Annual Gratitude Article

“Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside.” - Willard Scott


Every year at this time, we here at 5 Minute Librarian like to take a moment to express our gratitude for the wonderful things we have in our lives, both personal and professional. You can read our past years' gratitude here: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. 


As always, we are extremely grateful to our readers, without whom we wouldn't have been able to keep writing for so long. It warms our hearts to see people commenting and sharing our articles, so please keep it up! 

Kat L., Children's Librarian:

1. I am extremely grateful that I have a job that I love. My Director is fabulous and encourages me to think outside the box and push my creativity. My coworkers are awesome, I get to do something different every day, and it's generally a wonderful place to work. Having worked in some not-so-wonderful places, I am very aware of what I have here.
2. At-A-Glance calendars, colored pens, and fun office supplies. I love being able to flip to a month in my calendar and quickly see what I am doing (green), what my assistant is doing (purple), what days our reading dogs are coming in (blue) and when I have meetings (orange). It probably sounds silly, but it makes things so easy when they're color-coded! I also have stickers all over my calendar, and fun office supplies abound. Sure, everyone has post-it flags, but how many of you have kitten mermaid ones?
3. Do you know how many flavors of tea there are in the world? LOTS. I am on a mission to drink them all. Tea not only has health and stress-relieving benefits, but it's delicious and has zero calories. 

Allison C., Teen Librarian

1. I'm super grateful for canva.com. I was able to use our Friends' 501(c)(3) credentials, to get a free upgraded account for our Library. It's super easy to create beautiful social media posts, Facebook headers, graphics for our event calendar and even library signage. You can also have a team so that other library staff can collaborate on designs. And since it's all saved online, I can easily access it from any computer in the library.
2. Another site I'm loving is hootsuite.com. It's great for scheduling social media posts in advance. The free version allows you to schedule 30 posts in advance (think 30 Facebook posts or 10 posts to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Our library upgraded to the paid version so that I have unlimited scheduled posts. It really comes in handy for the summer when I can schedule out weeks or months worth of posts before I'm too busy to post daily.
3. Work-wise, the biggest thing I'm grateful for this year is that my library has finally broken ground for our expansion and renovation project. Our library is going from a place with no program space to having a whole teen space and teen program room (among lots of other great additions). I can't wait until our teens can start enjoying it!
   

Jess B., 5MINLIB FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

1. I am so excited about e-passes! Our library offers one for the local science museum and I was able to request it online (on a Sunday night), it was emailed to me, and I immediately used it Monday morning, before my library even opened. It could not have been any easier! More of these, please!
2.  I love public library and school collaborations. Our school is in the process of changing their curriculum from reading one book of anthologies to having a variety of books of different age levels. Not only are our teachers getting teacher cards to help add more books for kids to use, but the library director also offered all of the leftover books from the book sale for the teachers to use. It is a win-win for everyone.
3. Lastly, I am super grateful for my colleagues, Kat and Allison. This has been a rough year for me and they have stepped up and kept 5minlib going. There is no 5minlib without you two. Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication, and passion. 

10 Meaningful Volunteer Roles in the Library

Library volunteers - we all get the requests, but what to do with them? There is just only so much dusting, weeding, children programming prep, and mending you can have them do. Below are some ideas that have been successful at other libraries, especially for teens and adults. Please keep in mind - some union contracts may not allow certain tasks to be performed by volunteers, so before you do anything, make sure you double check with your Director what you can and cannot have a volunteer do.

Window Artists

  If your volunteers are artistic, get them to work on your windows! All they need are brushes, tempera paint, and a dab of dish soap (just to make it easier to wash off afterwards). You could have them paint advertisements of upcoming events or you can do seasonal themes. Better yet – pick out a children’s picture book and ask them to paint an inspiration from it, then you can put the book on display.

Children's Room windows at the Marlborough Public Library. Teens painted their inspirations from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

Outreach Specialists

  Is there any library that does this enough? Find outgoing people who are willing to promote library services and resources at community events and festivals. They can even bring library card registration forms or a floating book collection, which we discussed a in a previous post.

Program Facilitators

   Tap into your volunteer’s passion. What kind of programs could they run at the library and you provide the advertising? Pikes Peak Library District has a manga artist run their anime meetings as well as teachers to run their ESL circles and teach foreign languages.  Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Alachua County Library District has local history aides staffed by volunteers.

Shelf Managers

   By far, this was the favorite position our teens enjoy at my previous library. We trained them to be shelf readers and they spent half their time making sure their section is in order and the other half of the time shifting books. If you have any pages, see if you can match your shelf mangers to a page and have the page supervise their work. I had the volunteers to turn the books backwards when they moved it and then the page would come and flip them around. When the volunteer mastered call numbers, they didn't have to flip the books anymore. (If people are unable to pass the shelf reading test, have them only focus on shifting books. There's always plenty of work to be done there.)

