It breaks our hearts to see increased numbers of unhappy children being dragged to the library by concerned parents wanting to improve reading skills. We believe there is a genre of books that will help both parents and children find reading happiness.
As budgets shrink, the quest for quality grows. A while ago my library surveyed patrons about their preferences and how they wanted to see materials collections develop. One item that arose much to my surprise was the request for hard copy periodicals “with substance.” The food and craft titles were fine, but people commented they wanted to see less gossip and more content.
ALA’s Midwinter Meeting, in January 2015, unveiled numerous award-winners as well as longlists for future consideration. Maybe your patrons have already read the nominees and are thirsty for more from these authors, or perhaps the increased attention has contributed to lengthy reserve lists. In either case, now might be the time to shine some light on other books by these acclaimed authors.
Get out your guitar, ukulele, maracas, and tambourine! Winter has just begun, but librarians across the country are choreographing their “Read to the Rhythm” summer.
Looking to get in the romantic spirit this Valentine’s Day? Here are some great YA fiction titles that will make you feel the love:
Ally Condie is the author of the best-selling Matched series and the recently released stand-alone novel Atlantia. She visited Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) (Colorado Springs, Colo.) on Friday, November 14, 2014 to give three presentations at our new library. The day was packed! Two presentations were for students and one was for the public. In total, 1,108 people attended! It was a truly amazing day.
In the quandary of whether to have an “adult graphic novel” collection, do you have an idea of what you want “adult graphic novel” collection to mean for your library?
I hope you are all enjoying the current season of Downton Abbey as much as I am! While searching for what to write about this month, I was excited to stumble across a list of books by Nanette Donohue, “An Edwardian Education.” Donohue’s list offers a great mix of nonfiction and fiction works to supplement your Downton Abbey obsession (assuming you’re like me.)
Youth services departments are tremendously undervalued in public libraries, and there are many things a successful children’s librarian needs to know.
Pew study shows millennials are significant library users.
It has often been said that New York is the nucleus of the universe. It is the style-maker and idea generator for many and always has the pulse of the latest de rigueur movements in art, culture, and fashion. This fall, they decided to expand that into the world of libraries with the Brooklyn Public […]
There is a genre of literature that I love, but has largely been forgotten today. I’m thinking of the great pulp fiction stories and novels of the 1920s – 1940s. Call it noir, hard-boiled, or just crime stories, some of the greatest characters have arisen from this lost art. In turn, these works inspired a […]
In a previous post or two, I have mentioned the popularity of the romance genre. Romance novels continue to be a staple of the bookselling and library worlds. Now, due to the popularity of the genre and the variety of its subgenres, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) has created a unique app.
For the third year, awards and accolades have been given by the American Library Association to two writers for their contribution to the literary world. “The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, funded through a grant from Carnegie Corporation […]
Readers’ advisory is a unique service that public libraries can be the “best” at. By moving readers’ advisory to the virtual world, librarians can better reach their users.
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