May - August Book Awards

Book Award Winners! Book Awards Winners! Many more will be announced this spring and summer. Be in the know with our handy list below, divided by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children) for your convenience.

New April Winners!

We missed a few winners in April:

4th: Pen/Faulkner

• 1 category -- Fiction.

26th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories -- Novel, First Novel, Paperback Original, Fact Crime, Critical/Biographical, Short Story , Juvenile, Young Adult, TV Episode, Robert L. Fish Memorial, Mary Higgins Clark, Grand Master, Raven Awards, and Ellery Queen Award.

27th: James Beard Cookbook Awards

• 11 categories -- American; Baking and Desserts; Beverage; General; Health and Special Diets; International; Reference, History, and Scholarship; Restaurant and Professional; Single Subject; Vegetable-Focused Cooking; Writing.

28th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories -- Best Contemporary Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story, and Best Children’s/Young Adult.

Adult Awards

May

20th: Nebula Award (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)

• 4 categories in Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Novel, Novella, Novellette, and Short Story.

22nd: Man Booker International Prize

• 1 category -- Created in 2016, this is for the finest work of translated fiction around the world.

31st: Audies

• 26 categories: basically audiobooks and spoken word entertainment in every genre as well as narrators, excellence in marketing/design/production, and multi-voiced performance.

June

4th: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

6th: Women's Prize for Fiction, Bailey's (formerly The Orange Prize)

• 1 category -- Novel written in English by a female writer (any nationality).

23rd: Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

• 15 categories in Sci-Fi -- Science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, short fiction, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, artists, editors, magazines, and publishers.

July

14th: International Thriller Writers Award

• 6 categories in Thriller -- Best Hardcover Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original Novel, Best Short Story, Best YA Novel, and Best E-Book Original Novel.

15th: Shirley Jackson (Psychological Suspense, Horror, and the Dark Fantastic, announced at Readercon)

• 6 categories in Psychological Suspense, Horror, and the Dark Fantastic: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.

19th: RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)

• 13 categories in RITA (published romance novels): Best First Book; Contemporary Romance: Long, Mid-Length, and Short; Erotic Romance; Historical Romance: Long and Short; Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance; Paranormal Romance; Romance Novella; Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements; Romantic Suspense; Young Adult Romance.
• There are 7 categories in Golden Heart, but they are unpublished romance manuscripts...

20th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- Best Short Story, Best Single Issue/One-Shot, Best Continuing Series, Best Limited Series, Best New Series, Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8), Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12), Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17), Best Humor Publication, Best Anthology, Best Reality-Based Work and more!

23rd: Mythopoeic Award Winner (Fantasy)

• 4 categories in fantasy -- adult literature (may include YA), children's literature (up to age 13), inklings studies, and myth and fantasy studies. 

24th:  Man Booker Prize Longlist (Longlist, July; Shortlist, Sept)

• 1 category -- best novel.

August

20th: Hugo Award (Sci Fi/Fantasy, announced at Worldcon)

• 16 categories -- Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, Best Short Story, Best Related Work, Best Graphic Story, Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form & Short Form), Best Editor (Long Form and Short Form), Best Professional Artist, and more!

Teen Awards

May

20th: Andre Norton Award (a Hugo Award; Sci Fi/Fantasy)

• 1 winner for YA in Sci Fi/Fantasy.

30th: Children's Choice Book Awards - (voted by Children and YA, announced at Book Expo)

• Children and Teens can vote for their favorite finalists between March 1st and May 6th.
• 5 categories -- Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 4th grade, 5th to 6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, and teen books.

31st: Audies

• 26 audiobook categories, two of which are Young Adult and Middle Grade.

???(Day not yet announced):  Boston Globe Horn Book Award

• 3 categories -- Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. 

June

4th: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

23rd: Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

• 15 categories in Sci-Fi -- Science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, short fiction, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, artists, editors, magazines, and publishers.

July

14th: International Thriller Writers Award

• 6 categories in Thriller -- Best Hardcover Novel, Best First Novel, Best Paperback Original Novel, Best Short Story, Best YA Novel, and Best E-Book Original Novel.

