Soccer Novels for World Cup Fever

The World Cup is about to begin and there are more excellent novels about soccer than you would think. In fact,  the World Cup is the perfect time to take advantage of one of my RA Basics: Promote the Books Patrons Would Not Find Without Your Help, because when we help readers find books they would never find without us, that is how we make ourselves indispensable in their lives.

The World Cup is the perfect event to prove this rule. Why? Well, first off, people who never watch soccer any other time of the year will get wrapped up in the World Cup. Putting out novels that feature the sport-- in a variety of genres-- will pique their interest. Also, with the event in North America and many cities without games still hosting watch satires in their MLS stadiums, we need to jump open the bandwagon somehow.

LitHub published a great piece today entitled, "Is This the Strangest Soccer Novel Ever Written?: TOBIAS CARROLL ON CARLOS LABBÉ'S THE MURMURATION."

From the introduction:

This piece was published in collaboration with Golden Goal, a literary magazine about the intersection of politics, culture and sport at the 2026 World Cup. To read more, visit their website: goldengoal.world. 

Over the years, writers from around the world have tried their hands at using soccer as a backdrop for memorable fiction. Tonally speaking, they cover a vast terrain, including J.L. Carr’s comic How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A. Cup and Leonard Gribble’s whodunit The Arsenal Stadium Mystery. Some will cut more deeply for soccer fans of a literary bent; others can be savored no matter what your feelings about the beautiful game might be. David Peace’s modernist Red or Dead, about the life of the legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly, left me frequently breathless despite having little emotional investment in the ups and downs of Liverpool.

If that novel—a work of precisely composed prose in which Peace uses repetition and the sheer bulk of its more than 800 pages to take the reader into Shankly’s inner life and the meticulous rhythms of his squad’s play—represents one pole of how to make a great soccer novel, standing opposite it is Carlos Labbé’s 2015 The Murmuration, translated into English by Will Vanderhyden. I feel comfortable declaring that The Murmuration is the strangest novel ever written about the game of soccer. The bulk of the novel uses a real event as its setting: the 1962 World Cup semi-final between Chile and Brazil. That part of it, at least, will be familiar to longtime soccer enthusiasts. Where things get a little weirder comes when Labbé introduces psychic powers into the mix.

Click here to read more about this awesome book. 

I see in my system, this book is on Hoopla only, so you might have to add a physical copy to your collections, but as I have said many times, you need to make your display in the building and online. This is a greta opportunity to build lists for people to access books via Hoopla and Libby as well as int he building. Please add QR codes to those digital lists to your physical displays.

Now here are trusted humans created lists of more soccer books for your World Cup displays:

• Goodreads lists tagged soccer (all genres and nonfiction included)
• Well-written books about soccer-- Reddit
• Fiction books about footballers (soccer)-- Reddit
• Books about football/soccer-- Reddit
• For the Love of the Game: Soccer Books--Chicago Public Library Staff Created List
• use your closest big city library's catalog to find more like this. 
• 23 Books All Soccer Fans Should Read -- BuzzFeed

There is overlap here, but also plenty of titles to fill out a small World Cup themed display. Also bonus points if you can get your library to allow you to make a display that uses the whole collection, media, and even allows books for all ages in one place near the front of your library. Here is a post where I help you have resources to argue for "Inter-Generational" displays.

Unshelve Your Collection Using Celebrity Picks via Passively Recommending Books (Lila Denning)

Over on Lila Denning's blog she had a great post about Using Celebrity Picks to help you "unshelve" your Collection-- get the books out of the stacks and into the hands of readers.

I have the full text of the post below, but I want to add a few more tips to her great suggestions. First, this idea of using Celebrity Picks for displays online and in your buildings is great, but I want to challenge you to not make the display specific. Rather, I am encouraging you to find a space for an ongoing display in your buildings that is always for all Celebrity Picks, from as wide a range of celebrities as you can image, lumped all together.Think about it.

This is a display you can have up at all times and it is super easy to fill. And, the more inclusive you are of the "celebrity," the more inclusive your choices will be, the more readers who will be drawn to your display.

Now I know library workers and many of you are not happy with this. You think you HAVE to do smaller displays or online lists separated by celebrity who is recommending.

Well you are wrong.

And in fact, it is that kind of attitude which hurts all of us trying to be more inclusive and do less gate keeping. You want the books to be unshelved, to leave the library, to not linger on the shelf. ALL OF THEM. And if you don't want a book to be checked out, weed it. 

If you only do books mentioned by a specific celebrity on a display or list, you only appeal to their fans, but when that celebrity's books are mixed together with lots of others, when all you tell your patrons is that someone "celebrity" pick these books, you invite MORE people to check out the display. And I promise you, someone who came for that Taylor Swift book is going to leave with a book recommended by someone else without know it. 

You can also add a QR code to the in person display (or a link on your online displays and lists) that leads to the list of resources you used to build it the display. I suggest having that list in a Google Doc or similar, something where when you update it, the list updates. This way you have a long list of celebrity picks lists and resources always available to you (to add to the display) and for your patrons who want something specific or need even more choices. 

