I plan to be back on Tuesday 7/1 to begin my recaps for all of you.
I am reposting this call for papers today because Robin and I will be there handing out bookmarks to encourage you all to submit.
We will also be at theUniversity of Illinois Booth- #2442 from 9-10 am on Saturday to meet with anyone who has questions about our Call for Papers for the issue of Library Trends (published by the University)
Please see below for all of the info
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| Click on the image to submit |
Library Trends:
Rethinking Readers’ Advisory For Today’s Reading Reality
Call for Proposals
Readers’ Advisory is widely considered a core service at all libraries, but that doesn’t mean this old stand-by couldn’t benefit from a new approach. Since 2020 the way readers interact with their library’s leisure collections– from how they access materials to the dangerous increase in book challenges– has profoundly altered the effectiveness of pre-pandemic readers’ advisory tactics. In a world of challenges to the Freedom to Read and in the face of budget cuts, making sure books by all voices and for all readers are easily discoverable, proudly promoted and recommended by all staff, and available for checkout, is vital for our survival.
Library Trends will explore innovative Readers’ Advisory concepts and approaches that reflect critically on the ways in which we serve leisure readers across a wide landscape.
The journal welcomes articles that address both longer theoretical discussions and present shorter, practical applications of service to leisure readers. Perspectives from publisher, independent bookstore owners and/or authors about how they promote books to readers will also be considered.
Potential topics include:
Article Length: 2,000-6,00 words with the possibility of longer pieces up to 8,500 words (not including bibliography references).
Prospective authors are invited to submit an abstract outlining their proposed article at this link by August 1, 2025. Decisions about the abstracts will be communicated by August 22, 2025, and authors of successful submissions will have a due date of January 15, 2026 for their articles.
Important dates
Inquiries about the planned issue and ideas for articles should be directed to Guest Editors Robin Bradford (robin.bradford@gmail.com) and Becky Spratford (bspratford@hotmail.com). Proposals for articles should be submitted via an online proposal form. Proposals are due August 1, 2025.
Citation Style: For proposals, authors may use any citation style. For manuscripts, authors should use the Chicago Manual of Style’s author-date format.
The issue will use an open peer review process in which article authors review two manuscripts by other contributors. As part of submitting an article proposal, authors will be asked to commit to participation in this process as both an author and a reviewer.
More information about the journal, including author instructions, is available on the Library Trends website.
As the library world is preparing for the 2025 ALA Annual Conference (beginning Friday), the EveryLibrary Institute released a FREE and compressive report on the state of censorship in libraries since 2020. Below I have reposted the introduction to the report (found here) which includes the key takeaways and has access to the form you can fill out to receive the full PDF report.
Please do not ignore this post. Read the report, but remember, as the final point below says-- urgent advocacy is required. Feel free to use the information from my Keynote at the Bram Stoker Awards to help talk to you patrons about the support you need from them.
Make the choice to be informed on the state of book bans at this current moment by clicking here. The tide is shifting from parental groups to political and religious groups leading the banning charge, but resistance is also increasing. We are at a point where the scales are going to tip on way or another, and quite frankly, I am not sure which way they will tip. But what I do know is, once the tip away from intellectual freedom, it is going to be VERY hard to get those rights back.
REPORT: The Censorship Acceleration - An Analysis of Book Ban Trends After 2020
Censorship in libraries is not slowing down or hitting a plateau. It’s actually speeding up as we move into the first year of the second Trump Administration. In "The Censorship Acceleration", author and researcher Marianne Wood Forrest provides an in-depth analysis of how coordinated political, ideological, and religious forces have transformed the censorship landscape in America since 2020.
Drawing on original research, expert analysis, and the latest data, this report highlights how book bans have evolved from isolated parental concerns into a comprehensive political strategy aimed at undermining public education, silencing marginalized voices, and promoting a national agenda of school privatization.
The report examines the rise of well-funded “parental rights” groups, such as Moms for Liberty, and the use of censorship as a tactic in the broader culture war. It charts the shifting strategies, language, and power dynamics associated with this new wave of book bans. Additionally, it discusses the concerning impact of Project 2025 policies on federal education and library funding, emphasizing that the struggle for intellectual freedom is now closely linked to the fight for democracy itself.
Key Takeaways in the Report:
- Book bans are increasingly motivated by powerful political and religious groups rather than by local parental concerns.
- Censorship campaigns are closely connected to school privatization and efforts against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
- Coordinated campaigns are nationalizing what were previously local conflicts within school boards.
- Resistance is growing, particularly from student-led movements and states passing right-to-read legislation.
- The future of libraries, education, and civil liberties is at a critical juncture and requires urgent advocacy.
The Censorship Acceleration Report reframes the narrative surrounding book bans by linking the culture war to the privatization of public education and the erosion of essential democratic institutions. Whether you are a librarian, educator, journalist, policymaker, or concerned citizen, this report provides the necessary context and clarity to understand and respond to these escalating threats.