19th: RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)

• 13 categories in RITA (published romance novels): Best First Book; Contemporary Romance: Long, Mid-Length, and Short; Erotic Romance; Historical Romance: Long and Short; Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance; Paranormal Romance; Romance Novella; Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements; Romantic Suspense; Young Adult Romance.
• There are 7 categories in Golden Heart, but they are unpublished romance manuscripts...

20th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- one is specifically for teens called Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17).

23rd: Mythopoeic Award Winner (Fantasy)

• 4 categories in fantasy -- adult literature (may include YA), children's literature (up to age 13), inklings studies, and myth and fantasy studies. 

August

No Awards

Children Awards

May

30th: Children's Choice Book Awards - (voted by Children and YA, announced at Book Expo)

• Children and Teens can vote for their favorite finalists between March 1st and May 6th.
• 5 categories -- Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 4th grade, 5th to 6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, and teen books.

May 31st: Audies

• 26 audiobook categories, two of which are Middle Grade and Young Listeners.

???(Day not yet announced):  Boston Globe Horn Book Award

• 3 categories -- Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. 

June

4th: Lambda (LGBT)

• 23 categories -- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and LGBTQ Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Mystery, Memoir/Biography, Romance, Anthology, Children's/YA, Drama, Erotica, Graphic Novels, Horror, and Studies. 

July

20th: Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

• 34 categories in comics -- Of these, there are Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) and Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12).

August

No Awards

Want More?

You can find the complete list of awards in our previous post, the Ultimate Book Awards Calendar. The specific dates aren't listed because they change every year, but you can check our Jan-April 2018 listings and the stay tuned for our next installment (Sept-December) in August!

Jan - April Book Awards

So many awards are going to be announced at the ALA midwinter conference two Sundays from now! But what about the other awards? When are they officially announced? We thought we'd look ahead at the next few months and share with you the exact dates. We divided them below by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children), so you can easily find your target audience.

Remember, if you don't have time to read the award winners (or have no interest), you can always head over to our spin-off blog, Spoilers, Sweetie, for quick spoilers so you can add those books to your RA toolbox and speak about them knowledgeably with patrons.

Adult Awards

January

22nd: National Book Critic’s Circle Finalists

• 30 finalists in six categories -- Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry.

28th: GRAMMYs: Best Spoken Word Album

• 1 audio book is chosen.

30th: Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 5 categories -- First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year.

February

11th: ALA Awards at Midwinter

• ALA/RUSA Listen List
• List of 12 audio books in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Plays. BONUS: It includes listen-alikes to lead listeners to additional audio experiences. To be eligible, titles must be available for purchase and circulation by libraries.
• ALA/RUSA Notable Books 
• List of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry books for the adult reader.
• ALA/RUSA Reading List
• 8 categories -- Adrenaline Titles (Suspense, Thrillers, and Action Adventure), Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Women’s Fiction. 

25th: IACP Cookbook Awards

• 16 Categories -- American; Baking; Chefs & Restaurants; Children, Youth & Family; Compilations; Culinary Travel; Food Matters; Food Photography & Styling; General; Health & Special Diet; International; Literary or Historical Food Writing; Reference & Technical; Single Subject; and more!

Bonus: Around this time, the Nebula shortlist is announced!

• List of 30 titles in outstanding science fiction and fantasy in 6 categories -- Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.

March

15th: National Book Critics Circle Awards

• 6 categories -- Autobiography, Biography, Criticism, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry.

29th: Canada Reads

• Five books, five champions, one winner: Canada Reads is a "literary Survivor," with celebrities championing books. Books are voted "off the bookshelf," one each day, until one book is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year.

April

4th: Pen/Faulkner

• 1 category -- Fiction.

7th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all Adult except for 2 Children, 2 Young Readers and 2 Teens) and best first book for new publisher in Fiction, Nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

16th: Pulitzer Prize

• 21 categories across Journalism, Books, Drama and Music.

21st: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories -- First Fiction, Biography, Autobiographical Prose, Current Interest, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comics, History, Mystery/Thriller, Poetry, Science & Technology, and Young Adult Literature.