And level this all up by turning it into a "conversation starter to display" moment as well. Ask your patrons what celebrities they would like read recs from and/or what lists do they want to share. Help them help you to keep this display going. Click here for my conversation starter to display instructions.

This is one you might never need to take down if you do it correctly (aka my way).

Here's Lila's post to get you started.

Unshelve Your Collection - Using Celebrity Picks

One constant is that readers enjoy celebrity reading picks. We can see this every time someone like Taylor Swift is seen with a book under her arm. I have had great success with celebrity reading focused book displays. Bill Gates and President Obama are two people who come out with annual lists. When Gates recommended a book on the history of shipping containers I put it on a displays and it was checked out the first day.

You can find lists by searching for [celebrity name] reading list , favorite books, or reading recommendations. For a different take on this idea, you can create a display inspired by a particular album, artist, movie, or song. Use the title "Reading with [celebrity name] and put up those books along with titles you have that feature that actor, musician, or author. 

Billy Porter Shares His 6 Favorite Reads — Including This Viral Self-Help Book (People)

Radical Reads: Celebrity Book Recommendations

Celeb Book Recs (Instagram)

celebrities with great reading lists? (Reddit)

20 Great Celebrity Book Recommendations (Book Riot)

Amazon Book Review - Celebrity Picks

Listopia > books taylor swift has mentioned (Goodreads)

What books do we know Taylor has read and liked? (Reddit)

Bad Bunny Reading List (from a library)

 Listopia > Beyoncé Cowboy Carter Reading List (Goodreads)

Pedro Pascal's Favorite Books Just Proves This Man Has Impeccable Taste (Esquire)

12 Celebrity Book Recommendations (from a library)

Celebrities Who Read Diversely and The Books They Recommend

The Shameless Book Club: Jacob Elordi 

Pop Star Picks: Books, TV & Films Recommended By Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Zendaya & More

Book Recommendations from Celebrities (Instagram)

Click here for more from Lila Denning's Blog, Passively Recommending Books. 

Nonfiction Books About Books Need to be Near Your Fiction Sections NOT Buried in the 800s

Okay real talk time today, quite possibly escalating to rant territory.

We have a wealth of amazing books about books and/or nonfiction books geared toward fiction readers in the library. We buy these because we have vibrant fiction collections and amazing readers who use our collections.

BUT...

(you kew there would be a but)

BUT, we hide those books that our fiction readers would LOVE in the 800s of our nonfiction sections. WHY?

Okay I know why. It is the same reason we insist on shelving our series fiction in alphabetical order even though no one in the history of the world has ever read a series in alpha order (click here for that rant).

Because our library cataloguing rules tell us we have to. But do we really HAVE to? NO. There is no library jail. People always laugh when I say this and yet, I keep having to say it. Stop giving in to rules created by old white men, 2 centuries ago. There are literally no negative consequences toward putting your readers first, only great consequences.

We can make our own decisions about where we shelve things in our own local libraries. We should be using cataloging rules as a starting point not the law. How our patrons use our collections should guide our shelving. And this should always come before whatever "rules" we think we need to follow.

Our goal is to be gate openers. To make our collections as easy to use for our patrons as possible. In fact, quite the opposite, we should be making it as easy as possible to get as many books in front of the best readers for said books. We should NOT be setting up more roadblocks. We already have too many.

(I have started a new tag this summer "gate opener" to consolidate all of the posts I will be writing on this topic.)

I have worked in public libraries too long however, and I know that while I always put service to my patrons above all else, that is not only NOT the norm, but also, many library workers actively work against access. So here is the financial argument because this one will get the higher ups to listen. When more of our collection is checked out, the better return on investment we are giving our community. We bought the books and they pay for themselves when they are in the hands of readers.

Our goal should be to have every item checked out all at once. Your job is not done until that happens. And, it is never going to happen, but it should still be the goal you are aiming for. It should be your guiding vision. I can help you start moving in that direction.

Back to today's example. This one is an easy fix. Books about books and/or nonfiction clearly written for fiction readers needs to be moved out of the 800s and put right near the fiction. Take 2 books coming out this fall. This one by Sadie Hartmann and this one by me. Both have received stars in Booklist, both are written specifically for fans of horror fiction. But who is going to find them tucked into the 800s? Not the vast majority readers who would love them.

We have spent tax payer dollars on many excellent nonfiction books that our fiction readers would love if only they knew they existed. If we move them closer to the fiction, more people will find them, check them out, and enjoy them enough to look for more.

How do we fix it? Easy. We make room at the end of fiction or on a permanent display for these books. 

Don't have room? Weed. I am sure you have a ton of books by mediocre white dudes that should have been weeded a while ago. Books no one is reading. Series you think you have to have. Take someone like Stuart Woods. Do you need every single one of his books still? Probably not. Get rid of all but the last couple. No one new is "finding" that series for the first time. And if they are, they can ILL the early books.

You are not a repository of every fiction book. You are the home to a popular circulating collection. Stuart Woods is not part of that calculus. And he is but one of MANY examples.

Okay but then how do we catalog these books now? Easy. Come up with a special designation/collection called "Nonfiction for Fiction Readers." Then make your call number NFR 800 SPR (for my book-- also I know there would be decimals).