Library Photographers

   Train a few photographers to come in and take pictures of your big events or final products. We had included a photo release with our online registration so we could easily know ahead of time who we can photograph, and we also gave the photographers permission forms to hand out if needed. Make sure they download their favorite pictures on your computer BEFORE they leave, or you may never get them. This program was very beneficial for our social media and our website -- and all of our library photographers were teen volunteers. Note: Make sure you credit them for their work when you post them! They like to see their name attached to their pictures. Also, consider investing in a DSLR camera. The picture quality greatly increases, even if you just use the auto mode.

Photo Credit: MPL Photographer, Lauren Munday

Social Media Managers

   Social media can easily eat up a lot of anyone’s time, especially if you want to keep fresh content on it. There’s no reason why a librarian needs to manage these accounts 24/7. Volunteers can help post new information that may interest patrons (if you don’t want to give them direct access to your account, you can have them email you posts that you can just add to your account afterwards). Create a content guideline and find ways to divide up the work!

Collection Assistants

     Use volunteers to help you fine-tune your collection. Print out reports of missing books so they can double check they are not on the shelves and then you can delete them. Have them look up your series (fiction, manga, and graphic novels) and make a list of missing books for you to order. If you put stickers on your books (like Teen’s Top Ten), have them hunt them out and add them.

Technology Gurus

     Some libraries let volunteers work one-on-one with patrons. Other libraries tap into their skills to help keep up with their own computers like installing updates and reimaging laptops so all the junk is cleared off of them and they won't slow down. You know, the things that you know you should be doing, but never have time to do...

Library Marketers

    The more you market your programs, the more the community will know about them. A volunteer can easily post all of your events online like Patch.com, your local newspapers, and most especially the local TV station. They could deliver fliers around the city/town. They can hand stacks of the library newsletters to local grocery stores and hair salons. They could write up press releases and news articles about successful programs which you can send to the local newspapers. They could even help create ads for your website and social media, if you like their artistic style (Remember Canva? It can do wonders, if you have the time!).

Find Your Passion and Turn It Into a Volunteer Opportunity

     South Brunswick Public Library has a puppeteer program where they teach teens how to do a show and then the teens perform for children at the library. Marlborough Public Library had a 4D Movie presentation of Frozen where teens engaged all of the five senses during the movie. Louisville Public Library has a Reading Buddies program that connect struggling young readers with teens to practice reading each semester. None of these are quick volunteer opportunities, but they give volunteers a chance to learn a new skill, be very creative, and provide a program to local patrons. It could be very rewarding!

Summer Bonus

Is your library buzzing with patrons unable to find their school's required summer reading books? Consider doing what Shrewsbury Public Library did and create teen greeters. They sit at table near the door with school book lists in hand. They are trained to find the books on the shelves and, if they are all checked out, they can help patrons request the book from another library. Summer chaos avoided!

Original post from: http://www.5minlib.com/2015/01/10-meaningful-library-volunteer-roles.html

May-August Awards 2019

Book Award Winners! Book Awards Winners! Many more will be announced over the next few months. Be in the know with our handy list below, divided by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children) for your convenience.

Adult Awards

May

4th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories -- Best Contemporary Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story, and Best Children’s/Young Adult.

4th: Pen/Faulkner

• 1 category -- Fiction.

6th: James Beard Cookbook Awards

• 11 categories -- American; Baking and Desserts; Beverage; General; Health and Special Diets; International; Reference, History, and Scholarship; Restaurant and Professional; Single Subject; Vegetable-Focused Cooking; Writing.

19th: IACP Cookbook Awards (announced at conference)

• 16 Categories -- American; Baking; Chefs & Restaurants; Children, Youth & Family; Compilations; Culinary Travel; Food Matters; Food Photography & Styling; General; Health & Special Diet; International; Literary or Historical Food Writing; Reference & Technical; Single Subject; and more!

19th: Nebula Award (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

• 4 categories in Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Novel, Novella, Novellette, and Short Story.

21st: Man Booker International Prize

• 1 category -- Created in 2016, this is for the finest work of translated fiction around the world.

June

3rd: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

5th: Women's Prize for Fiction, Bailey's (formerly The Orange Prize)

• 1 category -- Novel written in English by a female writer (any nationality).

29th: Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

• 15 categories in Sci-Fi -- Science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, short fiction, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, artists, editors, magazines, and publishers.

July

13th: International Thriller Writers Award

• 6 categories in Thriller -- Best Hardcover Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original Novel, Best Short Story, Best YA Novel, and Best E-Book Original Novel.

14th: Shirley Jackson (Psychological Suspense, Horror, and the Dark Fantastic, announced at Readercon)

• 6 categories in Psychological Suspense, Horror, and the Dark Fantastic: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.