26th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories -- Novel, First Novel, Paperback Original, Fact Crime, Critical/Biographical, Short Story , Juvenile, Young Adult, TV Episode, Robert L. Fish Memorial, Mary Higgins Clark, Grand Master, Raven Awards, and Ellery Queen Award.

27th: James Beard Cookbook Awards

• 11 categories -- American; Baking and Desserts; Beverage; General; Health and Special Diets; International; Reference, History, and Scholarship; Restaurant and Professional; Single Subject; Vegetable-Focused Cooking; Writing.

28th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories -- Best Contemporary Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best First Novel, Best Nonfiction, Best Short Story, and Best Children’s/Young Adult.

Teen Awards

January

4th: Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
10th: Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
11th: Walter Dean Myers Award (Presented by We Need Diverse Books)

• Outstanding titles for teens and young readers who celebrate diversity.

16th: Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)

30th: Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 1 of the 5 categories is "Children's Book" which can be for ages 0-18.

February

11th: ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Alex Awards (Adult books for Teens)
• Coretta Scott King Awards (African American Authors and Illustrators) 
• Belpré Medal (Latino/Latina writers and illustrators about the Latino cultural experience)
• Schneider Family Book Award (Disability experience)
• Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Updated every 5 years. Current List: 2014)
• Printz Award (Literary Excellence)
• Odyssey Award (Audiobooks for Teens)
• Rainbow List (GBLT)
• Stonewall Book Award (GBLT)
• Morris Award (First time author writing for Teens)
• Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
• Best Fiction for Young Adults
• Great Graphic Novels for Teens
• Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
• American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2016 Current List)

14th: Cybils Awards

• 12 categories including Middle-Grade Fiction, Junior/Senior High Non-Fiction, Young Adult Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction, and Young Adult Speculative Fiction.

April

7th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all Adult except for 2 Children, 2 Young Readers and 2 Teens) and best first book for new publisher in Fiction, Nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

16th: Pulitzer Prize

• 21 categories across Journalism, Books, Drama and Music.

21st: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories including one in Young Adult Literature.

26th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories, one of which is Young Adult.

28th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories --  one of which is a shared Best Children’s/Young Adult.

Children Awards

January

10th: Charlotte Zolotow Award (Picture Books)
11th: Walter Dean Myers Award (Diversity Titles presented by We Need Diverse Books)

16th: Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)
30th: Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)

• 1 of the 5 categories is "Children's Book" which can be for ages 0-18.

February

11th: ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Newbery Medal
• Caldecott Medal (Picture Book illustrations)
• Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
• Batchelder Award (Translated work)
• Belpré Medal (Latino cultural experience by Latino/a writer and illustrator)
• Carnegie Medal (Video)
• Geisel Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s) of beginning readers)
• Odyssey Award (audio books)
• Sibert Informational Book Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s))
• Wilder Award (Author or illustrator)
• Schneider Family Book Award (Disability experience)
• American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2018 will be announced)
• ALA Rainbow List (GBLT)
  

14th: Cybils Awards

• 12 categories including Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books, Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction, Elementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction, Fiction Picture Books and Board Books.

April

7th: Benjamin Franklin Awards

• 41 subject categories (all adult except for 2 children, 2 young readers and 2 teens) and best first book for new publisher in fiction, nonfiction and Children/Young Adult. 

21st: L.A. Times Book Prize

• 10 categories including one in Young Adult Literature.

26th: Edgar Awards (Mystery)

•  14 categories, one of which is Juvenile.

28th: Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)

• 6 categories --  one of which is a shared Best Children’s/Young Adult.

???: Jane Addams Peace Awards

• The Jane Addams Children's Book Award annually recognizes children's books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

Want More?

You can find the complete list of awards in our previous post, the Ultimate Book Awards Calendar. The specific dates aren't listed because they change every year, but stay tuned for our next installment (May-August) in April!

18 Excellent Podcasts for Librarians

Podcasts are the perfect companion to the busy librarian! They are useful for anyone who has a commute, many chores to do around the house, walk dogs, or engage in exercise, which we are assuming covers most of our readers. Podcasts are like talk shows or stories, that appear consistently (weekly to monthly) on your phone. (I use Podcast Addict and have them automatically downloaded as they are released so I don't use wifi while away from home. They autodelete after I listen to them.) Then, when you are out and about, you can easily play an episode and enjoy life a little bit more.