We do this at the school library. We have made an Easy Reader nonfiction section for grades 1-3. They are cataloged with an ER before the Dewy and have a strip of blue tape to be identified easily. They are shelved in a different place from regular nonfiction. It creates a browsable collection for the littles of only books they would like. And it is shelved at a lower height as well. Shelvers know that if it says ER and/or has blue tape, it goes somewhere else. And guess what? the ER NF section I among the most popular collections in the entire library. It is not a coincidence that the increase in circulation coincided with the decision to put the intended readers first.

IT IS NOT THAT HARD. 

But more importantly, it doesn't just make is easier for the readers to find the books they would most enjoy, it shows them we care about them. That we want them to find books they will like with less effort. That we are putting their needs first (and not putting our stupid rules that make no sense to most of our patrons first.) 

Even if this idea gives your tech services staff hives, you need to hold your ground. From a service standpoint, you will have more satisfied patrons if they can discover new reads more easily, books they would love if only they knew about them. You prove your worth by directing to them to things they would not find without your help. And of course, it is a better return on the investment you make in those books because they will be checked out more.

I hope this post inspires you to think about being a gate opener always and give it a try with this easy option-- nonfiction books geared toward a fiction reading audience. 

Show Your Patrons the Library Has Something for Every User with "Intergenerational Displays"

Earlier this month I mentioned "intergenerational displays." I know people don't always click through to my  links to other posts within a post. But, I also know that this is a concept I mention in many of my talks, a question for which I get a lot of pushback.

Many libraries claim they are not allowed to put books for all ages on one display. I argue back that how else are be going to show our communities that the library is for everyone if we don't show them. I then say, well I have people higher up than me who argued for this and got it done.

And those higher up than me were from Cuyahoga Library as I learned about this from them at PLA almost exactly 1 year ago today. So I think it is time to repost this for more eyes.

In the post below, I also share an example from a library in Appalachia where I first saw this. Back in 2015 (ish).

Take a look at the below post and give serious thought to how you can make something like this happen at your library as well. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024

Show Your Patrons the Library Has Something for Every User with "Intergenerational Displays"

Last month at the PLA conference, on the final day, I went to one of the best programs I have been to at a library conference.  I wrote about the program extensively here but here is the program title and description:

My final program of the day was also excellent and a perfect book end to the first. Curating Diverse Community Collections for Patron Engagement:

Much has been written about the need for diversity audits in library collections, but little follow-up has been offered to assist collection development and public service staff in creating real change. Panelists will discuss proven best practices for diversifying and curating community collections. Attendees will leave with a three-point action plan that will work for any size library, no matter the demographics of their particular community.

The slides are here and the presenters were from Cuyahoga County Public Library.

Please go to my full write up because this program was FULL of useful tips on how Cuyahoga made their library inclusive. The presenters were from across the organizational chart as well which makes a huge difference. They discussed funding and administrative issues while also making sure to emphasize the work of individuals at the branches. 

Today, I want to talk about one small thing that was mentioned during that program, something that I made a huge note about when it was said. From my write up post:

I loved that they also do a display right near the door that is always "intergenerational." no matter the topic they have books for all ages of patrons. I LOVE THIS. I tell libraries to do this and they tell me the can't. You can. Just do it. You won't go to library jail.

For years I have been telling libraries to have a display as close to the entrance as possible that showcase items for all age groups in one place. So if you have "Spring" as your topic, you have books from adult fiction, nonfiction, as many genres as possible, board books, MG, YA, Graphic Novels, audio books, movies, even any gardening items people can check out. 

At the very least you should have books for all age levels on this display. So for National Poetry Month this month, you should have a display near your entrance that has poetry for all ages.

I have seen this done at an itty bitty library in rural Maryland and at my own library where we have our "Lucky Day" collection in the main lobby. That display has options for all readers on one display, right as you walk in. The one in Maryland was in the entranceway. They a huge picture of a dog and then around it, books from across their entire collection. 

What better way to show your patrons that you have a book for them....all of them, not just a book for them if they happen to go to their siloed section. When a family walks in, they can find items for all ages immediately. Often when a caregiver brings children in, they never get the time to go to their section. Even if the person who walks in does not check an item from that display out, at the very least, an intergenerational display it is showing people that their library has something for them. Isn't that the message we want to present?

Why instead are we so focused on filing everything away in places where they have to work to find them?

I know the answer, because for years we have been gatekeepers, using "rules" to make access to our materials hard. I hate this way of thinking. Instead, we should be doing as much as we can to get our items out and into people's hands. As I like to say-- your job isn't done until every single item is checked out at the same time. 

Intergenerational displays are a great way to get more books into people hands because you are showcasing that you have books for every age level. It reminds people that there is something for them in the library. It encourages them to use our entire collections because we are reminding them that we are away of our siloed spaces and while we cannot change that easily, we can highlight books on a rotating basis that remind people to check out every section of the library. 

In other words, not only do intergenerational displays show all users that the library is for them, but also, they lead to more checkouts.