19th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- Best Short Story, Best Single Issue/One-Shot, Best Continuing Series, Best Limited Series, Best New Series, Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8), Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12), Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17), Best Humor Publication, Best Anthology, Best Reality-Based Work and more!

24th:  Man Booker Prize Longlist (Longlist, July; Shortlist, Sept)

• 1 category -- best novel.

27th: RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)

• 13 categories in RITA (published romance novels): Best First Book; Contemporary Romance: Long, Mid-Length, and Short; Erotic Romance; Historical Romance: Long and Short; Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance; Paranormal Romance; Romance Novella; Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements; Romantic Suspense; Young Adult Romance.
• There are 7 categories in Golden Heart, but they are unpublished romance manuscripts...

August

5th: Mythopoeic Award Winner (Fantasy)

• 4 categories in fantasy -- adult literature (may include YA), children's literature (up to age 13), inklings studies, and myth and fantasy studies. 

18th: Hugo Award (Sci Fi/Fantasy, announced at Worldcon)

• 16 categories -- Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, Best Short Story, Best Related Work, Best Graphic Story, Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form & Short Form), Best Editor (Long Form and Short Form), Best Professional Artist, and more!

Teen Awards

May

4th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories --  one of which is a shared Best Children’s/Young Adult.

18th: Andre Norton Award (a Hugo Award; Sci Fi/Fantasy)

• 1 winner for YA in Sci Fi/Fantasy.

29th: Children's Choice Book Awards - (voted by Children and YA, announced at Book Expo)

• Children and Teens can vote for their favorite finalists between March 1st and May 6th.
• 5 categories -- Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 4th grade, 5th to 6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, and teen books.

??? (Day not yet announced):  Boston Globe Horn Book Award

• 3 categories -- Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction.

June

3rd: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

29th: Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

• 15 categories in Sci-Fi -- Science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, short fiction, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, artists, editors, magazines, and publishers.

July

13th: International Thriller Writers Award

• 6 categories in Thriller -- Best Hardcover Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original Novel, Best Short Story, Best YA Novel, and Best E-Book Original Novel.

19th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- one is specifically for teens called Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17).

27th: RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)

• 13 categories in RITA (published romance novels): Best First Book; Contemporary Romance: Long, Mid-Length, and Short; Erotic Romance; Historical Romance: Long and Short; Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance; Paranormal Romance; Romance Novella; Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements; Romantic Suspense; Young Adult Romance.
• There are 7 categories in Golden Heart, but they are unpublished romance manuscripts...

August

5th: Mythopoeic Award Winner (Fantasy)

• 4 categories in fantasy -- adult literature (may include YA), children's literature (up to age 13), inklings studies, and myth and fantasy studies. 

Children Awards

May

4th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories --  one of which is a shared Best Children’s/Young Adult.

29th: Children's Choice Book Awards - (voted by Children and YA, announced at Book Expo)

• Children and Teens can vote for their favorite finalists between March 1st and May 6th.
• 5 categories -- Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 4th grade, 5th to 6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, and teen books.

???(Day not yet announced):  Boston Globe Horn Book Award

• 3 categories -- Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. 

June

3rd: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

July

19th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- Of these, there are Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) and Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12).

August

5th: Mythopoeic Award Winner (Fantasy)

• 4 categories in fantasy -- adult literature (may include YA), children's literature (up to age 13), inklings studies, and myth and fantasy studies. 

Want More?

You can find the complete list of awards in our previous post, the Ultimate Book Awards Calendar. The specific dates aren't listed because they change every year, but you can find previous months under our Book Awards tag and the stay tuned for our next installment (Sept-Dec.) in August!

4 Unknown Factors Behind the Bestseller Lists

For many people, when they hear a book is on a bestseller list, they assume just one thing: That book sold the most copies. That assumption, however, would be incorrect.

I was one of those people until a few years ago, when I read an article from the Observer titled, The Truth About The New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists. This was reinforced recently when an unknown YA author scammed her way onto the New York Times Bestseller List.

I highly recommend you read the article in the Observer, but if not, I wanted to pull out a few points that I think every librarian should know. It turns out that, in addition to being a top seller, there are four factors that greatly influence these lists:

1. The sold numbers is only collected from a limited number of sources.

         The New York Times gets their numbers from select booksellers across the United States, not all sellers. People aren't suppose to know what stores are participating, but if you call the store and ask directly, they will tell you if they report back to the NYT or not. (Which leads into the problem stated in #3.)

         The Wall Street Journal gets their numbers from Neilson's BookScan, which doesn't cover 25-15% of the book selling market.

