Book exhibition is a common method for promoting reading in libraries, but its execution differs significantly from traditional curatorial practices. The concepts of “curation” and “display” are often confused due to librarians’ unfamiliarity with the term “curation.” The purpose of a book exhibition extends beyond revitalizing library collections and beautifying spaces; its primary aim is to promote a reading culture. To ensure that readers spend more time at the book exhibition and promote reading effectively, the concept of “design” in curation becomes crucial. By applying common curatorial methods from art galleries and museums in libraries, readers can be attracted by the main visual theme of the book exhibition, generating their interest and even interacting with the exhibition, which increases the circulation of library materials and helps establish a diverse image for the library in line with the Five New Laws of Library Science of library service. This research uses the “Have a Sweet Dream Themed Book Exhibition” as a case study, focusing on disseminating knowledge related to sleep. It implements curatorial and design techniques in a university library setting and utilizes questionnaires to assess readers’ perceptions and satisfaction with the exhibition, aiming to verify whether curatorial methods impact the promotional effectiveness of library book exhibitions. This study intends to break the existing stereotypes of librarians about book exhibition through the perceptions of curation and design, so as to promote library services and provide relevant research references for various types of libraries when curating the book exhibition.