And yet, people tell me all the time they aren't allowed to mix books for different age levels together. I was told this on Monday. Again, the argument is old and out dated. Too often those in charge are unwilling to rethink positions as the world changes, but we have to. Nothing stays the same. The way the library was organized and functioned in the late 1980s when I was a kid is not the way it does now. Stop with this, those are the rules, arguments. I am sorry but it used to be the rules to not let Black people in the library. We changed that rule because it was wrong. And yes, I am purposely picking an obvious change to make the person you would argue with uncomfortable.

This attitude of we can't even put a book for a kid next to a book for an adult is DUMB and against everything we preach about being "for everyone."

Intergenerational Displays as Cuyahoga has named them, are key to their vision of making the collection engaging to their community. At the branch where that speaker is in charge, they have a table that is always a display of books around a topic or display idea that has books for any reader, at any age or ability. Again, it is part of their larger mission to be community centered. It works in conjunction with the other initiatives they have started throughout their system.

If your library has a rule against doing this, I encourage you to ask why? Counter with the slides and information from PLA. Use the contact information they have provided to ask them to help you explain why intergenerational displays promote belonging and showcase the breadth of your collection the second people walk in. Use your mission statements about serving everyone to bolster your argument. Remind those in charge that there is no better way to make sure your community knows the library is for them than to simply show them that the second they enter your building with the items you have collected for them to use.

I hope this encourages you to try an intergenerational display at your library. Again, use PLA and the Cuyahoga library's example as your conversational starter at your library. And of course, tell them Becky told you to discuss it if that helps. I am always up for my readers and training attendees to blame me for bringing up touch questions. Share my contact info and encourage your managers to call me to argue. 

EveryLibrary's Free Banned Book's Week Festival of Authors And I Am A Part of It!

Banned Books week is coming up on September 22 and EveryLibrary is doing a full week of author and publishing and library professional interviews. They have recruited me to help and I will be doing 3 authors interview panels.

You can go here to signup for free. From the landing page with and easy sign-up box and the schedule as its stands now:

Join us for over 25 panels with 45+ authors, publishing professionals, and experts on book bans and the First Amendment for "EveryLibrary Live! Banned Books Week 2024", September 22 - 27 online. This will be an extraordinary week of conversations about the joy of writing, the culture of reading, the challenges of censorship in schools and libraries, and the celebration of the freedom to read. Plan now to be a part of this new literary festival where everyone is encouraged to read freely. 

We have an exciting lineup of author conversations, panels, and learning events that you can attend online and at your convenience. We will be hosting live broadcasts every day during Banned Books Week 2024 on our Facebook Live or YouTube Live channels. Be a part of each event as it happens, or access the "instant archive" for on-demand viewing. Meet your favorite authors and take the time to learn, listen, and enjoy new ones. 

We start our festival of reading on Sunday, September 22 at 12n EDT and run through Friday, September 27 at 8pm EDT. All events are free to attend. Meet and listen to authors like Julia Quinn, Jason Reynolds, Malinda Lo, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Stephen Chbosky, Maia Kobabe, and Paula Poundstone as they share about writing and how libraries matter in their lives. Join the conversation about fighting censorship and supporting the First Amendment with noted experts and organizers like Dr. Emily Knox and Patrick "PC" Sweeney.

This reading festival is free and open to the public.

EveryLibrary Live! Banned Books Week 2024 is supported by the participation of great publishers like Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, Hachette, Rowman & Littlefield, Kensignton, Candlewick, and Seven Stories Press. Our partner organizations, Authors Against Book Bans (AABB), the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and the We Are Stronger Than Censorship initiative, are powerful advocates for reading. Join your hosts Gigi Howard from the hit podcast Drinks in the Library, Lee Wind from IBPA, Becky Spratford from RA for All, author and ambassador Rex Ogle, and John Chrastka from EveryLibrary for dozens of engaging author conversations.

RSVP now to get the full festival schedule emailed to you, along with reminders every morning. New sessions are still being announced. Sign up now so you won't miss a thing!

While I think this event will be of interest to you, my readers, I also want to remind you that you can (and should) make this FREE event part of your library's Banned Books Week programming.

First, and most importantly, please notice that the authors here are all currently publishing. We are not talking about banning classics. These are books and authors whose work is challenged RIGHT NOW. These are people who are involved in the fight right to stop censorship today.

Please model this behavior during your Banned Books Week programming and promotion. This is not about the outrage of classic titles being banned. We are in a moment when contemporary stories where people who write authentically as a person of color or from their LGBTQIA+ perspective are facing challenges that are demanding that their existence be silenced. Yes it is that serious. Sure it sucks that people ban Huck Finn, but you should be outraged that simply having a queer character means there are loud voices calling it pornography. Showcase the books from the last 10 years that are actively being removed from libraries. Books that have won major awards. 

Second, you can set up a room in your library to show these interviews live throughout the week as well as passing it on to your patrons for them to watch on their own. This can be your Banned Books Week in person event. EveryLibrary is helping you by doing the work to organize it, but they are doing it to help all of you.

I was talking to EveryLibrary Executive Director John Chrastka about encouraging libraries to make watch parties for this weeklong, "accidental" book festival (his word in quotes). He agreed.