2. Personal opinion trumps selling numbers.

The editors from the NYT evaluate their bestselling list and decide which books make the cut, and which ones don't. And some big books were excluded from this list, like William Blatty's novel The Exorcist. It eventually made it onto the list once, but it was a bestseller for many weeks. Hugh Howey's Dust sold more than 50,000 copies but was listed at #7, much lower than other books on the list who had sold less copies.

3. Bulk purchases can change the game.

NYT tries to prevent people from buying their way onto the list. Any bulk purchase is flagged and not included in the numbers. However, there is a cutoff point of how many books are considered a bulk purchase (80 for independent stores). The YA author I mentioned above did use bulk purchases -- but she bought just 79 so she wouldn't be recorded as a "bulk" buy. Other bestsellers have used book laundering firms to do this dirty work for them.

4. People with money can still buy their way onto the list.

As was pointed out in the Observer, one author spent big money advertising his own book, hired people to buy it all across the US, and succeeded on making the list -- for one week. It was worth it to him -- he can forever call himself as a New York Times bestselling author -- and it may explain why odd selections have made the list.

So, what does this mean for librarians? Should we ignore bestseller lists?

No, they are still important. Many patrons do pay attention to bestselling lists and will want to check these books out. However, if you do find the bestsellers aren't circulating at your library (besides the books from the obvious popular authors), this may explain why!

Further Reading

Find this interesting and want to read more? Here are more articles!
The convoluted world of best-seller lists, explained
Scientists Decode What Makes a New York Times Bestseller
How To Get On The NY Times & Every Other Bestseller Book List

5minlib's Best Posts of 2018

As we say goodbye to 2018, we thought we'd highlight our top posts for the year!

100 Reasons Libraries are Better than Amazon
This guest post was originally posted on Twitter by @DrunkestLibrary. With permission, we shared his response to Forbes op-ed piece that was titled, "Amazon Should Replace Local Libraries to Save Taxpayers Money.”

Literary Holidays to Celebrate All Year Long - 2018
Every year, Kat shares a post of all the literary holidays for the upcoming year. It is a fan favorite and she'll be posting an update next Friday for 2019!

Easy Staff Picks Displays
We know you don't have a lot of time in your busy library. So, Kat created and shared these awesome signs for Staff Picks to post around your library. Free printables!

14 Ways Libraries Can Help Immigrant Children and Families
The news and actions around immigration to the US is heart breaking right now. If you find yourself wanting to do something, but not sure what, here are a few suggestions.

Star Wars Day: 6 Ways the Library Strikes Back
A post to share with patrons about the different ways they can celebrate Star Wars Day at libraries.

10 Insider Secrets Librarians Only Tell Their Friends With Kids
The library is the perfect place for people to bring their kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. Not only do we have oodles of books, but you can do so much more. Jess lists 10 things that only library insiders know (which librarians would share with anyone... who is willing to listen).

8 Creative Book Club Ideas
Everyone loves a book club, but sometimes even the most well-attended group can start to feel stale. Kat looked into some different ways to revive, or start an entirely new club, and have compiled a list of ideas for you.

Delicious Library Programs
What better way to integrate good books and good food than to do a library cooking program? Kat has compiled a list of ideas in which cooking can enhance your library.

Hate in the Library: Voices of Opposition
We collected voices of opposition about ALA's Library Bill of Rights specifically including Hate Groups as being allowed to use library meeting rooms. We are very happy to report that the bill has since been revised and improved, but we don't think that would have happened without people like them who spoke up. Thank you to everyone who did.

5minlib Recommends: Super Library Marketing
There are so many different ways to advertise, so many different formats to use, and too little hours in the day to get it all done. Thankfully, there's the Super Library Marketing blog to help you sort it all out!

2002: When Hate Came to the Library Meeting Rooms
This was a guest post by Lena Gluck. She had shared on Twitter a chilling history lesson: back in 2002, white supremacist Matt Hale, did indeed travel around the US and used library meeting rooms to hold his meetings. It is a story about the trauma and terror his free speech has caused to these communities. And it could very well happen again today if we're not careful.

Summer Reading by the Book Covers
Kat shares her Summer Reading experience through book covers.

4 Ideas for September's Library Sign-Up Month
Looking for fresh ideas for September's Library Sign-Up Month? Jess curated four for you that were shared on Facebook.

Ready to Go Book Display: Libraries Rock! Fiction
and Ready to Go Book Display: Libraries Rock! Nonfiction
Every year, Allie creates two book lists based on the CSLP Summer Reading theme. It was a huge hit with our readers!

Ready to Go Book Display: Dogs
Change up your book display with books carefully selected by Allie about man's best friend.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Like this article? Check out our best posts from 2017,  2016 and 2015!

Jan to April Book Awards 2019

Book Award Winners! Book Awards Winners! Many more will be announced this winter. Be in the know with our handy list below, divided by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children) for your convenience.

