FAQ

Voting

Please see “For Library Staff” for exact details! 

I work at a public library in the US but I don’t have my MLS/my title isn’t “librarian.” Can I vote?
Anyone who is affiliated with a public library*, at any staff level, can vote for LibraryReads. Please encourage your colleagues to join in! The only requirement is that you must have an account with either Edelweiss or NetGalley (or, both!). We do cross-check to knock out any duplicate votes, so don’t worry if you like to use both services and accidentally duplicate a vote. The biggest thing is to make certain your profile on those platforms show you work in a public library. If you are concerned your profile is not correct, send us an email and we’ll try to help! Be sure to edit your profile to identify yourself affiliated with a public library, or your vote won’t count. If you currently have a “reviewer” status but do work in a public library, please reach out to us so we can help get your vote counted!
*Yes, this includes volunteer capacity! If you are wondering if you count, the two-part test is this: are you eligible to register for NetGalley or Edelweiss in a public library capacity, and, would we be able to credit you as being affiliated with your library if we selected one of your vote annotations for publication?

What should I vote for?
Any PRE-PUB ADULT title you enjoyed. (Votes are due by 12 midnight Eastern time on the 1st of the month before a book’s publication month.)
Please do not vote for YA and Youth titles.
There is no limit to the number of books you can vote for, so vote away!

Do I wait until the month before to vote?
You don’t have to “hold” your votes until the deadline–you can submit them at any point at least one month before pub date. We get all the info from both databases and just sort by the current month as needed.

Can I vote for a book I haven’t finished by the deadline?
Absolutely, feel free to vote for something you liked but haven’t finished! It’s perfectly acceptable (and happens a lot, we know how big those TBR piles get!).

If an author makes your Hall of Fame, does that mean I don’t need to vote for their subsequent books?
Please continue to vote for authors you assume will get on the Hall of Fame, because they still need your votes! They don’t automatically make the Hall of Fame with their next title, it has to place on the list per usual.

Do I have to write a review/annotation/rating for my vote to count?
You do not have to do a review in order to vote! We love when you do, though, because they are an integral part of our list. The main things to remember, if you want them to be considered for the list, are to keep them short, to make them as informative as possible (instead of, “I loved this book!”), use RA appeal factors and readalike suggestions if you can, and know that we reserve the right to edit them for use on the list.
Ratings:  You do need to assign an overall number rating in Edelweiss to your votes. All votes are counted, regardless of the ratings assigned.

Who chooses the readalike suggestions?
Our wonderful friends at NoveList provide a readalike title for each of the list selections; annotators and our editing team select the suggestions that appear as part of each title’s annotation.

I don’t use an e-reader. Can I still vote for LibraryReads?
Absolutely! Your best bet is through Edelweiss. You can use NetGalley, however, you DO need to be approved for a title on NetGalley before you can vote for it. That doesn’t mean you have to download it, if you have a paper ARC already, but you do have to request and be approved.

For Authors/Publishers

Please see “For Publishers” for exact details!

I wrote a book/we’re publishing a book and I want people to be able to nominate it for LibraryReads. Can you help me get it out to libraries?
LibraryReads does not distribute or market copies of books. Users vote via Edelweiss and NetGalley to obtain digital (and print) copies. If you are not already familiar with these services, you can learn more here: NetGalley  Edelweiss

General

Find out more about the staff and the board at “About Us!” You can also read all about our activities in our Annual Report.

 

TOP THREE QUESTIONS FROM NEW FOLKS:
Do I have to sign up/register with LibraryReads in order to participate?
No, but you do have to register to use either Edelweiss or NetGalley (as a public library staff member) in order to access free advance reader copies and place your votes!

Does LibraryReads send out books?
No, voters access titles as e-books via Edelweiss and NetGalley, and access print ARCs by contacting our library marketing partners. See our “Resources” page for contact info!

Does it cost me or my library anything to participate?
Never! All of the materials on our website are FREE to any user; and there is no charge associated with using Edelweiss or NetGalley. We are a not-for-profit organization and are supported by the generous partnerships we have with U.S. publishers.

Why are there so many XYZ books on the list every month? Who picks these titles?
It’s not any one person or group; it’s different library staff folks from across the country! See our infographic on how the vote process works.

Where is LibraryReads located?
LibraryReads is a virtual organization, with no central office. Our Executive Director is based in Chicago, our Admin Assistant is based in New York, and our board is made up of library staff from across the country. For mailing address and phone number, email us at info@libraryreads.org.

I am interested on serving on the LibraryReads Board of Directors. How can I participate?
Our board terms last 3 years. When we are looking for new board members, we may reach out to our users via social media or other channels so that the current board can identify potential applicants. Contact the Executive Director for more information.

Who is the audience for LibraryReads?
The core audience is everyone who uses a public library, whether in person or online, whether they borrow books, attend programming, rely on library staff for reading recommendations, subscribe to newsletters, browse the shelves and stacks for reading ideas, or participate in any type of library activity.

The monthly LibraryReads list has potential that extends beyond the library community, and we are eager to hear ideas about how to effectively reach the larger reading community, via booksellers, book bloggers, book media, and beyond.

What is the relationship between LibraryReads and the two voting platforms: Edelweiss and NetGalley?
Edelweiss and NetGalley are supporting LibraryReads by accepting votes and making digital ARCs available to library staff. Their help is crucial to the program, and they’re doing it for free–we are grateful to them for their support.

What is the relationship between North American publishers and LibraryReads?
We are so grateful for our continuing relationships with the wonderful library marketing folks across all publishers. Once a book appears on the LibraryReads list, the publisher will be asked to consider providing funds to support our work and the creation and distribution of the list.  LibraryReads is also pleased to have our staff and Board members available for emceeing programs and events sponsored by various publishers.

What other partnerships do you have?
We are proud to work closely with Booklist Publications and Library Journal, who help us publicize the list and our archive; we love working with NoveList on our Crash Course webinars (and they provide our much-requested Read-alikes every month!); and we are always looking for new partnerships in the library world!

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