There are a million great podcasts out there (just check out the responses to this one Facebook post!) but we decided to highlight the podcasts which talk about library news and books. Maybe you'll find a new favorite!

Adventures in YA

Kristin and Sara talk about YA books in this fun and informative young adult literature podcast.

Better Library Leaders

Better Library Leaders is a podcast, blog, and Facebook community designed to explore the elements of great libraries and great library leaders. Sarah provides helpful tips, insightful interviews, and other resources that will help you make your career and your library the best they can be.

Beyond the Stacks

A podcast exploring interesting and unexpected career paths for librarians and information professionals.

Book Club for Masochists

Library staff discussing books they read that they hate. Every month, they randomly select a genre and choose a book to read and share on the podcast.

Book Riot - the Podcast

A weekly news and talk show about what's new, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading, brought to you by the editors of Book Riot.

You may also want to check out their "All the Books" which is a weekly show of recommendations and discussions on new book releases and "Get Booked" which is a weekly show of custom book recommendations.




Circulating Ideas

Circulating Ideas facilitates conversations about the innovative people & ideas allowing libraries to thrive in the 21st century.

CYA Podcast

The CYA Podcast Blog is a review site for librarians by librarians who serve youth by librarians. Books are chosen by the reviewers and will be discussed on the podcast.

Cyberpunk Librarian

Daniel Messer, the Cyberpunk Librarian, talks about ideas, trends, and cool stuff for technologically minded librarians who are high tech and low budget,









Dewey Decibel

Dewey Decibel is a new podcast series from American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association. Each month, your host and American Libraries Associate Editor Phil Morehart will be your guide to conversations with librarians, authors, thinkers, and scholars about topics from the library world and beyond.








FYI: the Public Libraries Podcast

Public Library Association's Manager of Publications, Kathleen Hughes, interviews different people in public libraries on a specific topic like bed bugs, unprogramming, and special library initiatives.

Ladies Who Library

Lady librarians who talk about their experiences in the library and the books they read.

The Librarian is In

The New York Public Library’s podcast about books, culture, and what to read next.

LibUX

Michael Schofield and Amanda L. Goodman talk design, development, and the user experience in libraries and higher-ed web.

Professional Book Nerds

We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into.

Reading Envy

A podcast where Jenny talks about the books she's been reading and brings in other readers to do the same.

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books

Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books interviews romance authors and guests from the romance community, and discusses serious issues that appear in romance lit in a fun way. Lots of book recommendations are included, too, mostly romance and suspense but other genres are periodically mentioned.

Withdrawn

Two boring librarians making libraries less boring.

The Worst Bestsellers

Worst Bestsellers is a podcast where Kait, Renata, and a guest talk about popular books of questionable quality. It’s kind of like How Did This Get Made? or Mystery Science Theater 3000, but for books. Their fabulous tag line is: We read stuff so you don't have to.







Do you know of any other library or book podcasts? Please share them in the comments below!

Hijack Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads: Install the free Library Extension

Wouldn't it be awesome to easily see which of your "Want to Read" Goodreads books are currently available at your library? Or, perhaps, you're searching on Amazon for that title that you keep hearing about, and, after reading all of the reviews, you want to instantly find out if your library has a copy?

Well, now you can!

One of my favorite Chrome extensions is the "Library Extension" by Andrew Abrahamowicz. It is free and available to all libraries! If your library isn't on the list (there are over 1200 on it at the moment), you can request it via his website and he'll add it within a few days!

What We love:

1. The extension connects your library's catalog to sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. 

So, when you are viewing a book or ebook, you can easily see if it is also available at your library. For Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the extension appears on the right. In Goodreads, it appears in the middle, under the editions.

Amazon Screenshot

Goodreads Screenshot

2. It is so convenient to use! 

You just click the "borrow" button and it brings you to your library's catalog, directly to the book you wanted.

3. It allows you to harness the great browsing and searching power of Amazon and Goodreads, but easily see availability from your library's catalog. 

