advocacy @ your library

hawai‘i library association (hla) was founded in 1922. it aims to:

• to promote library service and the profession in hawai‘i
• to promote the continued improvement of hawai‘i libraries
• to support hawai‘i librarians in their professional roles
• to promote the participation of hawai‘i librarians and libraries in regional, national, and global arena

several hundred librarians, library students, and others gathered for the fall conference in honolulu on december 5 & 6. the theme was advocacy – assessment, campaigns, coalitions, collaboration, communication, fundraising, outreach, social media, etc. 

american library association (ala) president courtney young started us off with a lively talk – and shared some of her conference experiences on twitter.

patty wong, yolo county librarian/archivist, gave the second keynote with 10 important ideas about advocacy. 

concurrent sessions offered participants an opportunity to actively explore many issues of interest including community engagement, consortia, hawaiian knowledge, instruction, makerspaces, and preservation. exhibitors showed off their products and library and information science (lis) students organized a silent auction to fundraise for scholarships! in between formal sessions, there was time to enjoy excellent food and catch up with friends. to close, we gathered in a circle to listen to auntie puanani burgess‘s inspiring words. mahalo nui loa organizers, presenters, and participants for an outstanding conference!

check out more photos on flickr. 

incomplete list of best books

general best

Best – Boston Globe

Best – Economist

Best – Globe and Mail

Best – Houston Chronicle

Best – Huffington Post

Best – Independent

Best – Kansas City Star

Best – New York Times

Best – Publishers Weekly

Best – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Best – Seattle Times

Best – Washington Post

Best Compilation – Wall Street Journal

Best Items – BoingBoing

Best Stocking Filler – Guardian

Favorite – NPR On Point

Favorite – Newsweek

Favorite – Slate

Favorite – Star Tribune

Gift-Worthy – Star

Goodreads Choice

Great Reads – NPR

Holiday Book Gift Guide – Los Angeles Times

Notable – New York Times

Printers Row Picks

Top 100 in Print | Kindle – Amazon

Top Ten – Age

specific best

Australian Writers Pick Best – Canberra Times

Best Armchair Travel – Telegraph

Best Architecture | Art | Biographies | Fiction | Graphic Novels | Photography | Science | Sports  – Guardian

Best Audiobooks – Washington Post

Best Biographies – Independent

Best Biographies, Memoirs, and History Books – Brain Pickings

Best Bird – Guardian

Best Canadian – Canada Council for the Arts

Best Canadian – CBC

Best California-Based Cookbooks – LA Weekly

Best Cloud Computing – VoIP

Best Comics – AV Club

Best Comics – Paste

Best Cookbooks – NPR

Best Cookbooks – Telegraph

Best Crime and Thrillers – Guardian

Best Crime Fiction – Independent

Best Debuts – Independent

Best Education | Fiction | Graphic Novel | NonFiction | Poetry – Teaching for Change

Best Fiction – Christian Science Monitor

Best Food – Arizona Daily Star

Best Food – Atlantic

Best Food Part 1 – Mother Jones

Best Food – National Post

Best Graphic Novels – Salon

Best Graphic Novels – Washington Post

Best History – Telegraph

Best Independent Fiction and Poetry – Flavorwire

Best LGBT – Pridesource

Best Loo – Spectator

Best Media – Library Journal

Best Music Books – Guardian

Best Mysteries and Crime – Seattle Times

Best Nature Literature – Guardian

Best Nonfiction – Blomberg View

Best Non-Fiction by Black Authors – The Root

Best Novels – Paste

Best Paperbacks – Guardian

Best Photobooks – TIME

Best Photography and Art – Telegraph

Best Poetry – Guardian

Best Politics – Guardian

Best Romance – Washington Post

Best Science – New York Times

Best Science – Wired

Best SciFi/Fantasy – Washington Post

Best Short Stories – Guardian

Best Thrillers – Washington Post

Best Wine – New York Times

Holiday Books – Telegraph

Holiday Gift Book Recommendations – Chicago Botanic Garden

Libros Para Regalar – Galakia

Top Fiction by Latino Authors – LatinoAuthor

Top Queer and Feminist – Autostraddle

Writer Picks Part 1 and Part 2 – Guardian

young best 

Best Adult Books 4 Teens – School Library Journal

Best Children’s Books – Air and Space

Best Children’s Books – Brainpickings

Best Children’s Books – Guardian

Best Children’s Books – Spectator

Best Children’s Books – New Statesman

Best Children’s/YA – Irish Times

Best Comics | Picture Books | Middle Grade | High School | Non-Native Writers – American Indians in Children’s Literature

Best Elementary | YA – Teaching for Change

Best Kids’ Books – ABC

Best Kids’ Books – National Post

Best Picture Books – Huffington Post

Best Picture Books | Middle School | YA | Non Fiction – School Library Journal

Best YA – Mashable

Best YA – Telegraph

Best YA Novels – Bustle

Diverse Books for the Holidays – #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Great Reads – Canadian Children’s Book Center

Guide Book to Gift Books – Center for Children’s Books

Los Mejores Libros para Niños y Jóvenes – Banco del Libro

Notable Children’s Books – New York Times

Ultimate Children’s Literature Illustrator – School Library Journal 

how do you celebrate…?

Obamas go book shopping. #SmallBusinessSaturday

 there is a also campaign to #giveabook and options to donate books.

need more best books?

check out largehearted boy’s big list and this post on award winners.

consider other sources too like Pinterest (e.g. Street Lit)

and your local library (e.g., CPL and NYPL)!

know other 2014 best books lists in the news?

leave a comment with the link.

last updated 1.1.15