadly I will have to buy a few decks that I will need for the last two categories. Mwhahahahaha.... no, not on the taxpayers dime, but what would an art collection be without the Klimt deck, or the literature display without the Jane Austen...

 

[RunningWild]

Yeah having to buy new decks, how awful for you...

How about the philosophies and mythologies upon which some decks are based?

There's always the whole esoteric nature of the decks re: The Golden Dawn.

There seems to be a vast array of possibilities. Astrology, numerology, religions, and travel come to mind.

ETA: And Psychology

 

[Carla]

So, because I started thinking about this while I was on another thread, instead of getting off topic there, I thought I'd bring it up here.

I'm supposed to be doing a tarot display for work. I work at a library, and my co-workers are bugging me, to do another one LOL. I did one quite a few years ago (history of tarot).

I am trying to think of a good theme for this one, that I can tie in to library materials.

Tarot goes pop - and put in some of the movies we have with tarot in them (Live and Let Die, Carnivale, (we have the series on DVD) Music (Rush, Band of Angels, a few others) Books Labyrinth Kaplan's Tarot encyclopedia, those David Skibbons mysteries, etc. (ooh, and maybe girl who loved flowers - by Palladini....)

Or art in tarot - get some of the art books that have associated tarot cards.

Tarot in literature (one of my sub-collections is tarot based on books...)

Any other ideas???? Sadly I will have to buy a few decks that I will need for the last two categories. Mwhahahahaha.... no, not on the taxpayers dime, but what would an art collection be without the Klimt deck, or the literature display without the Jane Austen...

Have you done the 'Opening the Book Frontline' course in adult reader development? I think you should avoid having your display be too narrow, as having one on tarot is already really, really narrow. I would incorporate multi-media as well as books and materials of occult/esoteric interest which support or springboard from tarot, and of course novels that feature or incorporate tarot into the plot. This display would take a lot of planning and searching out of books. Your library must have a lot more staff than mine! I'd love to see a photo of it when it's done, and find out how many issues it generated. Surely the purpose of the display is to increase issues.

 

[newlillith]

There are some fantasy books that have come out lately with tarot in them--The Lady of the Rivers by Philipa Gregory and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I'm sure you could find more. You could even do Tarot in Fantasy and put one or two more fantastical decks up there. And can I just say...I want your job? I may forget about this social work thing and become a contract library exhibit creator. Good luck!

 

[VGimlet]

LOL, the displays are the fun part of my job. I usually stick to the multiple inside displays on the first floor (fiction) and others do the "anything goes" gallery displays in the hallway cases. Right now it's the 50th Anniversary of the Space needle. (Non-fiction displays are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.) We probably have - roughly- 14-15 small displays at any time in the library. People love having books picked out for them, and keeping them stocked can be time consuming - but fun.

Most of our displays are pretty narrow in focus, because we have so many of them, kind of keeps it interesting for us and for the patrons. The last time I did tarot the only complaint I got was from a co-worker. No issues at all. Most of the other comments were "where can I get those cards'. I did tie it in to psychology (Wicked pack of cards, Jung's book on Archetypes) as well as history.

Philosophies and mythologies might be interesting. Although I'll have to check, we might have done that last fall...

But thanks for all the ideas, and I'm still open to more. I'm supposed to be doing this in June, so I have plenty of time.

 

[Le Fanu]

Why don't you do a display on "non-tarot"? Talk about oracles? They can still tie up with books and people have a hard time thinking of non-tarot divination cards.

Or,

I think I'd do "Two Major Forces in the History of Cardreading" and take Etteilla and Mme Lenormand as my anchors but do it on pre and post Industrial France. I think this theme would be fascinating.

Wigmaker Etteilla; fashion, Versailles, Marie Antoinette, the Revolution

Post-revolution; Lenormand, Joesphine and Napoleon

And how these two laid the foundations for cardreading we know today.

 

[Debra]

I'd love a display on home-made cards, using as examples some of the self-published ones.

 

[tarotbear]

Don't forget to include something about cartomancy - reading plain playing cards - because a lot of the viewers might understand or relate to that more than some of the esoteric stuff we take for granted.

Then ~ after the success of this display (thinking positively, here!) you can do one on just divination methods (non-tarot) and be sure to include tea leaf reading (a tie-in to getting Harry Potter into your display), I Ching, mirror scrying, The Golden Compass, etc, etc, into it.