I've also used it to make sure my collection has the top rated books, quickly finding what I was missing and then ordering. It can also be helpful when developing Reader's Advisory lists.

4. You can connect to as many libraries and consortiums as you want. 

Just remember to go back to your extension after you install it to click on "tools" and then you can select what libraries you want to see. Or just go to this handy link after installation: chrome-extension://chkgcmmjoejpekoegkedcpifgfhpjmec/config.html

5. Fabulous customer service. 

They quickly add new libraries when requested (usually within 24 hours) and fix any bugs that you come across (from books being linked incorrectly to books not showing up when they are indeed available). This is impressive work from a free extension! They do want to know of any problems, so please let them know.

How Does It Work?

This extension connects your library's catalog to these sites. They use the title and author for matches between the two catalogs, so sometimes (since we all know how great our library catalog works), it may not work properly. But in my experience, the bugs have been few and far between.

They do search for ebooks, too, but they are currently only able to do that for OverDrive, so if you don't have an option for ebooks for your library, that's probably the reason why.

For those of you concerned about privacy, they DO NOT track your browsing history.

Future Updates

This extension only works for Chrome right now, but they are working on a  Firefox extension. You can sign-up to be notified of when it is available.

Unfortunately, they do not include audio books, CDs, or video games. They do plan to offer a premium version in the future, and I hope they include this option in that package. Currently, they do not make any revenue off of this extension (which makes their fabulous customer service all that more impressive!).

Check it Out!

We cannot convey how much we love this extension and what Abrahamowicz has created -- and for free! One of the hardest jobs for libraries to do is be part of patrons' every day lives. This extension allows us to be integrated onto the sites that our patrons are visiting more than our own catalog. So valuable for everyone in many ways.

Definitely worth five minutes checking it out and seeing how it works. It might even be worth an extra minute telling other librarians and patrons.

Canva for Work - Free for Libraries!

As you all know by now, I am a big fan of Canva. I've talked about it a few times on here... I cannot recommend it enough. It is the perfect program for people who are ready for something more professional than Microsoft Word/Publisher but less intimidating than Adobe InDesign. Personally, I've found it so easy to use and it's upped my design skills.

But a new development has made me even more excited about Canva. A few months ago, they rolled out Canva for Work, which takes the free Canva account and upgrades it with a paid subscription for special features. I was intrigued, but I didn't try the trial because I was afraid I would fall in love with it and I wasn't ready to pay. But then I got a tip from the Libraries & Social Media Facebook Group that Canva for Work is free for nonprofits. I was disappointed to learn they asked for a 501c(3) nonprofit form first, which we don't have, but then I found out they do accept Tax Exempt forms.

I immediately upgraded my work account. They put it on a trial mode and then when the trial ended, they accepted our nonprofit status. Yay!!!

And I LOVE IT. Here's a picture tour of all the goodies:

In the first photo, I was pleased to see that my personal account was separated from the Canva for Work Team Account. I have to click on my library account to access all work designs.

Easily move between your personal and work accounts!

When you switch over to the Canva for Work Account, your dashboard adds a few new features. As you can see below, you can easily see your own designs, the designs that were only shared with you, and your whole teams' designs, called the "Team Stream."

Simple but upgraded dashboard

When you go to "Your Brand", you can make your own templates for Presentation, Facebook Post, Twitter, Instagram, Flyer, Pinterest, Invitation, Letterhead, Business Card, Gift Certificate, Poster, Card, Facebook Cover, and Custom. What a time saver! We use Custom to make images for our Website Slider and our Digital Picture Frame.

Scroll down and make templates for flyers, social media, and more!

The Brand Kit is really awesome! You can save your own colors and they'll default to the top of your color palette in any document. You can upload fonts and set each heading to different font types and sizes. And you can upload your logos for easy locating later.

Brand Kit Part 1: Set your own color palette. These colors default to the top of Fonts, Background, and Elements.

Brand Kit Part 2: Set your own fonts and sizes. Upload the fonts you want!

Your Brand Kit fonts show up in EVERY template as the default setting.

