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 All the Books, our weekly podcast about new book releases!
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- Several Twin Cities library systems are experimenting with unstaffed libraries. I had a long angry paragraph about this, but ultimately it comes down to THIS IS A BAD IDEA and STOP DEVALUING LIBRARY EMPLOYEES.
- How Emma Boettcher, University of Chicago librarian, beat James Holzhauer on Jeopardy. Heck yes!!
- Fall River Library (MA) hosts an extremely successful first Drag Queen Storytime. Meanwhile, Ohio House Speaker Larry Household denounces drag queen events planned at two Ohio public libraries, and the Delaware County Library’s Drag 101 event has been canceled due to “veiled threats.” The program will now be held at a local comics shop.
- Illinois prison removes more than 200 books from the prison library, the majority of which were about race. Related: why inmates should have the right to read.
- The MacArthur Foundation plans a $5 million grant to create a new Chicago Public Library branch at the Obama Presidential Center.
Cool Library Updates
- This Buzzfeed list of 21 Libraries That Will Make You Say “Damn, That’s CLEVER!” is pretty legit! I screencapped a few suggestions from this list for my own library.
- Serving children with diverse abilities.
- St. Louis County library system officially marks Pride Month with more than 80 activities for all ages at each of its 19 branches.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Adaptation news for The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt), Normal People (Sally Rooney), Looking for Alaska (John Green), Lucky (Alice Sebold), plus a super terrifying trailer for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Alvin Schwartz).
- Sarah Dessen signs a movie deal with Netflix.
Collection Development Corner
New & Upcoming Titles
- Mindy Kaling announces a collection of essays via Amazon Original Stories in 2020.
- Debbie Harry and Patti Smith each have a memoir coming out.
- J.K. Rowling is publishing four short eBooks on the history of magic.
- Noteworthy June titles from Amazon, CrimeReads, Entertainment Weekly, io9, LitHub, The Millions, New York Times, and the Washington Post.
- Tor.com gives us the best fantasy, science fiction, SFF YA, and genre-bending titles for June.
What Your Patrons Are Hearing About
- Siege: Trump Under Fire – Michael Wolff (The Guardian, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post)
- The Confessions of Frannie Langton – Sara Collins (NPR, Washington Post)
- City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert (New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post)
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post)
RA & Genre Resources
- Is diverse fiction a new genre? (No, but we’re starting to treat it like one.)
- A guide for first-time romance readers.
- Where to find trigger warnings for books.
Books and Authors in the News
- Han Kang joined Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell in participating in the Future Library art project by locking away a manuscript that will be published in 100 years.
- Tony Robbins’ next book is being canceled in the wake of misconduct allegations.
- Turkish prosecutors have launched investigations into fiction authors who tackle difficult subjects like child abuse and sexual violence, including award-winning author Elif Shafak.
Numbers & Trends
- Manga sales are up 16% in the U.S. since the beginning of the year.
Award News
- Winners for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Best Translated Book Awards, and the Lambda Literary Awards.
- Finalists for the International Thriller Writer Awards.
All Things Comics
- It’s official: Robert Pattinson is Batman.
- 20 new graphic novels & memoirs for summer reading.
- 10 of the best webcomics for newbies.
Audiophilia
- 10 audiobooks for wedding season.
- 40 summer road trip audiobooks.
- Marvel is turning its comics into audiobooks with Dreamscape.
Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists
Children/Teens
- 7 picture books about autism.
- 15 great read aloud books for older kids.
- Muslim characters in YA.
- YA anthologies & short stories..
Adults
- 10 nonfiction books about China.
- 12 child actor memoirs.
- Fantasy books by women and authors of color.
- NYPL library employees talk about the LGBTQ+ books that were the most meaningful in their personal journeys.
- Ibram X. Kendi compiles an antiracist reading list.
- 7 books about djinn.
- 10 personal finance books by black authors.
- Recommended books by and about Native authors.
- 25 top horror novels on Goodreads.
- 50 must-read books by podcasters.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- How to break up with your book club.
- When childhood books should not be revisited.
- Bookish pets!
Level Up (LibraryReads)
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 out and I’ll see you again next week!
–Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter. Currently reading Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married – Abby Ellin.