Adult Awards

January

7th & 29th: Costa Book of https://nebulas.sfwa.org/the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 5 categories -- First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year.

27th: ALA Awards at Midwinter Meeting Event

• ALA/RUSA Listen List
• List of 12 audio books in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Plays. BONUS: It includes listen-alikes to lead listeners to additional audio experiences. To be eligible, titles must be available for purchase and circulation by libraries.
• ALA/RUSA Notable Books 
• List of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry books for the adult reader.
• ALA/RUSA Reading List
• 8 categories -- Adrenaline Titles (Suspense, Thrillers, and Action Adventure), Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Women’s Fiction. 

February

10th: GRAMMYs: Best Spoken Word Album

• 1 audio book is chosen.

Bonus: Around this time, the Nebula shortlist is announced!

• List of 30 titles in outstanding science fiction and fantasy in 6 categories -- Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

March

4th: Audies

• 26 categories: basically audiobooks and spoken word entertainment in every genre as well as narrators, excellence in marketing/design/production, and multi-voiced performance.

14th: National Book Critics Circle Awards (announced at conference)

• 6 categories -- Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry.

???: Canada Reads

• Five books, five champions, one winner: Canada Reads is a "literary Survivor," with celebrities championing books. Books are voted "off the bookshelf," one each day, until one book is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year. Every March, specific date not yet announced.

April

5th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all Adult except for 2 Children, 2 Young Readers and 2 Teens) and best first book for new publisher in Fiction, Nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

15th: Pulitzer Prize

• 21 categories across Journalism, Books, Drama and Music.

20th: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories -- First Fiction, Biography, Autobiographical Prose, Current Interest, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comics, History, Mystery/Thriller, Poetry, Science & Technology, and Young Adult Literature.

25th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories -- Novel, First Novel, Paperback Original, Fact Crime, Critical/Biographical, Short Story , Juvenile, Young Adult, TV Episode, Robert L. Fish Memorial, Mary Higgins Clark, Grand Master, Raven Awards, and Ellery Queen Award.

Teen Awards

January

7th: Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 1 of the 5 categories is "Children's Book" which can be for ages 0-18.

28th: ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Alex Awards (Adult books for Teens)
• Coretta Scott King Awards (African American Authors and Illustrators) 
• Belpré Medal (Latino/Latina writers and illustrators about the Latino cultural experience)
• Schneider Family Book Award (Disability experience)
• Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Updated every 5 years. Current List: 2014)
• Printz Award (Literary Excellence)
• Odyssey Award (Audiobooks for Teens)
• Rainbow List (GBLT)
• Stonewall Book Award (GBLT)
• Morris Award (First time author writing for Teens)
• Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
• Best Fiction for Young Adults
• Great Graphic Novels for Teens
• Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
• American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2018 Current List)

29th: Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
29th: Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
29th: Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)

???: Walter Dean Myers Award (Presented by We Need Diverse Books)

• Outstanding titles for teens and young readers who celebrate diversity. Always announced in January. No specific date currently given.

February

14th: Cybils Awards

• 12 categories including Middle-Grade Fiction, Junior/Senior High Non-Fiction, Young Adult Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, and Young Adult Speculative Fiction.

April

5th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all Adult except for 2 Children, 2 Young Readers and 2 Teens) and best first book for new publisher in Fiction, Nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

15th: Pulitzer Prize

• 21 categories across Journalism, Books, Drama and Music.

20th: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories including one in Young Adult Literature.

25th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories, one of which is Young Adult.

Children Awards

January

7th: Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 1 of the 5 categories is "Children's Book" which can be for ages 0-18.

28th: ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Newbery Medal
• Caldecott Medal (Picture Book illustrations)
• Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
• Batchelder Award (Translated work)
• Belpré Medal (Latino cultural experience by Latino/a writer and illustrator)
• Carnegie Medal (Video)
• Geisel Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s) of beginning readers)
• Odyssey Award (audio books)
• Sibert Informational Book Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s))
• Children's Literature Legacy Award (Author or illustrator, formerly Wilder's Award)
• Schneider Family Book Award (Disability experience)
• American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2018 will be announced)
• ALA Rainbow List (GBLT)

29th: Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)
???: Charlotte Zolotow Award (Picture Books)
???: Walter Dean Myers Award (Diversity Titles presented by We Need Diverse Books)

February

14th: Cybils Awards

• 12 categories including Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books, Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction, Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction, Fiction Picture Books and Board Books.

April

5th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all adult except for 2 children, 2 young readers and 2 teens) and best first book for new publisher in fiction, nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

20th: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories including one in Young Adult Literature.

25th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories, one of which is Juvenile.

???: Jane Addams Peace Awards

• The Jane Addams Children's Book Award annually recognizes children's books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

Want More?

