The 2016 Nutmeg Book Award Nominees will be announced on February 14, 2015!
Our 2016 Selection Chairpersons along with the Steering Committee are working hard to finalize the lists.
If you are not familiar with the process and are interested to learn more, here is what happens from November to February:
In November, the four Selection Committees meet to review the books that were read since last January and using the criteria stated in the Nutmeg Book Award by-laws, come up with a nominee list along with a list of alternative titles. Once the Selection Committees have chosen their top choices, the Chairperson or Chairpersons have to confirm with the publishers that enough copies of the books are still available and, for the 3 upper levels, the titles have to be available in paperback by the time the list is announced to the public on May 1st. This can sometimes be challenging and time consuming. Occasionally when the publishers cannot meet these requirements, alternative titles have to be selected. After the lists are finalized (typically January 15th - February 1st) our top sponsors Follett and Baker & Taylor are then notified of the lists so they can prepare for the large orders that are likely to occur. We then are excited to share our love of reading on Valentine’s Day with all of the librarians across Connecticut by announcing the new lists of nominees!
These lists must be kept confidential till May 1st! We are happy to provide the lists to you so you can prepare any programs and order copies of the titles but please do not share these lists with students, parents, bookstores, or anyone in the general public. You can order the titles from bookstores and other vendors that are not our sponsors but try to not make it obvious (i.e. don’t call the order ‘Nutmeg Nominees’).
It has come to our attention that some of you may have received early versions of the 2016 nominees. We ask all Selection Committee members to keep these lists secret and we aren’t sure how the lists got out, but please follow the same confidentiality process and know that the lists are subject to change. If fact, changes were just made in the past week! We know there are budget constraints and you are anxious to get the books ordered and in your library and we are doing everything we can to get these lists to you in a timely manner.
If you see or know one of the 2016 Selection Chairpersons, be sure to congratulate them on a job well done!
Elementary Selection Committee
Lori Andrada & Ann Chase
Intermediate Selection Committee
Claire Moore & Libby Mueller
Teen Selection Committee
Kelley Gile
High School Selection Committee
Heather Aronson & Amy Schumann
Please check your email next Saturday, February 14th for the announcement of the new 2016 Nutmeg Nominees!!
Thank you for your continued support of the Nutmeg Book Award.
Lisa Garofalo Polack
School Librarian
Ellington Middle School & Crystal Lake School
Ellington, CT
Secretary, Nutmeg Book Award