Brand Kit Part 3: Upload your logos for easy locating later.

Brand Kit Logos appear under "Uploads",
in their own folder.

One of the big advantages with Canva for Work is that you can use it with a group of people in your organization. So, you can invite up to ten people to join your "team" and you can set them to be Administrators, Template Designers, or just Members. All teammates can create and share designs. Template Designers are in control of the templates and brand kit and Administrators can do that as well as manage team members.

The benefit of being part of a team is that you can easily show your design to ONLY team members. When you finish your design, you can click on "Showing" in the top right and you'll see that option.

The images will appear in the Team Stream and anyone can easily make changes to it. They just click on your image and then click "Remix". No more having to email everyone through the share option on each design when you want some feedback. So simple and easy to use!

Just click the green "Remix" to make quick changes.

But of course, the greatest feature is their "Magic Resize" option. You can take any design, go to File and then choose which formats you want it in. It was pretty impressive. As you can see below, it kept all the images in the correct proportions and just changed the background size behind it. It wasn't always perfect (sometimes there's too much space and not enough design), but still a huge time saver!

All the options for resizing your current design.

 Example of Resizing:

Size: Small Flyer

Size: Facebook Post

Size: Twitter

And that ends our photo tour. If you really enjoy Canva, I highly recommend upgrading to Canva for Work and applying for the nonprofit status. There is so much to gain and all you have to do is scan in a copy of your Tax Exempt form.

Thanks, Canva, for supporting nonprofits!

For more articles on Canva, check out:
Canva: Make Easy Designs in Little Time
5 Secret Tricks to Using Canva Like a Pro

Book Vendors Dominate Amazon with these 5 Features

Sure, Amazon has great prices. And they probably have a larger book selection than your book vendor, too. But there are other much more important ways your book vendor has Amazon beat. I only have access to Ingram, so I will include screenshots from there, but other major book vendors also have similar features, so look for them and/or ask your vendor representative.

1. FULL TEXT REVIEWS 

Check to see if your book vendor offers full text reviews. Many of them do, though it might cost a little for this upgrade. Do it -- it's worth the money! Whenever you are looking up a book, it's so convenient to be able to scroll down and read all of the reviews, in full text, right there from such journals as SLJ, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book Magazine, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, BookPage, and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

2. STARRED REVIEWS, READY, IN YOUR CART

Book vendors like Ingram offer review alerts. This feature allows you to select journals and age groups from which you want reviews. You can be notified of all reviews, just 5 star reviews, or any combination thereof. They put the books in cart for you to browse through. You can delete what you don't want and order the rest. In Ingram, they create a new cart every two weeks.

3. UPDATE NONFICTION PAINLESSLY

When I weed nonfiction, I now scan the ISBN of my weeded book and search via the Dewey number or LC call number (They are clickable links). It immediately brings me to the latest books in that subject area. You can limit the search by audience so you can then only see the books for your particular age-group. Big time saver! And, since you upgraded to the full-text reviews, you can read the reviews on these books right away.

4. EXPAND YOUR FICTION EASILY

Don't forget the browsing features in your book vendor's program. Ingram has categories where you can search by character traits, locations, ethnic orientations, and more. Determine where your collection is weak and then browse those categories to beef up those sections. Bonus: This could also be really helpful when planning special displays, if you are familiar with what you have in your collection.

5. ORDER AWARD WINNERS IN SECONDS

Check to see if your book vendor makes special carts, especially for award winners. Sure, it is simple enough for you to look up each individual title, but you'll save a lot of time just browsing a premade cart. Give your nine fingers to break, and just use one to click next.

BONUS: AUTO ORDERS / REPORTS

It seems obvious, but I didn't know this when I first started and I still meet people who weren't taught this in graduate school. Many book vendors offer automatic ordering. (For some reason, I had assumed this was only an option for the "big" libraries. Nope, anyone can do this). You can select your patrons' favorite authors or series (especially manga/graphic novels), and (for Ingram at least) every two weeks, the vendor will create a cart of them. You can view the cart, delete anything, and after the deadline, it sends the cart off as an auto order. If you are keeping a close eye on your budget, you'll be happy to know that you can change the auto order option to be "just a report" whenever you want. If you prefer just to receive a report every two weeks, that is fine, too. You can manually order the report or move those titles into other book carts.