You can find the complete list of awards in our previous post, the Ultimate Book Awards Calendar. The specific dates aren't listed because they change every year, but stay tuned for our next installment (May-August) in April!

11 Holiday Content Ideas for Your Library's Facebook Page

The Facebook Group, The Shareable Clique, is an invaluable resource for social media librarians. It is the perfect place to go to find viral content perfect for your library's page (and to share content that has done well on yours, too!). Since the holidays are right around the corner, we thought we'd give your page a head start with posts that have been shared.

NOTE: Make sure you share directly from the source (i.e. the library's page), NOT from The Shareable Clique or you'll get the wrong description above the photo/link.) To do that, click on "post" at the top, next to the poster's name.

1. Who doesn't love a book tree? Over 400 books were used to create this 6 foot beauty!

2. And don't forget the other holidays! You can recreate the menorah with just 9 books!

3. For those snowy days, you could run an informal poll: "Would you rather be stuck in a snow storm with only fiction or nonfiction books to read?"


4. Feeling ambitious? December is perfect for the Library Advent Calendar: 25 days of exciting things about the library!


5. Are your patrons traveling? It is the perfect time to check out an audiobook!

6. For those of you offering Food for Fines, share great articles of long overdue books!


7. Highlight your movie collection by creating a holiday movie madness bracket!


8. Did you know December 8th is national brownie day? What a good day to showcase your recipe book collection!


9. Snowstorm coming? Make a storm map showing them how many books they'll need to ride out the storm. (Kat made a fabulous tutorial to make your own map here!)

10. Encourage patrons to play the "Grab the Nearest Book" game for the New Year. They need to grab the nearest book, turn to page 24, and post the first adjective you read.

11. Create an infograph about New Year Resolutions and your library card!

Found these ideas useful? Join The Shareable Clique!

5 Minute Librarian's Annual Gratitude Article

“Thanksgiving just gets me all warm and tingly and all kinds of wonderful inside.” - Willard Scott

Every year at this time, we here at 5 Minute Librarian like to take a moment to express our gratitude for the wonderful things we have in our lives, both personal and professional. You can read our past years' gratitude here: 2015, 2016, 2017. 

As always, we are extremely grateful to our readers, without whom we wouldn't have been able to keep writing for so long. It warms our hearts to see people commenting and sharing our articles, so please keep it up! 

Jess B., 5MinLib Founder and Editor-In-Chief

1. Baby Friendly Libraries - it is interesting being on the opposite side of things, moving from librarian to patron. As a parent to two young kids, there are things I really appreciate. First -- baby friendly places. It really is the little things -- like having changing tables as well as having them in both the women's and men's bathroom. It is so gross trying to change the diaper on the floor! I've also noticed there have been two different ways libraries handle dirty diapers: the "take the dirty diapers with you" and "ask for a bag to contain the smell". I feel so much more welcomed at the latter one, especially since being a frazzled mom, I can't be guaranteed that I'll remember to take that poopy diaper out of my car.
2. Sibling Friendly Library Programs - I know it is hard to plan a program for different ages and my kids are definitely far apart with five years between them. However, we do come as a packaged deal and seeing "Siblings allowed" on a flyer makes a big difference on whether we can come or not. So, thank you to those who accommodate siblings when you can!   
3. Fine Free Benefit - Our local library does not charge late fines on their items. That's honestly the main reason we continued to borrow from the library this year. My baby isn't sleeping, hasn't slept well in 8 months, so staying on top of library materials is tough. Even though I can afford the small fines we would build up, I find it frustrating when I keep missing the due dates. Now, every time we miss a due date, I just feel grateful that my library doesn't charge me for it.    

Bonus: Fabulous Co-Bloggers - While not technically library related, I am so very grateful for my co-bloggers. This year has been rough, mostly because I had a baby a year ago and he doesn't sleep well. Hasn't for 8 months straight. There have been many times that just surviving the day was all I could muster. So, lots of love to Kat for stepping in and making sure we continue to post weekly and to Allie, who also has a little one, for being dependable with her monthly posts. This blog wouldn't have survived without you two!

Kat E., Children's Librarian

1. My New Job - Just a few short weeks ago, I switched from one job to another. I am not here to badmouth my old position, but to praise my new one; talk about a dream library! The staff are all knowledgeable and friendly, the facility is nice, and I can pretty much come up with any program ideas and be given the enthusiastic go-ahead. The biggest perk this job has is that everyone who works here seems to genuinely want to be at this library: the bulletin boards are beautiful, the lunch room conversation is friendly, and the staff meetings include laughter. I am so incredibly grateful to my new supervisors and coworkers, and the opportunity to work for this fabulous town.
2. Vendors - In my previous position, we had a policy that items could only be purchased from Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and Amazon.com. Now, these are fantastic vendors, but relying solely on these outlets means that a librarian can miss out on all the amazing things from small publishers and lesser-known authors, and some amazing salespeople who know exactly what I'm looking for and can find it! AMAZING! 
3. Social Media - I know, it can be overwhelming, but I love social media. In addition to all the wonderful outreach opportunities for work, it gives me a chance to connect with friends and family that live far away, or whose busy lives no longer have time for a weekly chat. I can see photos of my nephews and my friends' children growing up, even when I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, and can share my own excitements (and cat photos) with others. I have made friends with people I may otherwise not have met (especially on Twitter), and it really makes me feel more connected to the world, even when I usually have my nose in a book.

