Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).
“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment.
Underpowered and overwhelmed, Kenton tries to hold the Sand Masters together as forces political and personal conspire against them. Now, in one final push, Kenton must tap the most dangerous depths of his own abilities to combat the enemies within his own guild, and discover the truth behind the ambush that killed his father and almost destroyed the Sand Masters for good.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Librarians protest against CIA presence at ALA Annual.
- Marion Public Library (IA) faces criticism over upcoming Pride events. SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE. LIBRARIES OFFER PRIDE EVENTS. GET OVER IT.
- On a related note: The library at the University of Arkansas posted a quote from Lady Gaga outside the library: “Being gay is like glitter. It never goes away.” The University President ordered the sign to be removed.
- Arizona prisons lift the previous ban on Chokehold: Policing Black Men by Paul Butler.
- Hoopla is expanding to offer multiple models, which will include expanded content and holds lists.
- Urban Libraries Council releases a strong statement against Hachette’s proposed new digital lending models.
- NYPL will no longer be offering Kanopy to its patrons due to rising costs.
Cool Library Updates
- School Library Journal created a curated list of family friendly podcasts to inspire community empathy.
- Summer meals at the library.
- How to start a nerd camp.
- Family-oriented maker camp at the library.
- A pop-up library on the beach?? I’ve been asking if we could have library outside for YEARS! I’m so down with this!
Worth Reading
- Surveying public library services and programs for refugees and immigrants.
- Confronting white nationalism: how libraries can anticipate and counter racist incidents.
- A library thrives in one of Pakistan’s gun markets.
- On radical librarianship.
- Self care is not selfish.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Paramount makes a 7-figure film deal for the upcoming book The Chain by Adrian McKinty.
- Thousands petition Netflix to cancel Good Omens. Amazon Prime responds by promising Netflix to cancel Stranger Things in exchange. The world laughs.
- Shonda Rhimes is adapting the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn, and Julie Andrews is the first actor cast.
- Kylie Bunbury and Demi Moore are starring in a Brave New World series.
- Rosamund Pike joins the Wheel of Time adaptation.
Collection Development Corner
Publishing News
- Roman & Littlefield acquire Prometheus Books.
New & Upcoming Titles
- Publisher’s Weekly shares a bunch of fall announcements. (You’ll need to log in to read the article.)
- Amazon’s best books of the year (so far).
- Most anticipated YA for July.
- Best debut crime, political thrillers, and international crime novels for June.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide – Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark (Entertainment Weekly, USA Today)
- The Most Fun We Ever Had – Claire Lombardo (NPR, USA Today)
- Bunny – Mona Award (New York Times, Washington Post)
- Big Sky – Kate Atkinson (New York Times, Washington Post)
- FKA USA – Reed King (NPR, USA Today)
Books & Authors in the News
- (TW sexual assault): E. Jean Carrol accuses Donald Trump of raping her at Bergdorf’s in the mid 90’s in her new book, What Do We Need Men For: A Modest Proposal.
- Janet Mock signs a huge Netflix deal, making her the first publicly transgender woman to call creative shots at a major content company.
- Pioneering romance author Judith Krantz dies at age 91.
- Vulture looks at Sherrilyn Kenyon’s claim that her ex-husband was poisoning her.
Numbers & Trends
- An updated look at diversity in children’s books in 2018.
- 7 stats about diversity in book publishing that reveal the magnitude of the problem
Award News
- Joy Harjo becomes the 23rd poet laureate and the first Native American poet to serve in the position!
- ALA votes to rename the Melvil Dewey Medal, citing Dewey’s history of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism.
Pop Cultured
- Most of you probably know this already, but Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is now available for iOS and Android in the US.
- Final trailer before Stranger Things Season 3 is available to watch on Netflix, and I am SO DANG EXCITED!!
All Things Comics
- IDW is publishing the Mueller Report as a graphic novel.
- More news about the end of Vertigo and the overall DC restructure.
- Noelle Stevenson is publishing a graphic memoir!!
- Manga sisterhoods.
- Ngazi Ukazu announces a follow-up to Check, Please.
- 10 exuberantly queer graphic novels.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- Board books that instill positive behavior.
- 7 books about kids loving their natural hair.
- 50 must-read middle grade books about friendship.
- 17 YA historical fiction novels.
Adults
- 10 horrifying horror novels.
- 6 nonfiction books about Chernobyl.
- 8 memoirs about mental illness written by authors of color.
- 50 must-read short books under 250 pages.
- 6 books inspired by your favorite podcasts.
- 8 modern career books for entrepreneurs & creative types.
- 10 SFF books about AIs taking over.
- 15 new historical fiction books for your vacation.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Okay, this is fantastic. In Germany, tampons and other sanitary products are taxed 19% as “luxury goods” (which anyone who has had a period knows is utter BS), while books are taxed at 7%. So…the founders of a sanitary product company published a book that contains…tampons. It sold out in a single day.
- Historians have discovered a new bible owned by Abraham Lincoln.
- 11 things this Rioter wishes they had known before starting a book blog.
Level Up (Library Reads)
Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? We’ve made it easy for you to find eligible diverse titles to nominate. Kelly Jensen created a database of upcoming diverse books that anyone can edit, and Nora Rawlins of Early Word is doing the same, as well as including information about series, vendors, and publisher buzz.
Thanks for hanging, and I’ll see you next week!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading a bunch of classic Nancy Drew novels.