In fact, if you look at the schedule, they were thinking about just this as planning because there are live events starting as late as 8pm Pacific- meaning that all libraries, across the continental US have the chance to have evening programming all week long.

And yet, they are also all free and will be archived for use at anytime. So while this a Banned Books Week event, it can be an anytime of year event as well.

Please sign-up for yourself, advertise the event as YOUR Banned Books Week Programming. Make displays of the books by the authors scheduled to appear. They write in all age levels so that means you can do intergenerational displays as well, and I love these as I have made evident in these posts.

Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: Kirkus Prize Edition

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.  

What is the Kirkus Prize. From their website FAQ:

The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the decades of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earn the Kirkus star with publication dates between Nov. 1, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2024 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2024 Kirkus Prize. Six finalists in each of three categories will be announced in August. Three winners will be announced at the Kirkus Prize ceremony on Oct. 16, 2023.

Here is their full announcement of the finalists which inlaces information about the judges. I have an edited version for brevity and emphasis below.

The finalists for the 2024 Kirkus Prize have been revealed, with 18 books contending for one of the richest annual literary awards in the world. 

The fiction shortlist is composed of Jennine Capó Crucet’s Say Hello to My Little Friend, Louise Erdrich’s The Mighty Red, Percival Everett’s James, Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song, Richard Powers’ Playground, and Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles. 

The finalists for the nonfiction prize are Steve Coll’s The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq; Adam Higginbogtham’s Challenger: A True Story of Heroism And Disaster on the Edge of Space; Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir; Olivia Laing’s The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise; Shefali Luthra’s Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America; and Carvell Wallace’s Another Word for Love: A Memoir.    

The young readers’ literature category is divided into three subcategories featuring two books each. In picture books, the finalists are We Who Produce Pearls, written by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, and There Was a Party for Langston, written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. 

Making the middle-grade list are Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan and Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston, while the young adult finalists are Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow and Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo.

The winners of this year’s awards will be announced at an in-person ceremony at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York on Oct. 16, 2024, which will be livestreamed on Kirkus’ YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. 

Click here for the Kirkus Prize homepage. 

This award pulls double duty as a resource both as an award list AND a year end best list. And it is one the the earliest best lists as well.

Also, like the best of both of these categories of resources, the Kirkus Prize is best used as a resource when you consider  the backlist  of nominees and winners in your suggestions and displays. 

On the main page for all of Kirkus you have super easy access to every nominee and winner going back to 2014. On the banner across the top of every page, there is a tab for "Kirkus Prize" which opens a drop down menu to give you those choices by year. All with little effort. That is extremely helpful for us.

 Here is the link to the 2022 page, for example. You can easily pick those nominees from 2 years ago and use them today as a proven, winning suggestion.

Also, as you can see above, this award considers fiction, nonfiction, YA, MG, and picture books. All ages. As I have written about on this blog many times, Intergeneration Displays are a key marketing tool to SHOW your patrons that there is something for them as they walk in...all of them. I also write about how some libraries do not allow them to put books for all ages on one display and to them, I point you to these links which reference Cuyahoga Library (a major system) and their PLA presentation about how and why they create these displays. If it works for them, you can do it too. 

Finally, as it says above, any book that Kirkus gave a star is considered. [You can go to their FAQ page for more detail into the considerations for this prize.] That being stated, how useful this award is to you and your patrons only goes so far as you find Kirkus useful. 

Love or hate Kirkus reviews, the fact that they give the judges every STARRED review book as their starting point for their work makes a lot of sense. It is way less arbitrary than other major awards (and I say this as someone who has served on the ACM in the past)

But each year I have found it to be a reliable resource to help readers who are looking for a very general list of  "the best" of the year, general sure bets, or just " a good read."

Conversation Starter to Display Idea: Best Book to Screen Adaptations

One of my favorite things to talk about is how to use a conversation starter to build interactive displays. Please go here for the longer discussion on this topic including a worksheet to get you started.

Since shifting my focus to this concept in 2023, I have added MANY new conversation starter ideas and questions. You can find this by clicking here to see every post I have tagged "conversation starter." (That link is also at the bottom of the worksheet which you can access at the link above.

Today's idea is evergreen-- the always popular Books to Screen Discussion. I am reviving it right now because Entertainment Weekly had a post this week starting the conversation by publishing "The 29 Best Book to Screen Adaptations of All Time." 

Use my advice in the post and worksheet to include your patrons in this conversation. Post the EW list online, put up a display of books with screen adaptations, and start asking staff and patrons to weigh in. See what they like. It is a great way to get some backlist titles on display and into the hands of readers.

And because this is an anytime of year display with hundreds of options from across your collections (all ages and fiction and nonfiction) you can use it now, or save it for when you are out of ideas. It will engage all patrons, from all age levels. No matter when you use this conversation starter to engage your patrons, you can be confident they will have an opinion.

Speaking of all ages, this is a great chance to also try an Intergenerational Display (another topic I have been a proponent of for years, but for which some libraries don't "allow." When I went to PLA in April, I saw a library advocate for it and I have this post where I link to those slides and go into more detail from my perspective about the importance of showing everyone, every age of user, that the library is for them in one display.

