Today, I’m excited to share one of our amazing Literati Partners, Junior Library Guild. For nearly 100 years, JLG has been a trusted collection development partner for K–12 libraries.
I love that we can use our Literati partner credits to bring curated monthly book deliveries into our libraries and discover new books for our students.
I wanted to learn more about JLG and the work they do, so I sat down with Katie Hewii and Liz Duffy from Junior Library Guild this week.
Here is our conversation!
Friends, I am so happy you joined us to learn more about one of Literati's amazing sponsors, Junior Library Guild, or JLG.
To start, please introduce yourself Katie and Liz.
Hi! My name is Katie Hewitt, and I am a Product Manager with the marketing department at Junior Library Guild.
Hello, I’m Liz Duffy, and I am the Director of Collection Curation for Junior Library Guild.
I love that Junior Library Guild is one of the Literati Partners. For those who don't know about JLG, tell me about JLG to start.
Katie: Junior Library Guild is really all about helping libraries discover great new books for their readers. We’re part of a family of trusted library brands that includes Library Journal, School Library Journal, and The Horn Book, so we’re deeply connected to the library community.
What sets us apart is our Selection Team. Our library and literacy professionals read and evaluate thousands of books before they’re published, then choose the strongest titles and organize them into categories based on age and genre. Libraries can subscribe to the categories that make the most sense for their readers and receive one newly published book each month per category.
And because every JLG Selection is read cover to cover by a real professional, libraries get more than just the book. They also receive professional reviews, publisher resources, MARC records, and helpful content insights that give them added context about each title.
Tell us how JLG supports libraries.
Liz: The JLG Selection Team includes former school and collection development librarians, along with book industry professionals. With every title we read, we’re looking at it through the eyes of both our customers and their readers.
While people often joke that librarians get to read books all day, our Selection Team actually does! That means we can help save you time while giving you confidence that every monthly category selection has been thoughtfully read, reviewed, and curated with care.
We know how busy librarians are, so think of JLG as an extension of you and your team, helping you discover and curate books we know your readers will love.
Tell us about how JLG supports teachers and classrooms?
Liz: With former school librarians and teachers on our Selection Team, we understand that books can serve a dual purpose: sparking a joy of reading while also supporting what’s happening in the classroom.
That starts with our earliest elementary selections, including titles perfect for reading aloud and Picture Books that can be enjoyed together or independently. As readers grow, our collections grow with them, from Beginning Readers and Chapter Books that build reading confidence and independence to Graphic Novels, Spanish-language titles, genre fiction, and nonfiction.
For Middle and High School readers, we focus on finding books students will actually want to read, including fiction, nonfiction, and even adult titles with strong teen appeal. Across every age and reading level, our goal is to help teachers and librarians connect students with the right books at the right time.
Are there other areas within a school community that JLG supports?
Katie: JLG supports other professionals and students in a school community by curating new titles in categories such as Social Emotional Learning, STEAM, Spanish, Hi-Lo, and Large Print. These collections can give counselors, special education, and other specialty classrooms additional resources to help students explore topics like emotions, relationships, language support, STEAM concepts, and more.
I always wonder how the books are selected for JLG. Can you share this process?
Liz: Our Selection Team receives close to 5,000 titles to evaluate each year! With more than 70 JLG categories and fewer than 1,000 titles ultimately selected, our team reads a lot of books.
Each book is read and evaluated by the selector responsible for that category. We look at overall quality, age appropriateness, themes and messaging, illustrations, plot, character development, representation, and how well the title fits the needs of the category.
But one of the most important questions we ask is also one of the simplest: Will kids LOVE it? We want every JLG selection to be a book that earns its place in your collection and, most importantly, gets into the hands of readers.
How does JLG help librarians discover books they might not otherwise find?
Liz: We’re incredibly lucky to work with so many wonderful publishing partners who give our Selection Team access to a wide range of unique titles. We evaluate books from publishers of all sizes, including smaller and independent presses whose titles may not always get the same visibility as books from larger publishers.
That gives us the opportunity to uncover some real gems and bring titles into our curation that our customers might not otherwise discover through larger vendors. We love being able to introduce librarians to new publishers, authors, and books, and ultimately help those books find their way into the hands of readers.
How does JLG think about representation, diverse voices, and making sure students can see themselves—and others—in the books selected?
