ALA is seeking nominations for the 2018 I Love My Librarian Award, which recognizes librarians for transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. The national award invites library users to nominate their favorite librarians working in public, school, college, community college or university libraries. Nominations are being accepted now through October 1!

To submit a nomination, visit the I Love Libraries page.

ICYMI - there is still time to nominate your favorite librarian for this award!

2018 YA Reads by Authors of Color

#PrettyBoy Must Die by Kimberly Reid - A CIA prodigy’s cover is blown when he accidentally becomes an internet sensation, inspired by the #Alexfromtarget story.

96 Words of Love by Rachel Roy & Ava Dash - James Patterson Presents a modern retelling of a classic Indian legend, 96 Words for Love is a touching coming-of-age story that reads like Eat, Pray, Love for teens.

500 Words or Less by Juleah del Rosario - To redefine her reputation senior year, Nic Chen begins writing their college admissions essays. But the more essays Nic writes for other people, the less sure she becomes of herself, and whether her moral compass even points north anymore.

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribar - A powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen’s mission to create a better life for his family in the tradition of Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers.   

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena - When half-Hindu, half-Parsi school troublemaker Zarin Wadia dies in a car crash with a boy named Porus, no one in her South Asian community in Jeddah is surprised—what else would you expect from a girl like that?

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi -  After their home in Syria is bombed, Tareq and family seek refuge, first with extended family in Raqqa, a stronghold for the militant group, Daesh, and then abroad.

A Reaper At the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir - Within the Empire, the threat of war looms, putting Laia, Helene, and Elias at risk. 

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman - 15 bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate. 

All of This is True by Lygia Day Penaflor - Four privileged Long Island teens befriend their favorite YA author with disastrous results.

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages edited by Saundra Mitchell - A historical-fiction anthology shines the spotlight on queer teens, from as far back as the 1300s to the 21st century.

Keep reading

'Spectacular' ancient public library discovered in Germany

The remains of the oldest public library in Germany, a building erected almost two millennia ago that may have housed up to 20,000 scrolls, have been discovered in the middle of Cologne.

The walls were first uncovered in 2017, during an excavation on the grounds of a Protestant church in the centre of the city. Archaeologists knew they were of Roman origins, with Cologne being one of Germany’s oldest cities, founded by the Romans in 50 AD under the name Colonia. But the discovery of niches in the walls, measuring approximately 80cm by 50cm, was, initially, mystifying.

“It took us some time to match up the parallels – we could see the niches were too small to bear statues inside. But what they are are kind of cupboards for the scrolls,” said Dr Dirk Schmitz from the Roman-Germanic Museum of Cologne. “They are very particular to libraries – you can see the same ones in the library at Ephesus.” Read more.

Just heard about this!  The library seems to have been destroyed in one of the two assaults by the Franks on the city, 392-393 or 459.

More on the Roman city of Cologne here ->

@deadcatwithaflamethrower : ancient library in Germany!

I saw this the other day, squealed, and then promptly got distracted by something before I remembered to blog the news article. Whoops.

Anyway: SHINY library!

New York Public Library Offers Access to Classic Tales Through Instagram Stories With ‘Insta Novels’

A quick update on federal library funding for fiscal year 2019!

This is a great idea for helping to candidates for office to start thinking about their community libraries before they are even elected!

Why government investment in libraries is so vital and worthwhile by Kent Oliver (via libraryadvocates)

Three ways to recover from a reading slump:

1. Read something from your childhood.  Especially useful for rediscovering the joy you felt while reading as a kid.

2. Read something from your to-read list.  Gets you back in the habit and jump starts a desire to read all the books in your to-read list.

3. Read something you think you’ll hate.  Either you’ll hate it want to read something else you like right away, or you’ve just found a new genre to enjoy. 

Pick up that book you’ve been wanting to read/bought for the pretty cover. Open to 3 random spots (I usually go for just-past-middle, a-little-towards-front, and ten-pages-until-the-end) and read random chunks. Say “What the heck!!! What!!! How did that happen!”

Congratulations. You’re about to read another book ✌

We love these ideas!

It’s Library Postcard Monday! Check out this postcard of the Carnegie Library in Newport, KY from 1907. Is it just us or do the people in the card look really small compared to the building? https://bit.ly/2JCd0Yf

It’s Throwback Thursday! Here are WWI servicemen studying at an @americanlibraryassoc library at the Naval Radio School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. https://bit.ly/2LxxnXm