Borrow This Idea: If They Gave Oscars to Books via Lit Hub

Yesterday, LitHub posted "If they gave Oscars to books, our 2022 nominees." Writer Emily Temple took the Oscar categories and translated them into book awards. Here are a few examples:

• Best Novel (Best Picture)
• Best Debut Novel (Actor in a Supporting Role)
• Best YA Novel (Animated Feature Film)
• Best Setting (Cinematography)
• Best Work of Experimental Literature (Film Editing)

She did this for every Oscar category. Please click through and read the entire post.

I love so many things about this post as it pertains to libraries.

First, you can simply take this post and make it into a display for your library building or online. You can create a ballot for staff and patrons to vote. You can pull the books you have from her post to fill up a display. Print out the post and provide it as a ballot. This will take you an hour tops and patrons will love it.

Second, you can ignore the list but steal, I mean borrow, the idea and do your own Book Oscars. Use her categories to create your own ballot. Ask staff to help you nominate titles in each category over the next few weeks. Get everyone involved to make the nominees as varied as possible. Then create a chance for patrons to vote in the week leading up to the Oscars (March 12th). You can then "announce" your local public library Book Oscar winners on Monday 3/13. You can do it in the building, on your website, and social media. Get in on the national conversation about Oscar winners that next day, but with a twist-- something that will allow you to stand out.

Third, while book to movie displays are a great idea during Oscar season, it gets old. This idea surprises your patrons with something new and it is interactive if you allow them to vote. They will notice this.

Fourth, this is a super fun way to look at best lists a little differently. and you know I love using best lists as a resource. And if you don't know, click here for more on that. But simply using this list of nominees as a resource to build other lists and displays is worthwhile. For example, you can use the category of Best Setting (Cinematography) (from this year and past years, see the next paragraph) to make a list or display of books with great settings. 

Finally, fifth, and long time readers knew this was coming....BACKLIST. Temple has done this before and as usual, she is very good about linking to past lists. These past lists include some titles from 2019  and 2018 that are awesome but I had forgotten about. They are 100% solid suggestions that you should be finding a way to display and highlight. 

There is plenty of time to get this in motion. I hope some of you try it.