Sponsored by Starscape.
An irresistible chapter book series from New York Times bestselling author, W. Bruce Cameron! Lily lives with her girl, Maggie Rose. Once a stray, Lily was rescued by the kind people at the animal shelter run by Maggie Rose’s mom. Now she has a very important purpose: to rescue other animals in trouble. In Lily to the Rescue, Lily meets a crow with a broken wing, so she and Maggie Rose take the crow home to Mom. But when the crow starts to become too tame, some unexpected problems arise. It’s Lily to the rescue!
This is Check Your Shelf, the quarantine continues, and I’ve been stocking up on $4 mini bottles of prosecco at Target, because these trying times have made me take a long look at my priorities.
Before we jump in, here’s Book Riot’s updated story stream with COVID-19-related articles.
Libraries & Librarians
News Updates
- The federal COVID-19 aid package includes $50 million for IMLS, $75 million each for the National Endowments for the Arts and the National Endowments for the Humanities, and $30.8 billion for schools and colleges.
- As COVID-19 spreads, a handful of Louisiana public libraries remain open.
- 489 Edmonton Public Library employees are temporarily laid off.
- Spokane moves its homeless community to the downtown Spokane Public Library building.
- Booklist Reader has put together a roundup of librarian resources, including free webinars and other continuing education resources.
- COVID-19 and the global library field.
- Pandemic preparedness for school libraries.
- This Library Journal survey indicates that most US public libraries are closed, but there’s no consensus on who works, and where.
Cool Library Updates
- How the COVID crisis could help chart a more productive course for digital library materials in the long term.
- A look at how some libraries are doing digital escape rooms and other online programming.
- How library maker spaces can help #flattenthecurve.
- OMG, look at this tiny library for birds!
- Some library-themed backgrounds for your next video call.
Worth Reading
- When no public means no paycheck.
- What closing libraries means for our communities.
- Libraries can’t be our only safety net.
- How to articulate your library’s impact and get what you need.
- How to sanitize collections in a pandemic.
- As life moves online, an older generation faces a digital divide.
- How to add a live chat to your website.
Book Adaptations in the News
- Andy Weir has a new book coming out next spring (!!!) and the film rights have already been sold, with Ryan Gosling attached to star and produce.
- Here’s the first trailer for Defending Jacob, starring Chris Evans.
- Normal People will air on Hulu on April 29th.
- We’re getting an adaptation of The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White.
- Outlander and Locke & Key both get renewed for new seasons.
- Here’s an updated list of films delayed because of COVID.
- Stream these literary movies with early releases due to coronavirus.
Books & Authors in the News
- Beloved children’s author Tomie dePaola dies at age 85.
- Here are the special election results for the RWA’s new Board of Directors.
- Dolly Parton is going to stream a series of bedtime stories on social media for the next ten weeks.
- Sales soar a whopping 2000% for the picture book I Don’t Want to Wash My Hands by Tony Ross as parents look for any possible resource to get their kids to WASH THEIR HANDS.
- On a related note, Samuel L. Jackson reads a new book by Adam Mansbach called, Stay the F*** at Home, and it’s amazing.
- The Virtual Book Channel launches a series of interviews with authors whose book tours have been disrupted by COVID.
- J. K. Rowling launches a new activity website for kids.
Numbers & Trends
- OverDrive saw 10.1 million books borrowed from public libraries between March 15 and March 23 this year; for comparison’s sake, the same week last year saw 7.7 million downloads.
- Print sales hold steady for the week of March 21st as juvenile nonfiction sales skyrocket.
- Paperback fiction and challenging classic works rose by 35% as readers finally get around to knocking off some of those “bucket list” books.
Award News
- The SFWA unveils its plans for the virtual Nebula conference.
- The Women’s Prize for Fiction ceremony has been rescheduled till September 9th.
- The Tony Awards have been postponed and will not be rescheduled until Broadway reopens.
Pop Cultured
- The Killing Eve premiere has been bumped up by 2 weeks.
Bookish Curiosities & Miscellaneous
- Indie bookstores have launched GoFundMe campaigns to survive during the shutdown.
- How book clubs are flourishing during COVID-19. Plus, 10 virtual book clubs you can join now!
- On a related note, this women-centric liqueur company has started a 10 week virtual book club, and yes, they will be making cocktails!
- Merriam-Webster adds multiple COVID-related words to the dictionary.
On the Riot
- The importance of the prison library.
- 10 bookish podcasts to distance yourself from the news.
- 5 bookish ways to stay connected amidst the quarantine.
- Download free coloring pages from over 100 museums and libraries around the world.
Stay safe and healthy, friends. And wash those hands!
Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.