This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.
The shortlist for the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction was recently announced. From their site:
The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction is an annual $25,000 cash prize given to a writer for a single work of imaginative fiction. This award is intended to recognize those writers Ursula spoke of in her 2014 National Book Awards speech—realists of a larger reality, who can imagine real grounds for hope and see alternatives to how we live now. Read about the first Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, awarded in 2022.
This year, eight shortlisted books were chosen by the Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation following a public nomination process. The recipient of this year’s prize will be chosen by a selection panel of authors: Matt Bell, Indra Das, Kelly Link, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Rebecca Roanhorse
The recipient of the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction will be announced on October 21st—Ursula’s birthday. Check back closer to that date for more details.
Many thanks to everyone who nominated books for the prize!
One of the best things bout this award is that the award itself is a conversation starter. As it says above, these books recognize writers who are "realists of a larger reality, who can imagine real grounds for hope and see alternatives to how we live now."
The prize is not limited to a particular genre. Each year the panel of judges chooses books that capture the spirit of "imaginative fiction" as Le Guin championed it.
The 2025 shortlist of titles are all great for a general, public library audience, as are the 2024, 2023, and 2022 backlist titles which can all be accessed here.
All of those books would make a great "imaginative fiction display" in the building or online. This would be a great way to showcase a variety of genres and pull out books people would love if only they knew about them.
And if you need more titles than the lists from the website, pair the displays with a rephrasing of the Le Guin quote by asking people, "What is your favorite book that imagines alternatives to how we live now?" Or simply ask the very open ended question, "What is your favorite imaginative fiction book?" Remember, I have a post explaining how to do conversation starters on a larger scale here, but you can also just put up the displays and leave out a board for post-it note answers (in building) or gather answers in the comments (online).
Either way, this is a fun, anytime of year display. And don't forget to add some Le Guin titles as well.
But today, I want to focus on one of my favorite resources that comes out before every major Library conference and it is one that is useful to all, especially those who are not in attendance-- the Library Journal ALA Galley Guide (Sponsored by Sourcebooks). This resource is a list of all of the ARCs that attendees can get in the exhibit hall.
This is a resource I post about every time there is a ALA or PLA conference, and I always talk about how you can use it as a resource even if you are NOT going to said conference. It is important to remember that the LJ Galley Guide for any conference is a wonderful resource for everyone, but it may be even more valuable for those staying home.
First, and most obvious, every single one of the ARCs listed here is also going to be super easy to download from NetGalley or Edelweiss. The publishers are prioritizing that. If you get the Library marketing emails, you have probably already seen that. They want everyone to have access to these books.
Second, those of us who are back at home, you have more time to go through the Galley Guide, taking note of which books the publishers are pushing the hardest. What do they think will take off? What should we be pre-ordering? We should all be using it as a resource to help our patrons and craft our collections, but unfortunately, those who are there, they mostly use it to be greedy and go around and grab books. [I am on the record here saying that running around trying to get free books and wait in long lines is not a good use of your time.] You should take your time and use it for collection development. I will be using it as resource not for a treasure hunt.
Third, everyone, whether they are attending or not, should look through the guide and note trends or authors who you already have in your collections who are going to have a new book, etc... Across the entire guide, what are you seeing that is similar? Where are the trends? Promote these upcoming titles and start taking holds. You could even make a few lists based off trends you find that would most interest your patrons and call them, "Hot Upcoming Titles from the American Library Association Conference."
Fourth, after noting trends in the guide, you should also be making displays of titles that fit those trends you are noticing at the same time. Reminding people of what you already have that they may like while you are letting them know what is coming soon is very important to do in tandem. Those buzzy titles coming soon can be supplemented by readalikes from your backlist. You are anticipating what they want to read by giving your readers targeted displays now. You get them excited about a trend or some readalikes of the titles you know are coming soon, and then when they see those titles promoted in the books news, they feel like you "get them," because you promoted books just like the ones they already like. Trust me it works and you look brilliant and even a bit clairvoyant.
So that is my push for the ALA Galley Guide for those left behind. I hope those of you who are going, go back to this post and do the same thing after you return.
Here is the introduction to this year's Galley Guide which is organized by booth number.
Highlights of attending the ALA Annual conference this year include a multitude of books to discover on the exhibit fl oor. Library Journal’s galley guide lists the many ARCs on offer and also includes an in-booth signing schedule arranged by day and time so attendees can keep up with author visits across the conference. LJ’s Galley Guide includes adult titles, but be sure to check in with all the publishers for YA and children’s book giveaways and signings, including an appearance by Jason Reynolds. Thank you to Sourcebooks (booth 1522) for sponsoring this catalog of titles to know, read, and share.
