Sponsored by Jimmy Patterson books.
Grab your sunglasses and slather on the sunscreen! In this laugh-out-loud adventure for kids and animal lovers everywhere, summer is here and Junior is getting his very own doggy vacation. Junior is back with another tail-wagging tale of mischief-making! He’ll tell you all about the fur-raising time he had when his pet humans went on a trip without him, and the horrible place they left him.
Welcome to Check Your Shelf. This week, I’m struggling against my brain telling me that I need to be doing more as a library employee, that I need to be exceeding all expectations and coming up with new, innovative services, while in reality, I consider it a win if I can email my department once a week and get all of my assigned social media posts up on time. If you’re feeling the same way, just know that I SEE YOU, and I think we need more stories of library employees who are just getting by the best they can. Like, if you’re managing to show up on time for virtual meetings and turn in blog posts, hats off to you. You’re killing it.
Correction from the last newsletter, in which I misspelled Alex Trebek’s name.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Here’s ALA’s State of America’s Libraries in 2020 report, along with its annual most-challenged list.
- The city of Moline (IL) has cut off all funding for its public library and has laid off all employees.
- With Book Expo now cancelled, Library Journal has turned its annual Day of Dialog into a free virtual event.
- San Diego Public Libraries face budget cuts and long term challenges of social distancing. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Public Library sees a budget increase from $194 million to $205 million.
- Seattle is reopening five library bathrooms to better meet the hygiene needs of people experiencing homelessness.
- Facebook shut down ads by this public library for some unknown reason, although the library now reports that the ad account has been reactivated.
- Some cities are redeploying librarians to provide critical services during quarantine.
- The Internet Archive claims fair use for its National Emergency Library.
- How the Library of Congress is faring under COVID restrictions.
Cool Library Updates
- The Toronto Public Library is providing free books for kids in food hampers distributed through its pop-up food banks.
Worth Reading
- American Libraries and Publisher’s Weekly look at how libraries are considering the realities of a post-pandemic world.
- Libraries in the Chicago suburbs prepare for eventual reopening.
- Here’s a list of library crowdsourcing projects if you’re looking for something to keep you busy.
- Supporting student reading remains a core service for school librarians during COVID-19 shutdowns. You can see more results from SLJ’s COVID-19 survey here.
- A snapshot of school librarian roles during school closures.
- Ideas for kids during the COVID crisis.
- Visit these 8 world-class libraries from the comfort of your couch.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Kasi Lemmons, director of Harriet, is adapting Maaza Mengiste’s historical fiction novel, Shadow King.
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is headed to TV.
- Suzanne Collins’ upcoming The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to be adapted, which should hardly come as a surprise.
- Millie Bobby Brown is set to play Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock, in an upcoming Netflix series.
- Updates on Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman.
- Artemis Fowl is premiering on Disney+ beginning June 12.
- The Princess Bride is also coming to Disney+!
- Season 2 for NOS4A2 has been pushed back by a few weeks to June 21st.
- Trailer for Brave New World.
Books & Authors in the News
- Starting Monday April 20th, Michelle Obama will be partnering with PBS Kids and Penguin Young Readers to read a favorite children’s books for four weeks.
- Romance author Donna Kauffman has passed away.
- Mitch Albom is writing a new story to raise money for coronavirus relief, and you can read it for free online, one chapter at a time.
- Jason Wright is writing his latest novel in real time via Google Docs, spelling and grammar mistakes and all, and we’re all invited to watch.
- This free coronavirus picture eBook has been downloaded more than 640,000 times in the UK.
- PopSugar starts a virtual book club, with The Herd by Andrea Bartz as its first pick.
Numbers & Trends
- eBook checkouts of juvenile fiction have jumped 68% since the beginning of March.
- Here are the results from the Panorama Project’s survey of library events and book sales.
Award News
- The LA Times Book Prize winners have been announced.
- The Bram Stoker Awards have been announced.
- The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced.
- The International Booker Prize winner announcement has been postponed from May 19.
- For the first time, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction is awarded to an Algerian author.
Pop Cultured
- JJ Abrams is launching an HBO Max show called Overlook, which is inspired by The Shining.
- Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton launch a new podcast geared at young children.
- Disney+ is releasing a Mandalorian docuseries on Star Wars Day (May the 4th). Also Mandalorian Season 3 is in the works.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Check out this Books by Bicycle initiative started by avid bikers in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
- Children prefer stories that teach them how and why the world works.
- Cursed books to read at your own risk.
- USA Today highlights a few online book clubs.
- MoMA is selling rare books from their archives, which range in price from $25 to $2500.
- How bookstores are staying in contact with readers during quarantine.
- The exquisite pain of reading in quarantine.
On the Riot
- An in-depth look at the Library Bill of Rights.
- Prison eReaders and tablets should be free during COVID-19.
- Advice on reading poetry if you’re feeling intimidated.
- Virtual book events you can attend from home.
- Tips to help you stay focused while reading.
Keep on keeping on, everyone. I’ll see you all next week.
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.
