MeL Minute

Your Secret Weapon for Reading Recommendations

Anyone ordering new materials for their library knows firsthand the annual number of books being published has exploded. Some estimates cite the number at over 1 million! How are we ever supposed to keep up with all of these new titles? 

NoveList Plus and NoveList K-8 Plus are two great eResources available in MeL that can become your secret weapons for finding your, or your patrons', next great reads. A source for expert read-alike recommendations, NoveList adds about 30,000 new titles every year. Approximately two-thirds of those are for adults and one-third are for kids. There are over 78,000 audiobook titles and over 34,000 series titles. 

With books for every reader both NoveList eResources offer a wide range of features to help you narrow down your search for a great book. 

• Recommendations by title, author, and series are available. 
• Search for titles based on your favorite things...favorite genre, subjects, appeals, types of characters, time periods and locations. 
• Teaching Guides to help align reading selections with Common Core standards. 
• Grab and Go Booklists for teachers/librarians are available. Types of lists available include Biography nonfiction Grades 3-5, STEAM Engineering and Tech, Fiction and Nonfiction Grades 3-5, and more. 
• Listen-alike recommendations for audiobooks. 
• Appeal factors to help you decide whether or not a book matches your, or your patrons', style. 
• Lists! Top ten, best of, favorites... there are over 800 reading lists to help you quickly find a title. 
• Create an account and save your selections. 
• Persistent links to searches and/or titles are available for easy finding and sharing. 
• Advanced searching offers filtering by lexile level, accelerated reader interest level, and grade. 

And NoveList K-8 offers links back to MeLCat so you can see which libraries have your next great reads.  

So use NoveList and MeLCat to cozy up with your next favorite book this holiday season. The MeL Minute will be on hiatus for two weeks, returning for another year of behind-the-scenes tips and tricks, usage statistics that unveil the hidden popularity of MeL offerings, and new topics including guest authors from the Michigan library and school communities and regular features from the engagement specialists.  We look forward to seeing you back here on January 10! 

Brought to you by Liz Breed and Sonya Norris of the MeL Team. 

Supporting Michigan Libraries by Putting You First. 

Want more information on MeL?  Stay tuned for the next MeL Minute available on many Michigan library listservs,  visit http://mel.org, or sign up for the MeL Minute and other Library of Michigan e-mail lists via GovDelivery. We encourage you to share MeL Minutes with your colleagues and networks. 

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