
Shelf Notes
January 2024 - Issue #8
New Libraries
We've added four new libraries to the Private Lending Library Directory at Biblioguides this month! If you have opened your library or plan to open soon, please add your listing to the directory. It's free, and it's easy to add. And you can remove or edit your listing at any time.
- Bliss of Books in Wasilla, Alaska (Echo Terry, Librarian) is "in progress, most picture books and some chapter books are viewable on LibraryThing."
- Mama Bear Lending Den in Omaha, Nebraska (Tiffany Carter, Librarian) is not open yet, but excited to begin lending soon.
- Lionheart Living Library in Johnson City, Tennessee (Alison Dykes, Librarian) is planning to open August 1, 2024! The library has 22,000+ books, including Five-in-a-Row Go-Along Totes.
- And Emily M's Lending Library in Canton, TX is still looking for an official name but Beta testing begins this winter 2024 with about 3,000 books available for lending.
Congratulations, and welcome to the club. There are now 84 private lending libraries listed in the Private Lending Library Directory in 34 states of the United States as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Small Publishers We Love
In the Small Publishers corner of the newsletter each month, we hope to draw your attention to something lovely from one of our beloved small publishers. We are so grateful for the good work that these publishers do to revive otherwise lost good, true, and beautiful books!
This month, we are particularly grateful to Purple House Press for all of their work in keeping Alta Halverson Seymour’s books available for our libraries! On this page, you will find a number of resources related to Alta including an interview the Plumfield Moms did with Jill Morgan of Purple House Press and Tanya Arnold of Biblioguides about Alta and the reprinting of her books.
Book List Recommendations
In this section of the newsletter each month, we want to highlight book lists that we have found to be particularly good for librarians. The Plumfield Book Club Quick Start list is a very short list of books that make excellent first books for new adult reading buddies or new book clubs.
Book Club Guides With Librarians In Mind
One of the ways that many librarians foster fellowship in their libraries is through the hosting of book clubs. You certainly need not do anything of the kind if it doesn’t suit your needs or preferences! But, if you are looking for some assistance in creating dynamic book clubs for your patrons, Plumfield is creating an entire series of book club guides to help! Each guide includes questions, background information, enrichment options, writing opportunities, and more. Also included in each PDF guide are invitations, bookmarks, participant journals, leader prep sheets, and other things you can print easily to make the experience more complete. Because you are a subscriber to Shelf Notes, you can download The Princess and the Goblin for free! Just email Plumfield and let them know that you would like to have The Princess and the Goblin Book Club Guide (plumfieldandpaideia@gmail.com). And if you have friends who would like to have our free book club guide on The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, please have them email us or go to our guide page, here. You can hear the story behind these new book club guides on the Plumfield Moms State of the Podcast episode, here.
Our Librarian Life, December 2023
If you are a new subscriber to Shelf Notes or if you were busy in December and didn't have a chance to listen to the December Our Librarian Life episode of Plumfield Moms podcast, here it is. Listen in as we chat about mold, our words of the year, and the 1924 Project. You can find the show notes and the podcast by clicking on the picture or the link above. You can also read more about moving or storing your library and how to take good care of the books in an article at The Card Catalog by Kathy Twitichell, How Do I Move an Entire Library or Put it in Storage For a While?
Private Lending Library News
- Learning How to Live is the theme of the 4th Annual ADE at HOME {Virtual} Conference, hosted by Librarians Liz Cottrill and Emily Kiser of Living Books Library in Bristol TN. Librarians Michelle Howard, Sherry Early, Sandy Hall, Mary Schubert, and Heather Johnson will be talking about their private lending libraries in a panel discussion on Saturday, February 3rd during the conference.
- Sandy Hall (Hall's Living Library, Dallas, GA) is excited to be adding over a dozen Stephen Meader books to the library. Meader's books are especially enjoyed by boys, reading level about Grade 4 to 9. These fiction and historical fiction novels were purchased from Southern Skies publishing. Southern Skies gives a 40% Large-Volume Discount for orders over $250.
- Amanda Smith (His Word Christian Library, Chickasha, OK) has a new space for her library. "We presented a formal proposal to the pastor at our new church, and he was thrilled. My husband, myself and the pastor immediately looked at the available spaces in the church and found what would work for us. So I am beyond excited because we'll get to open the library back up soon." Look for a sample proposal for requesting space in a church to be posted at The Card Catalog soon.
- Ashley Borrego (Cornerstone Living Library, Lilburn, GA) is hosting a stitching circle! All library families are invited to bring their needles and yarn and sit around knitting/crocheting.
- Shannon Tobias Memorial Lending Library (Librarian Jolene Ceravalo, Farmington, MN) is continuing the Treasured Pages Book Club for moms with one book scheduled monthly through July. They will be reading and discussing Moms Night Out by Tricia Goyer, Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson, Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower, Standing Strong by Allie Worthington, Bookends by Liz Curtis Higgs, and Your Powerful Prayers by Susie Larson.
- Matthews Christian Library (Librarian Tiffany Slack, Matthews, NC) recommends new titles in the library published by local business Bandersnatch Books, including the intriguing children's chapter book, Zao's Tales by J.A. Sommer. Young adults will also want to check out Rosefire by Carolyn Clare Givens and the Daughter of Arden trilogy by Loren G. Warnemuende.
- Librarian Amanda Moore, (Helen Living Library, Helen, WV) writes: "Since it gets dark early during these winter months, I’m adjusting the hours slightly. From 3:00 to 5:00 on Mondays and Thursdays, I’m hoping to give kids a place to come and search for a new book to read, a place to play and build with LEGOs, a place to make some art or work a puzzle, and somewhere safe in the community to hang out with friends and play a board game. The library is a place for adults too!" What a great idea!
- The picture at the top of this news round-up is from Cottage Acres Lending Library in Oklahoma. Mollie Kunkee is the librarian. Doesn't that look cozy and inviting?
We love hearing about what you are doing in your private lending library. If you have news of events or new endeavors in your library, please share with us by email at thecardcataloglibrarians@gmail.com.