Welcome to Check Your Shelf. Our time in Asheville is coming to an end, but by the time you read this, we’ll be settled in Charleston for a few days. Asheville has been quirky and delightful, and the scenery has been gorgeous. Plus, I’m 95% sure I saw a bear in the Smoky Mountains, which has been a lifelong dream of mine. I’m not 100% certain of what I saw, as I was in a moving train and the possible bear was at a bit of a distance, but it was black, bear-shaped, and moving, and my brain definitely responded on a subconscious level, because I instantly gasped and told my husband, “I THINK I JUST SAW A BEAR” before I could fully process what I saw. So, I’m still going to be on the lookout for a 100% certain bear sighting, but I’m pretty sure of what I saw.
This is still a library newsletter, right? Not a bear newsletter?
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
ALA supports full information access on reproductive health.
Cool Library Updates
The Driftwood Public Library in Lincoln City, Oregon is launching a donation drive to create a “gender-affirming closet,” which will offer clothes, makeup, and accessories to transgender high school students.
Worth Reading
Growing services: libraries creating access for incarcerated people.
A look at the history and evolution of Libraries of Things.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Book Adaptations in the News
Hulu will adapt Zakiya Dalila Harris’ best-seller, The Other Black Girl, into a TV series.
The adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism will be available to stream on Amazon Prime beginning September 30th.
Keanu Reeves is set to star as Daniel Burnham in the upcoming adaptation of Devil in the White City.
Banned & Challenged Books
A template for talking with school and library boards about book bans. (Click the link to see more individual news links about book banning and censorship news.)
What does the law say about materials challenges in the library?
A Michigan town voted to defund the public library over LGBTQ books. The library will pursue another millage, but a GoFundMe created by a local resident has already raised over $50,000 in donations.
South Carolina Senator Josh Kimbrell is demanding the removal of multiple books from public libraries, as well as threatening library jobs and funding if the books are not removed.
Books & Authors in the News
David McCullough, esteemed American historian and best-selling author, has died at 89.
British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs has died at 88.
A look at Colleen Hoover’s recent domination over the best-seller lists (and it’s not just because of TikTok).
These are the big book club picks for August.
Pop Cultured
Actress and Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols has died at 89.
And beloved actress Olivia Newton-John has died at 73.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
The Bennet house from the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is on the market for £6,000,000.
On the Riot
How does working in a library help a writing career?
90’s YA books that should be adapted.
How to fake having read a book club book.
Why publishers REALLY need to start numbering their series.
Another sad kitty photo/update for this newsletter. My parents had to put their cat, Louie, to sleep earlier this week. My grandpa took in Louie, his sister, and his mother as strays over a decade ago, and when my grandpa passed away, my parents took in Louie and Co. At first, Louie used to hide every time he saw me, but then he warmed up and became the epitome of a gentle giant; he weighed over 16 pounds and had a melon-sized head, but he had the tiniest meow and he loved back scritches and tummy rubs. He was SUCH a sweet boy, and I’m very sad that he’s the third cat my parents have lost in the last two years.
Give all your pets hugs this weekend, and I’ll check in again on Tuesday.
—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.