September 18, 2013

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Living with Legends: Up Close with Kid Lit Historian Leonard Marcus

Photo by Elena Seibert.

Leonard Marcus might just be the busiest man in the world of kid lit. In June, the children’s literature historian and scholar launched a critically acclaimed exhibition at the New York Public Library (which he curated) and had a book published that celebrates the life and work of Maurice Sendak (which he edited). Marcus shared with SLJ some of the details of his recent projects, insider knowledge of children’s literature history and icons, and his belief that picture books might be the solution to saving all physical books.

NYC Kids Rally for Libraries; City Council Members Urge Full Funding

Crowd on the Steps of City Hall

More than a dozen New York City Council members, the presidents of New York’s three library systems, and several hundred librarians, library staff, supporters, advocates, and children from nearby schools rallied on the steps of city hall to protest $106 million in proposed funding cuts. Council members Jimmy Van Bramer and Vincent J. Gentile also pledged to introduce legislation that would create a baseline of stable funding for the city’s public library services.

Hachette to Sell Frontlist Ebook Titles to Libraries

Hachette to Sell Frontlist Ebook Titles to Libraries

Hachette Book Group today announced that it will once again sell its frontlist ebook titles to libraries, beginning on May 8. Hachette’s entire catalog of 5,000 ebooks will now be available through OverDrive, Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 platform, and the 3M Cloud Library, under a pricing and licensing model similar to the one employed by Random House.

NYPL Panelists Explore Alternatives to Traditional Librarianship

Librarians on Alternative Librarianship panel

SLJ blogger and NYPL youth materials specialist Betsy Bird moderated a panel, “The Alternative Children’s Library,” in which several children’s librarians discussed their own nontraditional paths to the profession. Their places of employment include the Bankstreet School for Children, New York Society Library, Children’s Book Council, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kid Lit Authors Discuss Diversity at NYPL

NYPLdiversity

How should librarians, publishers, and authors approach diversity in children’s books? Authors Sofia Quintero and Zetta Elliott and editor Connie Hsu joined a recent panel at the NYPL, moderated by Betsy Bird, to discuss these issues and more.

Writing for the Middle Grades: A Roundtable with Birdsall, Stead, and Wilson

MiddleAuthorscropFEATURED

Earlier this month, authors Jeanne Birdsall, Rebecca Stead, and N.D. Wilson met informally with librarians to discuss middle grade fiction ahead of the NYPL’s children’s literary Salon on the topic. Afterwards, SLJ followed up with the authors for more details. This is what they told us.

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!

Hats Off to Seuss!_Group Photo

All things Seuss were in the air Monday at the 42nd branch of the New York Public Library as Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises launched its “Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!” campaign, a yearlong celebration of the famed children’s book author.

Getting it Right, Making it Fun: NYPL Panelists Talk Writing Nonfiction

nyplTINY

At a recent New York Public Library panel on Ethics and Nonfiction, four popular juvenile nonfiction authors discussed the challenges of writing entertaining and enlightening works for kids while adhering to the facts.

Pictures of the Week: BookUp Program Participants Visit NYPL; Author Shirley Glubok Attends Ezra Jack Keats’s Celebration

Participants of the National Book Foundation’s BookUp program, an after-school reading program led by writers, will visit the "Lunch Hour" exhibition at the New York Public Library  as part of the program’s monthly field trip to literary  sites around New York City.

Participants in the National Book Foundation’s BookUp Program took a field trip to the New York Public Library, and author Shirley Glubok attended a 50th Anniversary Celebration for Ezra Jack Keats’s “A Snowy Day.”

Fusenews: Bets lists towards best book lists

The best books lists are abundant and here!  So very exciting, yes?  I do love this time of year, and so it makes sense to begin with the cream of the crop.  I refer, of course, to NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012.  Split into seven different categories (Picture Books, Folk and Fairy [...]

Fusenews: Bets lists towards best book lists

The best books lists are abundant and here!  So very exciting, yes?  I do love this time of year, and so it makes sense to begin with the cream of the crop.  I refer, of course, to NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012.  Split into seven different categories (Picture Books, Folk and Fairy [...]

NYPL Panel Offers Advice for Bullied Kids—and Bullies

BullyingNYPL

In a New York Public Library Children’s Literary Salon on October 20 that coincided with National Bullying Prevention Month, authors Paul Griffin, Madeleine George and others came together to talk about bullying: strategies for ending it, their own personal experiences, and the positive effect their books have on their readers.

KidLitCon 2012: Expanding the World of KidLit Blogs

gregpincus

Kid lit blogs are huge with librarians, but can they reach fans beyond our world? Greg Pincus, whose blog GottaBook features poetry and perspectives on children’s literature, shared his advice on using social media to find new audiences during KidLitCon 2012 at the New York Public Library on September 29.

Björk and NYPL Join Forces to Offer Kids Biophilia Science, Music Programs

Icelandic recording artist Björk is teaming up with the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) to offer kids an interactive educational program based on the musician’s latest album, Biophilia, and its accompanying iPad apps.