Liz: Our Selection Team takes great care to include titles that reflect the wide range of readers we serve. We want young people to have access to books that act as windows, mirrors, and doors. Stories where they can see themselves and their own experiences reflected, stories that offer a window into someone else’s life, and stories that invite them into experiences and perspectives beyond their own.
As we evaluate books, we look for a variety of voices, characters, cultures, family experiences, communities, and perspectives across our selections. Representation can take many forms, and we want our collections to reflect the fact that there is no single experience of childhood or growing up.
We also know that not every book needs to be about a character’s identity. Sometimes representation simply means that all kinds of kids get to be the hero, solve the mystery, go on the adventure, fall in love, be funny, or just exist within a great story.
Ultimately, we want readers to be able to find books that make them feel seen while also giving them opportunities to better understand the people and world around them. That balance is something our Selection Team thinks about throughout the entire selection process.
Can librarians curate their own lists from JLG?
Katie: Absolutely! Through the JLG customer dashboard, librarians can create and save custom lists based on specific areas of focus, themes, programs, or collection needs. JLG members also receive special pricing and access to previously released JLG selections, making it easy to build targeted lists for future purchases. Many librarians use these lists alongside JLG sales and free book credits to add titles to their collections at a significant discount or, in some cases, at no additional cost.
Additionally, customers will be able to review their selections up to four months ahead of time. They can personalize their account to show content notifications they may want to know about. If a JLG selection is not a fit for a library, customers can swap it out for any in-stock book. It is an incredibly flexible service if you need it to be!
Do you get feedback from librarians and teachers?
Liz: Absolutely! Our team loves hearing from our customers, and their feedback plays an important role in how JLG continues to grow and evolve. Throughout the year, we hold multiple focus groups with librarians and educators to hear directly about what’s working, what they need more of, and where we can better support them.
We also have a dedicated Library Insights Board that gives us an ongoing connection to the librarians and educators using JLG every day. Their perspectives help inform everything from our categories and book selections to the tools, resources, and services we provide.
The library world is always changing, and staying connected to the people working directly with readers helps us make sure JLG is changing with it.
How does student choice and reader interest influence what JLG looks for?
Liz: While some of our categories are designed to support curriculum needs, we work just as hard to make sure our selections support the joy of reading. We know that giving young readers choice, and helping them find books they genuinely want to read, is an important part of building strong and lasting reading habits.
Categories like Graphic Novels, Hi-Lo, Adult Books for Teens, and Escape Reads are great examples of how reader interest influences our selections. We feel strongly that Graphic Novels ARE books, and that finding the right author, genre, series, format, or story can be the connection that turns a reluctant reader into an enthusiastic one.
We also look for a wide variety of characters, experiences, and stories so readers have opportunities to both see themselves in books and discover experiences beyond their own. Ultimately, finding a book you love can shape how you interact with reading for years to come, and we want to help create more of those moments for young readers.
I’m not sure everyone realizes just how far in advance of publication we select books! At conferences, I’ll often get asked, “What’s your favorite title coming out next month?” and it’s always a surprisingly hard question to answer because our Selection Team is usually already thinking about books coming out next year. We’ve already selected a few titles for our Winter 2026-27 span!
Publishing is a long process, and we often see books at the early manuscript or galley stage. That means we may be reading and evaluating a title 8 to 12 months before it will actually be available to readers.
It’s a real privilege to see books so early in the publishing process and to have that first glimpse at what young readers will be reading in the months ahead. The only downside is that sometimes it’s really hard for us to remember what season we’re actually in!
What do you think librarians sometimes don't realize about JLG?
Katie: Three things come to mind.
First, we offer full, customized processing. JLG can make getting newly published books onto your shelves even easier with attached shelf-ready or loose shelf-ready processing.
Second, JLG is about more than just books. As part of a family of trusted library brands that includes Library Journal, School Library Journal, and The Horn Book, we’re able to provide librarians with trusted curation, professional resources, and learning opportunities. A professional journal subscription and free course seats are included with a JLG subscription—an added value of more than $300.
Our members also receive Free Book Credits to use on previously selected JLG titles, helping them stretch their budgets even further and add more great books to their shelves at an exceptional value.
And finally, JLG is incredibly flexible. Libraries have a lot of control over what works for them. You can swap titles that aren’t the right fit, adjust your categories as your needs change, and take advantage of flexible billing options.
Can you share a JLG experience with a librarian, teacher, or student that has really stayed with you?
