Public Libraries

As this article goes live, we are three—count 'em!— three days away from opening the new Gum Spring Library. I've been here since mid-January, and I'm just beginning to realize that the expectations I had in my head were way off base. Between preparing volunteers, planning opening day activities, and training pages, few things have gone exactly as planned. Yet despite the many changes we've made in our schedule, our confidence grows as we learn what must be done now and what can wait.

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.

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.

My father is a Marine, so by the time I was eight I was quite adept at packing up my things. I vividly remember when we moved to Beaufort, SC. It was 1996, and it was the first time I ever took advantage of a move. Instead of trashing my old clothes and childish toys, I fixed up parts of my personality that needed improvement and tried out some new traits. I asked people to call me “Al”, giving the role of tomboy a spin. I also spoke up a little more and put myself in more social situations. I used this experience to invent a whole new me.

An ambitious partnership between Nashville Public Library (NPL) and Metro Nashville Schools has resulted in a successful program called Limitless Libraries.

The Belleville Public Library in New Jersey recently celebrated Three Kings Day.

Who wouldn’t want to work with the two librarians on our cover? To me, their joyous, open faces welcome engagement. I want in on the action—in this case, the series of projects they pull off to bring more to the kids they each serve.

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.

Allrighty then (remember when this phrase was a thing?).  Time to whip out a Fusenews in this new format.  Let’s crank her up and see what she can do! Let’s start with the me stuff.  This happened while I was on vacation:  The folks at the New York Times asked me to be a part [...]