Allie C., Head of Teen Services

1. Conferences and Symposiums - I attended YALSA's Teen Symposium this year and it was great. I love that librarians are so open and willing to share their ideas. I don't have to constantly reinvent the wheel and I can learn from what others have done. If you have a chance to attend a library conference I highly recommend it. It's great to be with others in your profession who just get it.
2. Letting Go (of Books) - Now that I have a baby, sleep is at a premium, not to mention reading time. It's taken me many years to allow myself to stop reading a book that I'm just not into. It's disappointing when you've been waiting weeks or months to read a certain book and when you finally have the chance... you're no longer in the mood for that kind of book or it's not holding your attention. I used to drag myself through books because I felt I had to. Now, I give it a few pages or chapters and if it's not what I want to read right now I move on. I'll never be able to read all the books I want to, so why should I waste time reading something I don't want?
3. 10 Little Dinosaurs from Little Tiger Press - My baby LOVES this book. It sings 10 little dinosaurs twice and he's always fascinated with it. I highly recommend it. Plus the illustrations are super cute.

Library Halloween: Costumes for the Last-Minute Librarian

Hello everyone,

My baby is sick, I'm sick, my daughter has the day off from school... Today's article just isn't coming together. So, I hope you don't mind, but I decided to repost a popular and timely article from a few years ago -- Halloween Costumes for the Last Minute Librarian.

If you have a favorite costume that you'd like to share, please message us with a picture (either in the comments below or email us at Jess(at)5minlib.com)! We'd be happy to highlight you in next year's post! -Jess

Halloween, how do we love thee? Of course, when you're programming, weeding, ordering, organizing, doing statistics, and everything else in our daily lives, holidays can sneak up on you. In the interest of making this holiday fun without adding any extra stress, we present a variety of inexpensive, book-themed costume choices for the Last Minute Librarian, some of which cost no money at all!

Zombie Librarian

It's our very own Kat!

Zombie Librarian (or, a zombie version of whatever random costume you have) - you need some face paint, fake blood, and talcum powder. Wear your already-ripped-and-stained librarian clothes, add some dirt and/or fake blood, and put talcum powder in your hair. There's a quick makeup tutorial here, which Kat wrote while working at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell, MA. (Note: Be careful wearing this one in the kids' room! It can be a little scary for little guys.)

Cat in the Hat

  

via thedomesticdiva

Cat in the Hat - you need a black sweatsuit, a floppy hat, and a long piece of felt that you can tie into a bow tie. Add white or blue gloves and a little facepaint for a black nose and whiskers, and you're all set! 

Where's Waldo?

via Buzzfeed

Where's Waldo - Waldo is easy as pie! You'll need a red and white striped shirt and hat, blue jeans, and glasses. Adding his accessories (binoculars, a cane, a camera, etc.) can be fun, and you might already have them! Waldo's girlfriend Wenda is similar - instead of jeans, you'll want a jean skirt and red and white striped stockings.

Junie B. Jones

This one is from a school's Read Across America day!

Junie B. Jones - Much like Fancy Nancy, all you have to do here is wear a lot of loud patterns and colors at once, and tie a big, floppy bow on your head. Glasses are helpful but not mandatory. Sassy attitude is mandatory.

Fancy Nancy

It's Kat, again.

Fancy Nancy - This one is super easy. Put all your fancy clothes on at once! Bonus points for feather boas, fancy sunglasses, and any thing with lace, sparkles, or rhinestones.

Ms. Frizzle

via Twigsofthebranches

Ms. Frizzle - Everyone's favorite teacher. This one is especially fun because you can pick any topic there is, and Ms. Frizzle has probably taught about it. Cut out some felt shapes and stick them to an existing dress (and shoes), and put some in your hair. Special kudos for adding Liz the lizard.

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie

via ECYD

If You Give a Mouse A Cookie - overalls, a gray shirt, and a big, paper cookie! Mouse ears (which appear homemade here, and look fabulous) and a pink mouse nose with black whiskers complete the look.

I Spy

via tpcraft

I Spy - What a fun idea! Stick some stuff to the front of your shirt, and a list of what's there to the back! I love that the boy in the photos also has a book and a magnifying glass.

