Services
Exhibit Preparation

What Every Exhibitor Should Know

The following intended to give exhibitors an overview of what it takes to create an exhibit.

Plan ahead. Designing an exhibit often takes longer than expected. See the Exhibits Countdown Calendar for a suggested timeline. You should schedule enough time for the following tasks.

Assembling an Exhibit Team

Exhibit leaders should consult with the Exhibit Services Unit located in the Knight Library. Exhibit Services provides outreach assistance by designing and producing posters, exhibit labels, original graphic design, and signage. Exhibit Services also provides exhibit installation support for the Knight library and other exhibition spaces on campus.

Content Selection

Plan to spend a number of hours over the course of several days selecting material. It's all right to select more material than you think you'll need. You will usually refine the content as you plan the design and layout.

Remember, one of the purposes of the exhibit is to "promote interest in and use of the collections and services of the UO Libraries." Consider library materials that could be used in the display. Contact your library exhibit liaison or a subject specialist librarian for assistance in identifying materials appropriate to the exhibit. S/he may have suggestions for materials outside the library as well as resources you may not have thought of. Have circulating library materials checked out to Exhibits at the Check Out Desk.

Think about relevant photographs/images, artifacts, books, manuscripts, magazine articles, etc. and discuss with your team members and library liaison. Images and three-dimensional artifacts are especially useful to draw viewers to your exhibit. Image Services Center (ISC) can assist you in creating reprints and/or enlarged images to add more panache. They will also create titles and mount them and your descriptions on foam core.

Physical Design

Browse the current exhibit for ideas. Do you want to line the cases with decorative or colored paper to create a different background? Will it be visually interesting, yet not distract the viewer from the actual materials on display? What format of materials will you use? Will there be three-dimensional objects that need special care? How much "white space" do you want to leave? Exhibit Services will help you plan a cohesive layout and style for your exhibit.

Use the Materials & Services Worksheet (Required) to estimate exhibit expenses and submit it to your exhibit liaison for approval by the committee. This will allow you and your liaison to plan ahead. Include Image Services estimated expenses if you are an exhibitor coming from outside the Libraries.

If there are Special Collections & University Archives materials, you will need to get permission to use them and directions on displaying them.

Layout & Text Planning

Below illustrates the case dimensions. Each corridor has 2 cases.

layout for exhibit cases

Once you have a clear idea of which items will be included in the exhibit, you can begin preparing citations and narrative text. Citations will identify the objects displayed and narrative text will place them in the context of the exhibit as a whole. Use a font style and size that is clean and easy to read.

Requesting Images & Titles

Consult with Image Services Center (ISC) staff at least four months before the exhibit to plan for text panels, reproduction and other services and to establish lead time. Submit text and images to ISC for processing at least two months before you mount the exhibit. They have other projects and need time to add your project to the work flow.

You should also discuss any printed publicity materials such as posters or fliers with ISC staff.

Include estimated ISC expenses on Materials & Services Worksheet if you are an exhibitor from outside the Libraries or if you are library staff and have requested more than 25 photo reproductions.

Ordering Special Materials

If you need special paper to line the cases or for your labels or other special materials not included in the Exhibit Toolkit, please let the Exhibits Team and your exhibit liaison know at least two weeks before you need it in hand. (This should be covered on the Materials & Services Worksheet.)

Mounting Materials

If you are using any materials from Special Collections & University Archives , you must discuss their preservation needs and limits on display with the curator of that collection. Sometimes it is possible to have color copies of documents made to use in place of the original.

Exhibit Services will help you install and mount your materials. To properly display original materials, please see the "Exhibit Prep: Mounting Originals" guide. Mylar and scotch tape for strapping books open or safely attaching original documents to backing, doublestick mounting tape, a staple gun and other supplies are available in the Exhibit Toolkit under the far west case. You can get the key from Barbara Butler, 541-346-1893, in the Library Personnel Office in Library Administration. If you have questions, please ask your exhibit liaison.

Remember to include the Exhibits Team e-mail address, exhibits@uoregon.edu, in the case so we can keep track of questions or comments.

Publicity

Ron Renchler, 541-346-1459, Director of Library Communications, will write a press release with your assistance. The press release will appear on the UO Libraries' News web page.

If you plan to create a poster or other printed publicity materials, please discuss this in your meetings with Exhibit and Image Services Center staff.

Installing & Disassembling the Exhibit

Schedule one or two people for at least four hours, probably more, to meet with Exhibit Services and install the exhibit.

When taking the exhibit down, remember to have circulating books checked back in and return Special Collections & University Archives (SC&UA) materials to SC&UA staff. Clean the case windows with rags and glass cleaner provided and dust the shelves and bottom of the cases before locking them. Return the key to Barbara Butler.

Questions?

Ask your Exhibit Liaison or try the links listed below.

Exhibit Countdown Calendar: Suggests timing for contacting various service providers as well as appropriate tasks for the different stages of planning and design for the exhibit
Materials & Services Worksheet: This worksheet is used by the Exhibits Team to determine the services, materials and expenses associated with mounting an exhibit. Submission of this worksheet is required. The Library will reimburse exhibitors for only for materials listed within this budget. The committee also uses this worksheet in coordination with service departments within the library to determine the printing, photo- reproduction, graphic and other services that exhibitors will require. See also Materials & Services Help Page.
Exhibits Toolkit: A list of materials automatically provided by the committee. The toolkit contains a variety of tools and some presentation supplies for use by exhibitors.

Maintained by: Amanda Garcia, amandag@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 01/12/2012