Hovermarks

Annotate a physical bookshelf using bookmarks that face the spine instead of the cover.

Hovermarks are easy — just cut, fold, and place in a book.

The Idea

Hovermarks help you highlight collections in place, on a physical bookshelf. They’re papercraft — printed patterns that get folded and tucked into an item like a regular bookmark, but oriented so the design hovers out into the stack rather than hiding inside the cover.

Some early prototypes.

Why

Bookshelves and library stacks should be interactive. They should invite curation, and not only from librarians. Hovermarks encourage playfulness by being easy to create and cheap enough to be disposable.

The ephemerality of the Hovermark is its strength. It’s like street art. An empty wall is a canvas. A member of the community decorates it, and when it fades away, it’s ready for someone else to impart it with their vision.

Two Hovermark prototypes on a library shelf.

Role. Designer. Maker.