Olaf

via eastcoastmommy

Olaf - Because everyone has been Elsa by now.

The Paper Bag Princess

via scissorsandthread

The Paper Bag Princess - You could make the dress out of a large paper lawn bag, or a roll of brown butcher paper. The crown would be the same, but painted gold. (Pro tip: If wearing this to work, you'll want to wear something underneath it.)

Lady MacBeth

via xovain.com

Lady MacBeth - for the adult librarians out there! Put on a long nightgown, mess up your hair, carry a candle, and have (fake) blood on your hands, face, and nightgown. (If you're feeling adventurous, you could have a dagger, too.) If anyone bothers you, you're allowed to tell them, "Out! Out!"

Superman/Clark Kent

via http://cultmontreal.com - this was a ComicCon cosplay

Superman/Clark Kent - for the gentlemen out there. Wear your usual button-down white shirt, but have a Superman t-shirt underneath. You can either show it to people when they ask where your costume is, or keep it partially unbuttoned with your tie thrown over your shoulder to show that you're transitioning between the two. (Glasses a must for Clark Kent.)

Of course, we'd love to see what other ideas you come up with! Please let us know (and show us pictures!) in the comments here, on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

Sept - Dec Book Awards

Book Award Winners! Book Awards Winners! Many more will be announced this fall. Be in the know with our handy list below, divided by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children) for your convenience.

Adult Awards

September

7th: Anthony Award (Crime Fiction/Mystery)
Mid-Sept.: National Book Awards Longlists

• 5 categories -- Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature

17th: Giller Longlist (Fiction)
19th: Christy Finalists (Christian Fiction)

October

1st: Giller Shortlist (Fiction)
10th: National Book Awards Finalists

• 5 categories -- Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature

12th: The New Academy Prize in Literature (AKA Alternative Nobel Prize in Literature)

• Note: the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature has been postponed until 2018, where two awards will be announced. The New Academy Prize in Literature was formed in response to this scandal.

16th: Man Booker Prize Winner (Fiction)
25th: Kirkus Prize Winner (Fiction, Nonfiction, and Young Reader's Literature)

November

4th: World Fantasy

• 5 categories -- Best Novel, Short Fiction, Long Fiction, Collection, and Anthology

7th: Christy Winners (Christian Fiction)

14th: National Book Awards Winners

• 5 categories -- Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature

19th: Giller Winner (Fiction)
End of November: Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)

December

???: PEN Literary Awards Longlist
5th: Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Teen Awards

September

Mid-Sept.: National Book Awards Longlists

• 5 categories -- one of which is Young People's Literature
  

October

10th: National Book Awards Finalists

• 5 categories -- one of which is Young People's Literature
  

November

7th: Christy Winners (Christian Fiction)
14th: National Book Awards Winners

• 5 categories -- one of which is Young People's Literature

End of November: Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)

• 5 categories -- one of which is the Children's Book Award
  

December

5th: Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Children Awards

September

No Awards

October

25th: Kirkus Prize Winner (Young Reader's Literature)

November

End of November: Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)

• 5 categories -- one of which is the Children's Book Award
  

December

5th: Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Want More?

You can find the complete list of awards in our previous post, the Ultimate Book Awards Calendar. The specific dates aren't listed because they change every year, but you can check our Jan-April 2018 listings, May-August 2018 listings, and the stay tuned for our next installment (Jan-April 2019) in December!

4 Ideas for September's Library Card Sign-Up Month

In a few weeks is September's Library Card Sign-Up Month! This year's spokespeople are The Incredibles, and you can go to ALA's page to grab really awesome graphics to use for advertising and social media, like we used in our advertisement:

But besides posting pictures, what is your library doing this year? Not sure? Here are a few ideas shared on Facebook, retold here for your convenience:

Make a Visual To Represent New Cardholders

To celebrate new library members, you could keep track of every new one visually. One idea was to create a tree on a window and everyone can put up a leaf when they get a new card. What a cool way to show the community how many new members are joining!

Tap into Local Celebrities

Another library system took a picture of their county judge showing his library card and used it in advertisements and social media. You can do this with anyone well known in your community -- school principals, the mayor, radio station personalities, etc. -- to catch the eye of nonlibrary users to send them to your library.

Show Your Card for a Special Treat

Add some fun to the children's room! Ask children patrons to show their card for a special library treat, connected to ALA's theme. (i.e. Last year was Snoopy, so they gave out Peppermint Patties.) It was a big hit with the kids!

Random Prizes for New and *Returning* Cardholders

Everyone who signs up for a library card is put into a drawing for gift cards and event passes. You can take this a step further and reach out to patrons who haven't used the library in 3 months and invite them back! When they use their library card, they can also win prizes.

If you have any fun library card sign-up ideas, we'd love to hear them in the comments!