One of the things I’ve been thinking about once my LFL is open is keeping it stocked. While I am pretty sure I have quite a few books ready for my initial opening, I want to be sure it doesn’t become stagnant. I’ve been thinking in the long run, what I want to do. I read about “take overs,” where LFL stewards dedicate their library to just one author, one book (for new releases or local authors), or one theme.
So building upon that, I wanted to build a calendar to help me identify opportunities to add a little flavor to my LFL. Here are some literary holidays I uncovered, feel free to use them for your library!
January
- National Book Month
- National Book Week (third full week of January)
- Celebrity Read a Book Week (last full week of January)
- 16 – Book Publishers Day
- 18 – Winnie the Pooh Day
February
- Library Lovers’ Month
- African American Read-In
- First Week – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
- 23 – Printed Book Day
March
- 2 – National Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss Day
- 4 – National Grammar Day
- 28 – Children’s Picture Book Day
April
- Drop Everything and Read Month
- Second Week – Library Week
- Fourth Week – Reading is Fun Week
- 2 – International Children’s Book Day
- 12 – National Drop Everything and Read Day
- 13 – Library Worker’s Day, Scrabble Day and National Bookmobile Day
- 16 – National Librarian Day
- 16 – Book-of-the-Month Club Birthday
- 23 – Shakespeare’s birthday
- 25 – Book Day and Lover’s Day (Spain)
- 25 – World Book and Copyright Day (Shakespeare’s Birthday)
- 28 – Great Poetry Reading day
May
- 1 – Mother Goose Day
- 10-16 – Children’s Book Week
June
- GLBT Book Month
- Second Week – National Bathroom Reading Week
- 16 – Bloomsday (celebrates James Joyce’s Ulysses)
- 28 – Paul Bunyan Day
July
- Third Week of July – Hemingway Days
- 4-6 – National Tom Sawyer Days
August
- 9 – Book Lovers day
- 30 – Frankenstein Day
September
- Library Card Sign-Up Month
- National Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month
- Fourth week – Banned Books Week and Tolkien Week
- 8 – International Literacy Day
- 13 – Ronald Dahl’s birthday
- 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day, Curiosity Day with Curious George
- 22 – Hobbit Day
- 23 – Dear Diary Day
- 28 – National Book Festival
October
- National Book Month
- Third Week – Teen Read Week
- 7 – Dead Poets Remembrance Day
- 16 – Dictionary Day
- 18-24 – National Friends of Libraries Week
- 30 – Talk Like Jane Austen Day
November
- Picture Book Month
- 4th week – National Short Story Week
- 1 – National Family Literacy Day
- 9-13 – Young Readers Week
December
- Read a New Book Month
- 7 – Letter Writing Day
- 23 – Roots Day
For additional ideas, check out the calendar by USBORNE Books (h/t to steward Stephanie Thompson for the find).
References