Have any additional tricks with how to get the most out of a book vendor? Please share below!

The Ultimate Book Awards Calendar

In preparation for Spoilers, Sweetie, I hunted for a list of book awards, arranged by the month they are announced. I had no luck, so decided to create one and share it with you all. Enjoy! They are divided by age groups (Adults, Teens, and Children), so you can easily find your target audience.

Adult Awards

January

ALA Awards (Midwinter)

• ALA/RUSA Listen List
• ALA/RUSA Notable Books
• ALA/RUSA Reading List (Genre Fiction)

National Book Critic’s Circle Finalists
Costa Book of the Year (UK & Ireland)
BCALA (Black Caucus)
Carnegie Medal (ALA)

February

GRAMMYs: Best Spoken Word Album
Nebula shortlist

March

National Book Critics Circle Awards
Canada Reads
Bram Stoker Awards (Horror)

April

L.A. Times Book Prize
Pulitzer Prize
Benjamin Franklin Awards
Edgar Awards (Mystery)

April/May (may come out either month)

IACP Cookbook Awards
Pen/Faulkner
Agatha Awards (Traditional Mystery)
James Beard Cookbook Awards

May

Audies (Audiobooks and spoken word entertainment)
Christian Book Awards
Nebula Award (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Man Booker International Prize (Translated Fiction)

June

Women's Prize for Fiction, Bailey's (formerly The Orange Prize)
Lambda (LGBT)
Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

July

Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)
International Thriller Writers Award
RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)
Shirley Jackson (Psychological Suspense, Horror, and the Dark Fantastic)
Man Booker Prize Longlist (Longlist, July; Shortlist, Sept)
Mythopoeic Award (Fantasy)

August

Hugo Award (Sci Fi/Fantasy)

Sept

Man Booker Prize Shortlist (Longlist, July; Shortlist, Sept)
National Book Awards (Longlist)
Christy Finalists (Christian Fiction)

October

Giller (Shortlist)
Anthony Award (Crime Fiction/Mystery)
Nobel Prize in Literature
Kirkus Prize
Man Booker Prize
National Book Awards (Shortlist)

November

World Fantasy
Giller (Winner)
National Book Awards
Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)
Christy (Christian Fiction)

December

PEN Literary Awards Longlist
Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Teen Awards

January

ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Alex Awards (Adult books for teens)
• Coretta Scott King Awards
• Belpré Medal* (Latino/Latina writer and illustrator about Latino cultural experience)
• Schneider Family Book Award* (Disability experience)
• Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Updated every 5 years. 2014 Current List)
• Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production*
• Printz Award
• Odyssey Award (Audiobook)
• Rainbow List (GBLT)
• Stonewall Book Award (GBLT)
• Morris Award
• Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
Best Fiction for Young Adults
Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)
Costa Children's Book Award (UK & Ireland)

February

Cybils Awards
American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2016 Current List)

March

Walter Dean Myers Award (Presented by We Need Diverse Books)
Bram Stoker Awards (Horror)

April

IACP Cookbook Awards
L.A. Times Book Prize
Benjamin Franklin Awards

May

Edgar Awards (Mystery)
Children's Choice Book Awards - (voted by Children and YA)
Andre Norton Award (a Hugo Award; Sci Fi/Fantasy)
Boston Globe Horn Book Award
Audies (Audiobooks and spoken word entertainment)
Christian Book Awards

June

Lambda (LGBT)
Locus Awards (Sci-Fi)

July

Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

International Thriller Writers Award 

RITA / Golden Heart Awards (Romance)
Mythopoeic Award Finalist (fantasy)

September

National Book Awards: Young People's Literature Longlists

October

Teens' Top Ten
Kirkus Prize: Young Readers

National Book Awards Finalists

November

National Book Awards Winners

Christy (Christian Fiction)
Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)

December

Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Children Awards

January

ALA Youth Media Awards (Midwinter)

