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Check Your Shelf

Barack Obama Says Librarians Are Important. Thanks, Obama!

Welcome to Check Your Shelf. It looks like the book world took a little bit of a break before the holiday weekend, so here’s a slightly abridged newsletter. Read, and then go forth and celebrate safely with fireworks!


Libraries & Librarians

News Updates

The Indianapolis Public Library is under fire after a former employee raised allegations of racism, discrimination, and a lack of transparency in the work environment.

Anoka County (MN) tells libraries not to use Pride or Black Lives Matter in any of their messaging.

Montreal looks to eliminate late fees for good.

Barack Obama tells librarians their work is more important than ever.

Cool Library Updates

This improvised library in South Africa brings books to kids living in gang territory.

Worth Reading

#MeToo in the academic library.

Life in the stacks: a love letter to browsing.

Andrew Carnegie’s first library lives on.

Book Adaptations in the News

Paramount options Richard Wright’s rediscovered novel The Man Who Lived Underground for seven figures.

A film adaptation of Hamnet is in the works.

Interview With the Vampire gets a series order with AMC. (I can only hope it’s better than the 1994 movie…)

A Most Agreeable Murder, an upcoming mystery from debut novelist Julia Seales, has already been optioned by TriStar Pictures.

Robert Downey Jr. and Greg Berlanti are developing Samantha Downing’s upcoming novel For Your Own Good.

Anne Hathaway’s starring in the adaptation of the romance novel, The Idea of You by Robinne Lee.

Otto Bathurst is adapting the upcoming Frankenstein TV series.

Good Omens has been renewed for a second season.

Dune’s release date has been pushed back to October 2021.

Trailers for Dexter, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Foundation.

Award News

The Locus Awards, Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Indigenous Voice Awards, and Selfies Awards have all been announced.

Ali Smith wins the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction for Summer.

On the Riot

Are Little Free Libraries better in wealthy neighborhoods?

The value of the book cover: this reader’s favorite way to discover books in libraries.

Take Book Riot’s pandemic reading habits survey.

7 fiction podcasts for fans of epistolary novels.

Why this reader decided to read 52 books in 52 weeks.


Stay cool this weekend, be careful with firecrackers, and come back next week with all your digits intact!

—Katie McLain Horner, @kt_librarylady on Twitter.