Industry News

Read for the Record Day is October 3, and children all over the country will be celebrating by reading Loren Long's Otis, including the students at teacher librarian Shannon McClintock Miller's school. Five lucky classrooms that pledge by September 25 will also get the opportunity to chat with the author in a Google+ Hangout.

Are you ready for Banned Books Week? The American Library Association (ALA) and readers from around the world are gearing up to demonstrate their support for free speech next week by participating in a Virtual Read-Out of their favorite banned and challenged books. The event will serve as the backdrop for the announcement of ALA’s Banned Books Week Heroes, honoring those people and groups who stand up for intellectual freedom and the right to read.

The BARD Mobile app provides access to braille and talking books directly from the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. BARD contains nearly 50,000 books, magazines, and music scores in audio and braille formats, with new selections added daily.

When I hear heart-breaking news like this recent story of the closings of the libraries at Philadelphia’s two top academic high schools, following the closing of so many others,  I recognize that my own community likely takes our own libraries for granted. Really, how often do we as communities stop and acknowledge that we value [...]

November is Picture Book Month. Five winners and five finalists of the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards were announced September 17. Apply for the Stony Brook Southampton (NY) MFA in Children's Literature Fellows program. Kids in grades 2–5 can enter the LEGO Essay Contest.

Grand Rapids, MI, school officials are hoping to better engage students through technology: 100 Nook e-readers provided by the Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL). The new readers were procured specifically to engage the city’s teenage population, says Jessica Liddell, GRPL’s youth services librarian.

Acclaimed author/illustrator Kevin Henkes spoke to a live audience at Bank Street College of Education in New York City on September 17. The event, which coincided with the publication date of his latest children's book The Year of Billy Miller, was also broadcasted to classrooms and libraries across the country.

Loudon County Public Library recently concluded their 8th annual Teen Film Competition which drew in 29 film submissions. Gum Spring Library branch hosted the film festival, but the program was open to all teen residents of the United States. Teen services librarian April Layne Shroeder shares how her library expanded its program participation

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. She’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. She stumbles upon a warehouse party where, among other things, Elise discovers she has what it takes to be an awesome DJ. Macmillan is giving five lucky winners the chance to get a copy of Leila Sales's latest title, This Song Will Save Your Life.