In this issue:
- Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
- Canadian authors shortlisted for international awards
- Reading from coast to coast
- Thomas King, Linwood Barclay, H. N. Khan shortlisted for crime writing awards
- Upcoming library conferences
- It's almost summer reading club time
- Webinars
- Featured title for adults: In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark
- Top five books
- Top five for kids
- Featured title for young adults: Then Everything Happens at Once
- Top five for teens
- Service tip: Starting in the middle
- Stay connected!
Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
In April we celebrated World Book Day, a day created by UNESCO in 1995 to foster a worldwide celebration of books and reading. This year the focus of the day is on Indigenous languages, and we are delighted to highlight some of the unique books in our collection written by Indigenous authors which incorporate Indigenous languages. You can learn more on our blog.
Spring seems to be a special time for celebrating books, especially for kids and teens. This month many of the children and teen’s literature programs, including Forest of Reading, Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Awards and Hackmatack, all concluded their voting periods. In the next few weeks, we’re looking forward to learning which authors will take home the honours and we’re grateful to these organizations for including and recognizing the importance of accessible books in their programs.
At BCLA this month, I was delighted to present alongside colleagues from NNELS and PRCVI about the findings from the PLARC study “Is Your Public Library Accessible?”. The full report will be available on the AccessibleLibraries.ca website in the coming weeks. The CELA team will be presenting on a variety of topics at conferences across the country in the next few weeks. If you are at the Saskatchewan or Manitoba Library Association conferences, or Little Branches Rural Roots in Ontario, we’d love for you to say hello!
We also wanted to congratulate the Ontario Library Service for their successful launch of the “CELA Service in Ontario Public Libraries” certificate program and we’re thrilled to see so many library staff take part in this training program.
And lastly, as we get ready for the upcoming Summer Reading Clubs, I wanted to thank you for supporting people with print disabilities by including accessible books and activities in your programming. If you’d like some suggestions, you can check out our booklists and resources for summer reading clubs.
Happy reading!
Laurie Davidson
Canadian authors shortlisted for international awards
Congratulations to Montreal author Kim Thúy whose novel Em is the sole Canadian title to make the shortlist for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award. The prize recognizes the best work of fiction in English or translated into English in the world and the winner receives €100,000. Originally written in French and translated to English, Em was also on the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.
The Sleeping Car Porter, written by Giller Prize winner Suzette Mayr, has been shortlisted for the $206K Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
And two Canadian poets are on the shortlist for the revamped Griffin Poetry Prize. Susan Musgrave has been nominated for her collection Exculpatory Lilies and Iman Mersal's collection The Threshold, which has been translated from the original Arabic, is also on the shortlist.
Congratulations to them all!
Reading from coast to coast
With so many miles between our coasts, it's often the stories that connect us. This spring, literary awards programs on each coast have announced their shortlist of nominees. Wherever you live, you might want to check out the books which have been nominated for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes or the Atlantic Book Awards.
Both awards celebrate the achievements of their respective region’s writers, illustrators and publishers and promote their work.
BC and Yukon Book Prize
Atlantic Book Awards
Thomas King, Linwood Barclay, H. N. Khan shortlisted for crime writing awards
Thomas King, Linwood Barclay, and H.N. Khan are among the many writers shortlisted for the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing.
The annual awards were established by the Crime Writers of Canada in 1984, and promote the best in mystery, crime, suspense fiction and crime nonfiction by Canadian authors.
Deep House by Thomas King
Take your breath away by Linwood Barclay
Wrong side of the Court by H. N. Khan
To read other nominees in our collection, check out our list.
Upcoming library conferences
Come visit us at the upcoming library conferences and join in on our sessions. We'd love to see you!
Saskatchewan Libraries Conference,
May 3-5 Saskatoon
Visit our booth and join Faline Bobier and Saskatchewan member library colleagues Patricia Meddins and Amanda D. Lepage, who together will be presenting Libraries Expand Horizons for Patrons and Staff. The session will include a description of accessible formats and the various options for reading technologies offered by CELA to member libraries and their patrons, as well as a discussion of innovative approaches to delivering accessible library services, developed by the Welcoming Initiatives team at Saskatoon Public Library.
Little Branches Rural Roots,
May 4-6 Arnprior, Ontario
Jessica Desormeaux will be presenting "CELA in your Library", which will give an overview of CELA's services for libraries with practical information on the different ways libraries can help their patrons with print disabilities access reading materials.
Ontario Association of Library Technicians,
May 12
Join Rachel Breau as she presents Supporting reading success using books in accessible formats: CELA’s collection of audiobooks, e-text and braille books for students with print disabilities.
Manitoba Library Conference,
May 18-19
We have two presentations at the Manitoba Conference this year. Laurie Davidson will join colleagues from NNELS to discuss Accessibility in Small and Rural Public Libraries: Where to Start?, and Rachel Breau, Manager of Member Services and Jessica Desormeaux, Communications and Access Specialist, will join Clint Curle, Director South Interlake Regional Library to present a workshop on accessible reading materials and how CELA's services and collection can help libraries meet the requirements for the Accessible Manitoba Act.
University of Guelph Accessibility Conference
May 24 10:15am
Faline will be discussing the Public Library Accessibility Resource Centre as part of the session Developments in Accessibility Metadata in Library Catalogues with Christopher Carr, from Concordia University in Montreal.