Back in December, I had this post about one of my favorite end of the year Best List-- LitHubs's Ultimate Best Books List.
What I love about this list is how it crowd sources dozens of major publications' "Best Lists" from all over and totals them all up to see what the most popular "Best" titles are. It gives you a survey of the entire "Best" landscape in an easy snapshot. If you look at that post or use the LitHub tag for all of their ultimate lists you can get current and backlist lists that look at all the lists. While that is a lot of instances of the word list, you get what I mean. LitHub's "Ultimate Lists" are an excellent resource because by definition they are crowd sourced, but also because LitHub makes it so easy to get the current list and the last few year's of lists with a single tagged link.
That's a general PSA for all of their "Ultimate Lists," but right now I want to focus of the current 2025 Ultimate Summer Reading List.
Author Emily Temple read 35 summer reading lists from 31 publications and crunched the numbers. This is THE summer reading list you need for your patrons because it is comprised of all the lists.
Below I have reprinted the intro but you can click here to read The Ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List.
Of course, many of these books will be checked out all summer, but many of these authors have older books you can suggest to readers while they wait.
Post this list online and in your libraries as the "Best of the Summer Reading Lists." Put up a sign and then fill the display with Summer Reading titles that are on the shelf. Use titles from previous years (use my Summer Reading tag for help with that), with previous titles by these authors, and with readalike titles for all of the authors.
I feel like a broken record, but it bares repeating. Books do not have to be from this exact summer to be great summer reads. Any book can be on that list. There is no summer reading police. Get creative but use the marketing of "Summer Reading" to your advantage and draw readers to you.
Speaking of....here is the link to pull up the Ultimate Summer Reading Lists going back to 2022.
This is also a great time to use my conversation starter to display posts (and handout with examples) to ask your staff and readers to share this favorite "Summer Reads." Note, I did not say, favorite Summer Reads out in 2025. Keep it broader. Find out what they have loved the most and you can not only make a display, but get some, in real time, feedback about what your patrons like to read in the summer. And it makes for an easy, interactive display that SHOWS your patrons that you are listening to them.
Be creative and broad with your "Summer Reading" lists, suggestions, and displays. Include titles from year's past, include other books by the authors on this year's lists, include readalikes for these authors... You get my point. Be as open as possible.
Give people more options that what they see in that one list they saw on that one website. No one is going to "check your math," and be like, "Umm....what list told you this was a "best" summer read." Of course not. They trust you to help them find the books they wouldn't find without you. They expect to fond things at the library they wouldn't see other places. This is where we excel and leave a mark on those we assist with their leisure reading. Embrace it and go for it.
And Ultimate Lists are a great resource to begin doing this work. Here's the intro and a link to the full 2025 list.
It’s finally starting to feel like summer on the East Coast. To wit: the forearms are out, and so are the reading lists. To find out which books everyone is reading and recommending this season (as is my wont), I read 35 summer reading lists from 31 publications, counted up all the books, and tallied them together for you here.
This year, those 35 lists (which are themselves listed at the bottom of this post), recommended a total of 540 individual books. 85 of those appeared on at least 3 lists; those 85 are now presented to you in descending order of popularity.
Click here to explore the list and scroll to the bottom for linked access to each of the lists used to make this ultimate list.
Today I have ARCs for 4 of the titles I reviewed in my June 2025 Library Journal Horror Review column. I have paired each book with another title which I got while attending StokerCon last week. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:
Click here for the previous giveaway. Our winner was Juli from Utah. Now on to this week's giveaway.
Before I get to the books I am giving away, this giveaway is massive for a few reasons. First, I did not have a giveaway last week due to StokerCon and I will not have one next week due to ALA Annual. I am doubling up so I stay on schedule. Second, I still have 4 paper ARCs from the 8 book LJ column, and I would like them to go out this month. And finally, I got some great lesser known titles (ARCs and finished copies) at StokerCon and by pairing them with better known titles, I can give them a bigger spotlight.
Also since I have 8 books to giveaway here, I am going to rely on you click through on each title to read my reviews and learn more.
The books will be given away in the order I have them listed here. 4 winners, 2 books each!
I still have more books from StokerCon, including a finished copy of a title that was nominated for the Shirley Jackson Award, plus whatever I am going to pick up at ALA and my backlog of ARCs for which I have already turned in reviews. And of course, I have one of the few HUGE Joe Hill King Sorrow ARCs.
If you want in on any of this, enter now and you are entered going forward.
Good Luck!
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| Click through for the full schedule of events and panels |
I think I may have my busiest ALA Annual Conference ever mostly because I am attending as a librarian and author.
Below is my appearance schedule. These are things I am actively participating in. Links go to the full details for each.
Please note, this is my official appearance schedule. I will be at other panels and events as an attendee. Come find me though. I will have RA for All stickers and pens as well as special stickers for my book.