• Newbery Medal
• Caldecott Medal (Picture Book illustrations)
• Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
• Batchelder Award (Translated work)
• Belpré Medal (Latino cultural experience by Latino/a writer and illustrator)
• Carnegie Medal (video)
• Geisel Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s) of beginning readers)
• Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
• Sibert Informational Book Medal (author(s) and illustrator(s))
• Wilder Award (Author or illustrator)
• Schneider Family Book Award (Disability experience)

Phoenix Award (Chapter book/Picture Book)

Charlotte Zolotow Award (Picture Book)

ALA Rainbow List (GBLT)
Scott O'Dell Award (Historical Fiction)
Costa Children's Book Award (UK & Ireland)

February

Cybils Awards
American Indian Library Association (Every two years; 2016 Current List)

March

Walter Dean Myers Award (Presented by We Need Diverse Books)

April

IACP Cookbook Awards
Benjamin Franklin Awards
Jane Addams Peace Awards
Edgar Award

May

Children's Choice Book Awards
Boston Globe Horn Book Award
Audies (Audiobooks and spoken word entertainment)
Christian Book Awards

June

Lambda (LGBT)

July

Eisners (comics, announced at ComicCon)

October

Kirkus Prize: Young Readers

November

Costa Book Shortlist (UK & Ireland)

December

Goodreads Choice (by readers)

Special thanks to Krystal Smith for help with compiling this list!

21 Awesome Instagram Accounts for Reposting!

If you are participating in the Instagram Challenge, you'll see that on Day 20, we suggest that you follow bookish Instagram accounts and repost one on your account. We recommend this because there just isn't enough time in the day for busy librarians to keep up with Instagram accounts.

But there's good news -- we're not the only ones who love books and want to post about them. And there are many other people who have the time, the budget, the props, and the expertise to post fantastic Instagram images. Images that are perfect for libraries to repost (and, of course, tag back to the original account!).

So, to help you get started with Day 20's challenge, here's a list of 21 accounts that you may want to follow and repost*. :)

Publishers

The first accounts I'd highly recommend following are publishers. They have great content from beautiful book covers (all of them are quality pictures because they want to sell the book!) to author spotlights to fun bookish quotes. Bonus -- learn about new books coming out that you can order for your collection!

https://instagram.com/harpercollinsus/
https://instagram.com/gallerybooks/
https://instagram.com/penguinrandomhouse/
https://instagram.com/penguinusa/
https://instagram.com/scholasticinc/
https://instagram.com/simonandschuster/
https://instagram.com/simonbooks/

Book Stores

Book stores are also great accounts to follow. The following ones below have quality pictures and many images that libraries can repost and tag back. Bonus points when they have an author visit and take a photo of them holding onto their book!

https://instagram.com/barnesandnoble/
https://instagram.com/powellsbooks/
https://instagram.com/strandbookstore/

Book Websites / Accounts

And there are some really awesome book websites (or even just unique Instagram accounts) that are fun to follow and highlight at times on your own account.

https://instagram.com/bookexpoamerica/
https://instagram.com/bookporn/
https://instagram.com/bookquotes/
https://instagram.com/bookriot/
https://instagram.com/subwaybookreview/
https://instagram.com/thebookcon/
https://instagram.com/weneeddiversebooks/

Bonus: YA Lit

Since I'm a Teen Librarian, I thought I'd share a few other YA Lit accounts that I really enjoyed. Any library can use them, too, since YA Lit is the hottest genre at the moment... Though, my opinion might be slightly biased.
https://instagram.com/epicreads/

https://instagram.com/fiercereads/
https://instagram.com/simonteen/
https://instagram.com/thisisteen/

And these two accounts, just because WOW. If you can find a way to share an image on your account, it'll be a follower favorite!:
 https://instagram.com/samsofy.s/ and https://instagram.com/muradosmann/

* Note: Instagram does not have a feature that allows you to repost images. However, Iconosquare, Websta and other 3rd party apps will allow you to do this. Basically, these apps download the image with credit to the author and emails it to you to later upload. I do NOT recommend using any apps that doesn't place credit directly on the photo. (And don't forget to @username the original person so your followers can easily find them.)