Junior Library Guild facts for kids
The Junior Library Guild is a special club that helps libraries and schools get great books for kids and teens. It started way back in 1929. At first, it was called the Junior Literary Guild. It was part of a bigger book club for adults called the Literary Guild.
When it first began, the Junior Literary Guild sent books to families and schools. But by the 1950s, most of its books were going to libraries. Because of this change, the name was updated in 1988 to the Junior Library Guild. This new name showed that libraries were their main customers.
Today, the Junior Library Guild is run by a company called Media Source Inc. This company is located in Plain City, Ohio. The team that chooses the books works in New York City.
How Books Are Chosen
When a children's book is picked by the Junior Library Guild, it's a big deal! Publishers and authors often use this selection to show how good their book is. Right now, the Guild chooses 492 books every year.
Important Editors
Only a few people have been in charge of choosing books for the Junior Literary Guild over the years. The very first editor was Carl Van Doren.
Helen Ferris took over in August 1929 and worked until 1960. She was good friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was a very important person who helped choose books for the Guild from 1929 until she passed away in 1962. She was quite involved! For example, in 1938, she wrote about how two mining families would sometimes go without food but still kept their book club subscriptions.
After Helen Ferris, Ann Durell was the editor until 1962. Then Thérèse Doumenjou took over until 1970. Marjorie Jones was the editor until 1994. She was in charge when the name changed from Junior Literary Guild to Junior Library Guild. Today, Susan Marston is the main editorial director.
Famous Book Selections
In 2004, the Junior Library Guild shared some classic children's books they had chosen in the past. These books are still loved today:
- Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey
- Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss
- Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg
Another book published by the Guild was All Aboard We Are Off by Nura in 1944.
In 2006, the book Free Baseball was also a selection.
Guild Magazines
The Junior Literary Guild used to publish a monthly magazine called Young Wings. It was printed from 1929 until 1955.
Media Source Inc., the company that runs the Junior Library Guild today, also owns other important magazines. They bought The Horn Book Magazine in 2009. In 2010, they also bought Library Journal and School Library Journal. These magazines are very important for librarians and educators.