Have a great weekend.

Show Your Patrons the Library Has Something for Every User with "Intergenerational Displays"

Last month at the PLA conference, on the final day, I went to one of the best programs I have been to at a library conference.  I wrote about the program extensively here but here is the program title and description:

My final program of the day was also excellent and a perfect book end to the first. Curating Diverse Community Collections for Patron Engagement:

Much has been written about the need for diversity audits in library collections, but little follow-up has been offered to assist collection development and public service staff in creating real change. Panelists will discuss proven best practices for diversifying and curating community collections. Attendees will leave with a three-point action plan that will work for any size library, no matter the demographics of their particular community.

The slides are here and the presenters were from Cuyahoga County Public Library.

Please go to my full write up because this program was FULL of useful tips on how Cuyahoga made their library inclusive. The presenters were from across the organizational chart as well which makes a huge difference. They discussed funding and administrative issues while also making sure to emphasize the work of individuals at the branches. 

Today, I want to talk about one small thing that was mentioned during that program, something that I made a huge note about when it was said. From my write up post:

I loved that they also do a display right near the door that is always "intergenerational." no matter the topic they have books for all ages of patrons. I LOVE THIS. I tell libraries to do this and they tell me the can't. You can. Just do it. You won't go to library jail.

For years I have been telling libraries to have a display as close to the entrance as possible that showcase items for all age groups in one place. So if you have "Spring" as your topic, you have books from adult fiction, nonfiction, as many genres as possible, board books, MG, YA, Graphic Novels, audio books, movies, even any gardening items people can check out. 

At the very least you should have books for all age levels on this display. So for National Poetry Month this month, you should have a display near your entrance that has poetry for all ages.

I have seen this done at an itty bitty library in rural Maryland and at my own library where we have our "Lucky Day" collection in the main lobby. That display has options for all readers on one display, right as you walk in. The one in Maryland was in the entranceway. They a huge picture of a dog and then around it, books from across their entire collection. 

What better way to show your patrons that you have a book for them....all of them, not just a book for them if they happen to go to their siloed section. When a family walks in, they can find items for all ages immediately. Often when a caregiver brings children in, they never get the time to go to their section. Even if the person who walks in does not check an item from that display out, at the very least, an intergenerational display it is showing people that their library has something for them. Isn't that the message we want to present?

Why instead are we so focused on filing everything away in places where they have to work to find them?

I know the answer, because for years we have been gatekeepers, using "rules" to make access to our materials hard. I hate this way of thinking. Instead, we should be doing as much as we can to get our items out and into people's hands. As I like to say-- your job isn't done until every single item is checked out at the same time. 

Intergenerational displays are a great way to get more books into people hands because you are showcasing that you have books for every age level. It reminds people that there is something for them in the library. It encourages them to use our entire collections because we are reminding them that we are away of our siloed spaces and while we cannot change that easily, we can highlight books on a rotating basis that remind people to check out every section of the library. 

In other words, not only do intergenerational displays show all users that the library is for them, but also, they lead to more checkouts.

And yet, people tell me all the time they aren't allowed to mix books for different age levels together. I was told this on Monday. Again, the argument is old and out dated. Too often those in charge are unwilling to rethink positions as the world changes, but we have to. Nothing stays the same. The way the library was organized and functioned in the late 1980s when I was a kid is not the way it does now. Stop with this, those are the rules, arguments. I am sorry but it used to be the rules to not let Black people in the library. We changed that rule because it was wrong. And yes, I am purposely picking an obvious change to make the person you would argue with uncomfortable.

This attitude of we can't even put a book for a kid next to a book for an adult is DUMB and against everything we preach about being "for everyone."

Intergenerational Displays as Cuyahoga has named them, are key to their vision of making the collection engaging to their community. At the branch where that speaker is in charge, they have a table that is always a display of books around a topic or display idea that has books for any reader, at any age or ability. Again, it is part of their larger mission to be community centered. It works in conjunction with the other initiatives they have started throughout their system.

If your library has a rule against doing this, I encourage you to ask why? Counter with the slides and information from PLA. Use the contact information they have provided to ask them to help you explain why intergenerational displays promote belonging and showcase the breadth of your collection the second people walk in. Use your mission statements about serving everyone to bolster your argument. Remind those in charge that there is no better way to make sure your community knows the library is for them than to simply show them that the second they enter your building with the items you have collected for them to use.

I hope this encourages you to try an intergenerational display at your library. Again, use PLA and the Cuyahoga library's example as your conversational starter at your library. And of course, tell them Becky told you to discuss it if that helps. I am always up for my readers and training attendees to blame me for bringing up touch questions. Share my contact info and encourage your managers to call me to argue. 

Oscar Themed Reading Lists and Display Ideas But Make It Interactive

During this time every year, between the release of Oscar nominations and the awards ceremony, libraries often do movie to book themed displays, and while these are great and popular, they are also boring. We've been there and done that. Why not make our Oscar season displays better by thinking more broadly about what we display AND making it interactive?

First, I want to address all of your gut instincts here-- why are you giving me more work Becky? This is one of those things we know works and we can do in our sleep. 

