Library News

11 posts

Jason Reynolds @ the 2018 National Book Festival

Jason Reynolds was recently named the Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (see the CBS interview here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jason-reynolds-library-of-congress-national-ambassador-for-young-peoples-literature/) , and he is using this platform to empower young people around the country to “GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story”. So, we went looking around the internet for encouraging and interesting videos where Jason Reynolds takes the mic and tells his story. We found this from the 2018 National Book Festival.

Jason expresses that when he writes a book, he keeps in mind that it is important to tell the stories of real people so that kids who read his books will see themselves. He talks about connecting to other people’s experiences through literature, and how he makes his characters real. His stories feature characters who go through emotional times, yet still handle these things with humor and humility.

“My mother always says, ‘Don’t ever trust nobody who is all cry and no laugh.’ Right? I think that like, if we were being honest about humanity, there’s no way that we could talk about the bad things without talking about the joy.” – Jason Reynolds

It is also especially powerful when the audience members ask him really thoughtful, interesting questions, and he devotes his full attention to them. It’s worth watching until the very very end.

If you want to see which Jason Reynold’s books we have in our OverDrive account, click here: http://librarymedia.blog.monroe.edu/2020/01/23/jason-reynolds-resources/

Advocacy Day!

Tomorrow is Annual Library Advocacy Day! Each year library advocates from across NYS convene in Albany to voice support for funding and policies that benefit libraries. We know that if you’re not already scheduled to go, you probably can’t get out to go to Albany tomorrow. BUT there are things you can do from home!

  1. Call your legislator’s office
  2. Tell him or her how important your library is to the community and its voting citizens
  3. Tell him or her that increased funding for libraries and School Library Systems is ESSENTIAL and CRITICAL
  4. Use NYLA’s advocacy tools to help you shape your personal message
  5. Join in virtually! Post to your Facebook wall, Tweet about Library Aid, or add a button to your library’s website.

See NYLA’s Advocacy Day Website: https://www.nyla.org/library-advocacy-day/?menukey=advocacy

 

Coming Soon from Simon and Schuster!

Lots of great books are scheduled for publication this year. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring some of the books we are excited about.

Today, we’re covering books coming from Simon and Schuster for grades K-5.

(click each book cover to get to the Simon and Schuster page and click Product Details to see the release date):

   
      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a complete list visit the Simon & Schuster Website.

SLJ Middle Grade Magic Free Virtual Event

Complimentary Registration is now open for School Library Journal’s FREE Virtual Event: Middle Grade Magic.

This is a day-long celebration and exploration of one of the burgeoning and most important areas of publishing for young readers: literature for children ages eight through 12 – and beyond! Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at some of the most anticipated new titles, hear from celebrated authors, and – for the first time this year – attend librarian-led sessions on services and programming for middle graders. Attendees will also have the opportunity to check out the virtual exhibit hall, chat directly with authors, download educational resources, and receive prizes and giveaways.

Middle Grade Magic is a free, completely virtual conference – no traveling, no cost. Attendees will also earn CE credits for all the webcast sessions they attend.

Click the image above to get to the registration page!

Macmillan ebooks Embargo

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Macmillan Publishing has already begun its embargo against library ebooks as of November 1st. If you haven’t heard, let’s catch you up: Read/listen to this NPR story by Lynn Neary.

In a nutshell, Macmillan Publishers is restricting libraries from purchasing more than one copy of an ebook during the first 8-weeks of publishing. Libraries are allowed to purchase one perpetual-use copy at the regular retail price (normally libraries pay much more for an ebook). After the 8-week embargo, they are allowed to purchase more copies at the regular library cost. This has caused a wave of criticism from libraries across the nation and from ALA, whose central mission is: equitable access for all.

Mark Smith, the Texas State Librarian, provided a really great overview in his blog post from Monday, November 4th after meeting with Macmillan CEO, John Sargent. He explains Mr. Sargent’s thinking about the situation, but ties up his post by showing how if there are no repercussions for Macmillan implementing this model, other ebook vendors might adopt the same policies. This type of purchasing model from ebook vendors has the potential to disrupt library ebook lending for all libraries. This includes school libraries.

As school librarians in 2019, we have enough trouble getting students to become lifelong readers. Making them wait 8 weeks longer for the book they want is not going to help us.

There is a petition circulating around social media library groups that is housed on www.ebooksforall.org. If you sign it, you’ll receive an email from the ALA stating “We ask you to share your experiences with the embargo now that it is in effect. Screenshot your waitlist and share your story on the #eBooksForAll hashtag about how the embargo is impacting your community.

You play a vital role in ALA’s advocacy work. If you haven’t already signed up as an advocate, please do so here: http://bit.ly/ALAadvocate2019. And be sure to follow ALA on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on all of our ongoing efforts and, in particular, the progress of this campaign.” We urge you to be an advocate for library ebooks.

LOC Digital Collection on Comic Art

The Library of Congress is highlighting 120 years of comic art.

From as far back as the 1890’s, when the Yellow Kid sparked the idea of sensationalized stories for the sake of selling papers, artists were pushing boundaries and commenting on the political and cultural atmosphere of the time.

The exhibit moves up through the years of Archie, Blondie and Dagwood, Batman, Peanuts and into webcomics of the 2010’s.

Explore the Exhibit

U.S. Poet Laureate: Joy Harjo

On September 19th, U.S. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, named Joy Harjo the Nation’s 23rd Poet Laureate. Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and is the first Native American to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate.

The Poet Laureate serves as the official poet of the United States, and is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress. In this position, the poet is tasked with raising public appreciation for poetry writing and reading.

She succeeds Tracy K. Smith who served for two consecutive years.

 

Resources for U.S. Constitution Day

It’s US Constitution Day! To celebrate, you can take the “How well do you know your rights?” quiz at the New York Public Library Blog.

The Congressional Research Service also came out with a new version of the Constitution Annotated, which helps people understand the US Constitution and Supreme Court decisions in plain English.

We the people of the United States are celebrating the US Constitution!