Liz: I think what stays with me most is hearing directly from librarians about the impact our selections have on their students. Our team spends so much time reading, evaluating, and talking about these books, but we don’t always get to see what happens once they arrive in a library. Hearing that a student connected with a book we selected, especially when it reaches a reader who may have been struggling to find the right book, really brings everything full circle.
We also love hearing stories about students getting excited when the JLG box arrives and wondering what books are inside. There’s something really special about knowing that opening a box of books can create that kind of excitement.
Our team loves seeing librarians share their JLG unboxings on social media, too. We recognize those covers immediately and remember reading and selecting them months earlier, so getting to see a librarian’s reaction, and sometimes the students’ reactions, is incredibly rewarding. It’s a reminder that what starts with our Selection Team reading a manuscript or galley eventually ends with a book in the hands of a reader, which is really why we do what we do.
What does this mean to JLG to be part of the Literati Partners program with others like Ozobot, Capstone, Demco, etc?
Katie: We are so excited to partner with Literati to help support school libraries. We know that school librarians wear a lot of hats, so we are excited to give schools that rely on book fair credits to fund their collection extra support in selecting books and gathering resources to spark the love of reading!
What does JLG have to offer Literati book fair customers focusing on bringing more to their libraries and classrooms with book fair funds?
Katie: One of the biggest benefits JLG offers Literati book fair customers is the ability to turn book fair funds into new books that trickle in throughout the year. Instead of placing multiple orders, libraries can choose their JLG categories once and receive newly published titles month after month. It’s an easy way to keep shelves fresh with current, high-interest books all year long.
Are there other resources from JLG that are helpful to librarians and teachers that you would like to highlight?
JLG is much more than the books that come each month. In addition to providing professional reviews and content insights, our customers enjoy member benefits like free access to Library Journal or School Library Journal, amazing sales, and special pricing on our previous selections-- some as low as $6! We also give our customers free book credits, which is a great opportunity to further develop your collection or try a few books from other categories. To further our support for libraries, we offer free webinars on topics our customers have requested, such as curated Spanish collections, the benefits of large print, and author visits. We can also do custom processing for a seamless box-to-shelf process!
What exciting things are coming up from JLG?
Katie: We have been very busy with website improvements, partnerships, and customer resources. In the coming months, you will see improvements to our website user experience. Soon we will implement BISAC headings and Teaching Books resources for each title to give our customers even more resources. We also have been very intentional about our promotions to ensure they are supporting what librarians really want and need by following social media trends! We recently ran a promotion where customers received a free LED dry-erase board to display in their space. It was a huge hit. This fall, JLG members can get a free electronic rotating turntable--perfect for dynamic shelving highlighting titles.
Do you have a favorite thing about JLG…a little hidden gem?
Liz: I’d have to say our Selection Team. We have an incredible group of selectors who truly love kid lit, and when a book is really special, the team just knows.
It might be a Picture Book with a moving message or incredible illustrations, or simply one that makes us laugh out loud. Sometimes it’s a Middle School title that just screams MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS and perfectly captures that age group’s quirky sense of humor. For High School, it might be a How to Adult title that instantly transports us back to being a high school senior, getting ready for college and realizing how much we still have to figure out.
That connection to books is probably my favorite thing about JLG. Our selectors genuinely get excited about what they’re reading, and we get to take that excitement and pass it along to librarians, and ultimately the readers who will discover those books next.
For a school that earns Literati book fair funds, what are some ways librarians and teachers could use those funds to bring JLG into their library or classrooms?
Katie: Libraries that select JLG to use their partner credits can use them to bring fresh new JLG Gold Standard Selections to their collection each month. When you use Literati Partner Credits with JLG, you get all our member benefits! We have over 70 categories to choose from.
There are two ways to get started:
- Select JLG in Open Book.
Your JLG Collection Consultant will reach out to learn more about your needs and help you select your categories.
- If you would like to learn more about JLG first, schedule your consultation, and we can provide a quote and personalized recommendations.
Do you have anything else you would like to share?
One thing we’re really proud of at JLG is the personal service we provide. From the professionals on our Selection Team, who read every book we select, to our Collection Consultants and Customer Service team, there are real people here to help. We want to make JLG easy to use so librarians can stay focused on what matters most: connecting readers with the right books.
A big thank you to Katie and Liz for sharing more about Junior Library Guild and the incredible work they do to connect libraries with great books.
You can learn more about hosting a Literati Book Fair and book fair rewards here.
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