Ahh, but that is exactly the problem. We can do it in our sleep and it shows.

I am not telling you to NOT make a book to movie display, I am asking you to expand the parameters of your Oscar season displays.

Yes you should start with books to movies. Use this year's titles right up front (list here). But also, consider any movie that was nominated this year, for any reason, that has even a small connection to a book. And then expand to past years. And expand again to any books into movies, not just ones that got nominated.

But wait, there is more, why not also add memoirs or biographies of movie stars to the display? Or even movie adjacent titles like this list of Barbie books.

But Becky, I can her some of you saying already, that is not an Oscar display. What you are proposing is too broad in scope.

Is it?

I would argue that being more broad with the whole idea of an "Oscar Season" display means you have way more titles to choose from and you will attract a wider swath of readers. Again, calling this display simply "Oscar Season Reads," means you can do anything movie adjacent. 

We worry too much about our very specific display or lists themes. Instead we need to always think more broadly in order to be more inclusive.

But even more important than widening our scope in order to attract more readers is actually including reader feedback and participation in our displays.

I have spent the last year perfecting my argument about making RA more interactive by including this very easy "Conversation Starter to Display" post with a handout.

Every single time you post a list online or make a display in the building you should include a way for people to answer a question related to said list or display. In the post I have a few ideas on how to "ask."

But what should your question be for this "Oscar Season Reads" display? The key is to think broadly about what your question will be in order to set the stage for the breadth of the display itself. So I would suggest the conversation starter question being along the lines of: What is your favorite MOVIE book? 

Yes keep it that vague so that your patrons can interpret it as they want.

This question will lead people to pick adaptations of books to movies, yes, but it will also speak to your novelization fans (especially those who read SFF), celebrity biography/memoir fans, film buffs, budding filmmakers, etc.... The choices are so vast. And in fact, they are more than you could ever think of yourself. And that's the point. You are serving your community, not yourself. We should be asking them; these are their books-- not yours. (Something we also often forget.)

The results, as you can probably tell, will be broad. I know this scares some of you, and is against your instincts to keep your themes tight and controlled, but it will appeal to way more readers. And most importantly, it will allow you to get feedback as to what titles are popular with your readers. We often use circulation statistics to see what is most "popular." But circulation stats do not give us any insight into whether or not the people who checked those items out enjoyed said items. 

On top of giving us real feedback, conversation starter questions also allow us to keep our displays up longer. We can ask this question throughout our online spaces, in the building, and on bookmarks inside our holds from now until Oscar Awards night. And then the Monday after the awards, we can change the title on the display to "Our Patrons Oscar Season Suggestions." 

[This is a side note, but related: too often we take down our displays too early. For example, Halloween. We put up Horror for all of October and then on November 1st, we take it all down. But here's the thing, many people start seriously thinking about reading a Horror book late in October and on Nov 1, many realize they never read one. Having the display up one more week would capture more readers. It would also make people happy to know you thought of them and their situation, rather than making them feel bad about not taking advantage when the "should" have. Obviously that is not what you are trying to say by taking the Horror display down on 11/1, but it is how it can feel. Library anxiety is real. When you take it down on 11/1, people feel like they can't ask for the books right away again for fear of upsetting us. By the way, this is real feedback from real library users. I am not making this up.]

I cannot stress enough how successful these patron informed displays are at libraries who have started doing them with my help. People come into the library to see books they suggested on display. They bring in their family and friends to see them. They tell others that the library "listened to them." 

You want to show them (not just tell them) that you are there to help them find their next good read, then ask them to make suggestions and then put those suggestions up on display. Want them to value your services, make it about conversations. Conversations require that you prove you are listening, and then respond. And the act of engaging in conversations leads to relationships. People will feel more attached to the library and their services. That attachment will lead to more support, more visits, and more checkouts. All of which makes for happy Administrators and Boards and of course, gives you more job security. 

Now back to the beginning of this post, when I noted that some of you were upset that I was asking you to do more work. Maybe at the front end, yes, Until you figure out your templates for the bookmarks to go into hold items, how to structure your social media posts to gather answers to your conversation starter questions, and how to solicit suggestions at an in-library display as it is up, this will all take a little more time.

But in the long run, it is way less work because you will reuse all of it to extend the life of all of your displays, gather better feedback on our collections which allow us to buy the books people want to read, and increase door counts as patrons are happier with our services and bring in others. See, less time spent promoting books and more satisfied patrons. 

Display Idea: Comeback Stories With Advice From Becky On How To Build Interactive Displays

This week, LitHub had a list of Comeback Stories. I love this idea as an anytime of year display. It can encompass fiction and nonfiction, many different genres, and will always attract interest. 

In general, we need more ideas that are not tied to an identity month or time of year because we already have plenty of those. They are important because people expect them, but they are only useful when they are relevant with respect to the calendar. 

We need more timeless options.

To that end I have created this form which you can use to crowdsource enticing "anytime" displays. Take a look but come back, I promise to return to that form later in this post.

Back to today's idea-- Comeback Stories.

This list on LitHub is only nonfiction and includes just a handful of titles. While the idea is great, we definitely need more books to make this a display. How can we identify more?