Friday June 27
While the opening session for ALA Annual is not unit 4:00pm, I am beginning my conferencing participating in the Library Insights Summit which is happening from 8:30am to 3pm and includes lunch with your registration. It is in the convention center and if you click on each program in the schedule here you can see which rooms are being used.
From the Library Insights Summit landing page:
This is an in-person only daylong conference focused on bringing publishers and librarians together to improve their business relationship, LIS discussion topics include improving metadata for title discovery, balancing digital and print book demand, collaborating on challenges faced by librarians, and marketing tactics for reaching both rural and urban systems. Two keynote speakers, lunch, and refreshments round out the day with plenty of time for networking.
LIS was conceived as a forum for publishing professionals to better understand and interact with librarians, to learn more about current collection development needs, and to network with other publishers to energize their ALA participation.
A separate morning track is designed to meet the needs of author publishers. Please provide demographic information during registration to maximize your participation.
I am moderating and participating in the program for both tracks right after lunch.
This panel will discuss how publishers can offer librarians encouragement and support in the face of book bans, decreasing budgets, collection diversity impediments, technology advances, increasing data insight vs privacy concerns, and a more engaged community.
Saturday, June 28
9-10am, Booth 2442: I will begin my day appearing at the University of Illinois Booth 2442 with Robin to meet with anyone who has questions about our Call for Papers for the issue of Library Trends (published by the University) we are guest editing on Readers' Advisory. For more details about the Call for Papers click here. Also we will both have bookmarks on us that have a QR code with all the info you need.
Then later in the day...
Event Description: Readers’ Advisory (RA) is a staple of public library work, and it’s hard enough keeping up with those titles you want to suggest to patrons—but how do you keep up with developments in the field? This panel discussion will take a step back from specific books to take a holistic look at the state of readers’ advisory today. This wide-ranging discussion will focus on the latest RA research, actively anti-racist RA, tools for creating book displays, and how to make RA training available for all staff. This program is hosted by your friends at Booklist and features a host of library luminaries who are experts in RA.
Host:
Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management & Library Outreach at Booklist
Panelists:
Becky Spratford
Robin Bradford
E. E. Lawrence
Lila Denning
Jessica Trotter
Next up, my first panel as an author ever!
4pm, Room 112 AB: ALMA/LibraryReads Speculative Fiction Adult Author Panel:
Event Description: What Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror will you be reading this fall? Get a preview of what's in store this year with this author panel, featuring the inside stories behind the stories from authors from a variety of publishers. Hosted by Library Reads.
Featuring: Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting
Kirsten Miller, The Women of Wild Hill
K. X. Song, The Dragon Wakes with Thunder
Becky Spratford, Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature
Andrew Joseph White, You Weren't Meant to Be Human
RSVPs requested for galley giveaways. Please register at: http://bit.ly/SaturdayAuthorsALA25
Please note, you must click on the link above so that there are enough ARCs for everyone. I will be doing a signing as part of this panel as well.
I will also be at the ticketed Andrew Carnegie Medal Ceremony and Reception in the evening.
Sunday June 29
10:30-11:20am: I am moderating the following panel at the Chapter One Stage (Booth 112)
Cli-Fi Panel: Exciting Forthcoming Environmental Fiction:
Join authors Anna North (BOG QUEEN, Bloomsbury), Wendy N. Wagner (GIRL IN THE CREEK, Tor Nightfire), and Yume Kitasei (SALTCROP, Flatiron), as they discuss their forthcoming novels, which explore environmental issues in bold new ways and through various genres, including literary fiction, eco-horror, and sci-fi. This panel will be moderated by librarian Becky Spratford, RA for All.
After 30 minutes of discussion and Q&A, please join the authors for a 20-minute galley signing. Anna North will also have a galley giveaway and signing at the Bloomsbury Adult booth (#1909) immediately after the panel, from 11:30am-12:30pm. Wendy N. Wagner will have an additional signing at the Macmillan booth (#1917) at 1:00pm on Sunday.
12:30-1:20pm: I am headed to moderate another panel. This time at the A Real Page-Turner Stage (Booth 2435)
Crossing Thresholds: The Rise of Transgressive Horror:
Join authors Eric LaRocca, Hailey Piper and Clay McLeod Chapman as they take you on a journey into the heart of transgressive, LGBTQ+ horror fiction. Discover how their bold and fearless narratives challenge conventions and continue to reshape the horror fiction landscape, inviting readers to question, fear, and understand the complexities of the human experience. The panel will conclude with a Q&A session, allowing attendees to delve deeper into the authors’ processes, challenges, and future projects.
Monday, June 30 (also know as Becky's 50th Birthday)
I am in conversation with Joe Hill on the Main Stage from 10:30-11:20 am in Terrace III & IV Ballroom
I hope to see many of you there. I will have some wrap up posts after I return.