It's almost summer reading club time
This summer, support fun activities and encourage a love of reading for kids with print disabilities by ensuring you offer accessible programming and books! Library staff can learn about making their TD Summer Reading Club accessible and access book titles in CELA’s collection on the Plan for Accessibility page.
Visit our Kids and Teens Awards page for links to reading lists for various Summer Reading clubs. We also invite you to browse accessiblelibraries.ca for resources that cover accessibility in all aspects of library service.
Libraries participating in the TD Summer Reading Club should note that this year, the pre-reader and school-age notebooks have been designed with accessibility in mind so separate accessible notebooks have been discontinued. Audio, accessible text, including in OpenDyslexic font and braille versions of the two notebooks will be available on the TD Summer Reading Club site.
Webinars
Are there topics related to accessibility that you would like to see included in our webinars? We regularly update our content and always appreciate hearing ideas from library staff. Send your suggestions to members@celalibrary.ca.
Introducing CELA’s New Service for the Envoy Connect Audiobook Device
CELA is excited to be launching our new service for the Envoy Connect, an affordable and simple-to-use audiobook player as a new delivery option this spring. This webinar will get you up to speed on everything you need to know to support your library patrons using it. We’ll cover:
- what the Envoy Connect is
- why it matters for your patrons and library
- how to use it and its associated software
- common support issues and where to find help documents
Audience: Public library staff
Length: 60 minutes
Wednesday, May 17 1:00-2:00pm EDT
Orientation webinar
An overview of CELA service, including collections offered, eligibility, how to order DAISY audio books or other alternative format books for your library, patron registration, and promotional ideas.
Frontline staff webinar
This webinar will provide an introduction to CELA services for your colleagues who need to understand the basics about your CELA service so they can direct patrons appropriately.
Educator Access Program webinar
This webinar will introduce the CELA Educator Access program which allows public libraries to offer educators at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels in their community access to CELA services on behalf of students with print disabilities. This webinar is for both educators and public library staff.
Featured title for adults: In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark
From acclaimed author Jonathan Garfinkel, a Cold War revenge story three decades in the making. In 1975, Gary Ruckler attends classes at Moscow State University as part of the first American Fulbright program in the USSR. Here he befriends Anna, her boyfriend Zaza, and their enigmatic friend Aslan. When Aslan mysteriously disappears into the mountains of Kazbegi, Georgia, Gary is swept up in events beyond his understanding and control.
Fifteen years later, Tamar and Giorgi struggle through the "lost" decade of the 1990s in Tbilisi. Through three civil wars, a refugee crisis, and near-total societal collapse, the pair come of age in the underground arts scene. Then Tamar meets Rachel Grabinsky, head of an international pro-democracy NGO, who changes her life forever. In Toronto, 2003, Tamar and Rachel's son Joseph uncover astonishing truths about a woman they thought they knew. Who was Rachel Grabinsky? What was she really doing in Georgia? And how was she connected to Gary Ruckler? Part political mystery and part family drama, In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark is an energetic, gritty, and darkly funny novel that unfolds across multiple generations and explores the fractured nature of identity, the necessity of lies, and the bloody legacy of the Soviet Empire.
Read In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark by Jonathan Garfinkel.
Top five books
Most popular with our readers this month:
- The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes Suspense and thrillers
- The Boys from Biloxi: A legal thriller by John Grisham Suspense and thrillers
- Spare by The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry Journals and memoirs
- In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark by Jonathan Garfinkel Historical fiction
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Contemporary romance
Top five for kids
Most popular with kids this month: 
- Superfudge by Judy Blume
- Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball (Cam Jansen #6) by David A. Adler
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- Famous Five: Five on Finniston Farm by Enid Blyton
- Anne of Avonlea: Anne of Green Gables Series, book 2 by L. M. Montgomery
Featured title for young adults: Then Everything Happens at Once
From the Lambda Award-winning author of Girl Mans Up comes an empowering, sex-positive coming-of-age story about a teen exploring first love and desire, as her rocky relationship with her own body and a pandemic threaten to sabotage everything. Perfect for fans of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega and Cool for the Summer.
Baylee has never been kissed but she wants to do way more than that. She's had a huge crush on her gorgeous best friend and neighbor Freddie for years, but since she doesn't look like his usual type, the judgmental voice in her head tells her he'll never see her as more than a friend.
It feels like she'll spend the rest of high school fantasizing on the sidelines while everyone else dates and hooks up. Then Baylee meets Alex online and she starts to fall for this sweet, funny barista who likes her just as she is. It's new, electric, and all-consuming to be around Alex. But when Freddie makes a move on Baylee and a virus shuts the world down, Baylee finds herself torn. Everything is happening at once, and she is left navigating the messy waters of love and desire. It helps that she's observed her friends' relationship drama, so she knows exactly what mistakes not to make . . . right? This sophomore novel from M-E Girard centers a fat, confident girl going after what she wants and learning to love herself along the way.
Read Then Everything Happens at Once by M-E Girard.
Top five for teens
Most popular with teens this month: 
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Cellular by Ellen Schwartz
- The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1) by Lois Lowry
- The Lost Girl (Fear Street Series) by R. L. Stine
Service tip: Starting in the middle
Love to read a book twice? Or do you want to revisit one you just didn’t get a chance to finish?
If you borrow a digital audiobook from CELA that you have previously borrowed, your Direct to Player device or app will automatically return you to the last section you read.
Stay connected!
Visit CELA's social media, including Twitter, Facebook and our blog, for more news about what's happening in the world of accessible literature.