Here is how.

Running this Google search of "Comeback Stories Books," provides many different titles that would work for this display, from a variety of "comeback" perspectives. But it is sill too nonfiction focused. 

As I was poking around Goodreads to look for the terms readers use for these types of stories in fiction, I found "underdog." While this is not exactly the same, it is adjacent. And running the Google search of "Underdog Stories Books" came up with completely different lists and they also contained a lot of fiction and materials for all ages of readers.

Now we have plenty of titles for a timeless display entitled-- Don't Call It A Comeback! And one that you can use to showcase your entire collection. For example, including movies is super easy. Just swap out the "books" in each search for "movies."

However, I also wanted to use this post to remind you that another way to build displays is to make the process interactive. Again, use the form I mentioned above to ask staff and patrons to add to the display and lists you are building.

My favorite way  to use this form is to ask patrons is BEFORE you put the display up. Take a few weeks and put a question in every book on the hold shelf. Every. Single. Book. And for all ages. Make a plain bookmark that says, "Please help the library with our next display...." Then every time you ask a question, you can add it in and make lots of copies. Putt those bookmarks into books that are check out or put on the holds shelf. Place the bookmarks by your self checkout machines.

Make it clear you want them to write the answer down and return it with the book. Answers will filter in over the next 2-4 weeks.

On my provided form I have given you the language for 7 timeless display ideas, but in this case you would write, "What are your favorite underdog books?" As I showed you above, "underdog" is a better term to get the widest range of results.

By putting this bookmark in every book as they leave your building, you will get a variety of answers, from all age levels. You can sue the results to put up one while library display, or have a display in each service area, at the same time.

You can also expand all of this to Facebook or Instagram. For either, have a standard post where you ask people to help the library with our next display by adding your titles to our list. Swap in the current question.

When you ask, they not only helping you build a display, but they are also giving you feedback about what books they have enjoyed. This helps us craft our collection to fit their needs better.

Another benefit, when someone is asked to add a title to a display, I promise you, when said display goes up (and you should do another social media post announcing displays and letting people know their titles were included), people make a trip to the library just to see the results.

Your attempts to be interactive should also extend to when the display in question is up as well. Allow patrons to add titles while the display is being featured. Allow comments on your social posts where you ask for more titles or put out a suggestion box at the display area where people can add their thoughts.

None of this is hard. Once you set up the templates, it is actually quite easy. And the data you collect not only improves your displays, but over time, it will improve your collections as you will be getting feedback as to what titles are resonating with your patrons, allowing you to add other titles that they will also enjoy.

And ultimately, you are showing your users that you actually listen. When people feel heard, they come back, they tell their friends to visit us, and they support us when we need it.

Using Awards Lists As A RA Tool: Pulitzer Prize Edition

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.   

Last week, I warned you that the Pulitzer Prize announcements were coming today. And here is the access to the link with this year's winners in every category as well as the the statement for why they won ( an addition I always enjoy).

I will post the text for the book specific awards below, but please note, all of these awards have implications for your collections and patrons. For example, this year's general nonfiction winner is about George Floyd, and a few years ago, the same topic won journalism prizes. No let's think about all of the award that went to coverage of the war in Ukraine. I would wager that in a few years, books on this war will be winning in those categories. 

And the Pulitzer Prizes also have awards for drama, music, and poetry. There is a lot to use here to help readers.

Please note, this link take you to this year's winners with access tot every winner right on the page.

Fiction: Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)

A masterful recasting of “David Copperfield,” narrated by an Appalachian boy whose wise, unwavering voice relates his encounters with poverty, addiction, institutional failures and moral collapse–and his efforts to conquer them.

And

Trust, by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead Books)
A riveting novel set in a bygone America that explores family, wealth and ambition through linked narratives rendered in different literary styles, a complex examination of love and power in a country where capitalism is king.

Drama: Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power, by Jefferson Cowie (Basic Books)

A quietly powerful play about four Iranian adults preparing for an English language exam in a storefront school near Tehran, where family separations and travel restrictions drive them to learn a new language that may alter their identities and also represent a new life

History: Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power, by Jefferson Cowie (Basic Books)

A resonant account of an Alabama county in the 19th and 20th centuries shaped by settler colonialism and slavery, a portrait that illustrates the evolution of white supremacy by drawing powerful connections between anti-government and racist ideologies.

Biography: G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, by Beverly Gage (Viking)

A deeply researched and nuanced look at one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history that depicts the longtime FBI director in all his complexity, with monumental achievements and crippling flaws.

Memoir or Autobiography: Hua Hsu of Stay True

An elegant and poignant coming of age account that considers intense, youthful friendships but also random violence that can suddenly and permanently alter the presumed logic of our personal narratives.

Poetry: Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020, by Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

A masterful collection that chronicles American culture as the country struggles to make sense of its politics, of life in the wake of a pandemic, and of our place in a changing global community.  

General Nonfiction: His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (Viking)

An intimate, riveting portrait of an ordinary man whose fatal encounter with police officers in 2020 sparked an international movement for social change, but whose humanity and complicated personal story were unknown. (Moved by the Board from the Biography category.)