I am often asked how I select books for my school
library and my response is to ask how long the enquirer has because there’s no
quick, simple answer to this question. Sometimes I just buy a book from hearing
about it – I know the calibre of the author and have read several of their
books previously, it is part of a series or I can tell, from experience, that
it will be popular because of the cover or theme. Most of the time, I prefer to
physically see the book (this is especially true for non-fiction) and assess it
via the cover, blurb, dipping into it to determine its level, suitability,
relevance, ascertaining whether it fills a gap in the collection or whether it
will add to the several books I already have on that theme or subject. Often I
will buy something slightly esoteric that catches my attention and will then be
asked for exactly this topic a week later … sometimes I think there’s a sixth
sense at work. However I choose though, the process I use is a skill gained through
experience and expertise.
Thus in answer to the question, in no particular order
and most definitely not a definitive list because I’m bound to have forgotten
something:
v Talking
to friends and other librarians (either in real life or online) – not surprisingly,
many of our conversations involve books and what we have read/are reading;
v General
recommendations where people have praised a book they’ve read, often on
Facebook or Twitter, sometimes at local School Library Association (SLA) or
CILIP School Library Group (SLG) meetings - not necessarily people I know
personally;
v Specific
meetings where the focus is on new fiction; our local SLA meetings always have
a slot for book recommendations;
v Goodreads
– which enables me to see what books others are reading and what they think
about them;
v Tweets
from librarians, authors, publishers, people that inhabit the book world;
v Enewsletters
from the CILIP YLG (Youth Libraries Group), publishers and other literacy-related
organisations such as Booktrust and the National Literacy Trust. These
organisations also have useful booklists;
v Websites
that focus on teen/YA books, reviewed by young people, librarians, adults … too
many to mention or keep up with, the best way is to use what works for you;
v Publishers’
catalogues;
v Browsing
in bookshops and other libraries (both school and public);
v Conferences
– where we have author talks, publishers’ stands, meet other librarians and
talk lots about books;
v Author’s
news via Twitter, Facebook, their own websites;
v Pinterest;
v Book
Awards – definitely the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway but there are all sorts of
others: SLA Information Book Award, Excelsior, Blue Peter, Roald Dahl Funny
Prize, Peter’s, Bookseller’s YA Award. Not to mention local ones such as the
Berkshire and Hampshire Book Awards. And I don’t just look at the winners but
also what made the shortlists too;
v SLS
meetings and book exchanges – if you still have one!;
v Newspapers
and magazines – although there’s not enough in them about children’s/teen/YA
books;
v Newsletters
from companies such as Peter’s, Scholastic, Waterstones, etc.;
v Reading
books – the majority of my personal reading is teen/YA, often chosen for myself
but then added to my school collection.
All these sources combine
to create a sort of multi-input into my consciousness of “information about
books” which is the start of the process of “selecting books” – you can’t make
any choices unless you know what’s available. It’s difficult to ascertain the
exact number of children’s/teen/YA books published each year (although the
Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook suggest about 10,000) but regardless of the
number, it is a necessity for me to keep up-to-date, maintain awareness, sign
up for (and read) relevant newsletters, check out social media sources, be
aware of trends, popular authors, curriculum topics, my own students’ needs and
interests as well as what’s coming next to help me make an informed selection
as to what to buy. Especially as I have both a limited budget and available
space.
I see this as part of my
job and it’s something I cannot do at my desk so is often done in my own time.
This is true for almost every school librarian I know. Fortunately, I’m
slightly obsessed with books and even just reading about them gives me pleasure
(not to mention making my to-read list exceptionally long) but this is also why
I argue that librarians are the “book experts” in schools …
