‘Carnegie Coast-to-Coast Project’ hits the streets to celebrate Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence 2018 Shortlist

CHICAGO – 20 public libraries and 5 independent book stores across the country have been selected to participate in the new Carnegie Coast-to-Coast Project, which was created to celebrate and raise awareness of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction shortlist, while also engaging communities nationwide with these six, moving titles.

Paralleling the American Library Association’s (ALA) beloved book awards for children, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, the “Carnegies” are ALA’s first, single-book awards for adults, selected by library professionals and booksellers to provide great reading choices for adults everywhere.

“Narrowing the longlist down to just three fiction and three nonfiction finalists from such an outstanding pool of books was difficult, rewarding, but difficult. We are really excited about the books on the shortlist,” says Victoria Caplinger, Chair of the selection committee for Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction.

The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction 2018 Shortlist includes: “The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner,” by Daniel Ellsberg, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” by David Grann and “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir,” by Sherman Alexie. The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction 2018 Shortlist includes: “Lincoln in the Bardo,” by George Saunders, “Manhattan Beach,” by Jennifer Egan and “Sing, Unburied, Sing,” by Jesmyn Ward.

“We’ve been pleased with the growing popularity of the Carnegies among both librarians and general adult readers, and we think the Carnegie Coast-to-Coast Project will extend the Medals’ reach still further,” stated Bill Ott, Booklist Editor and Publisher and cosponsor of the Carnegie Medals.

A box of Carnegie promotional materials was distributed to selected libraries across the country in late November. Among the items included in the box were branded tote bag, finalist book seals for all six shortlisted titles, and lists of suggestions for how to use the materials to engage adult readers with these outstanding books.

There is one more Carnegie Coast-to-Coast box up for grabs! We are having a social media drawing to determine who gets it. Visit http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carnegieadult/carnegie-coast-to-coast for details.

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced during the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Book and Media Awards, sponsored by NoveList, at ALA’s 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver, CO. Carnegie Medal winners will each receive $5,000. All the finalists will be honored during a celebratory event at ALA’s 2018 Annual Conference in New Orleans.

About the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

The awards were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year. The medals serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals and booksellers who work closely with adult readers.

The Medals are made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world, and are co-sponsored by ALA’s Booklist and the Reference and User Services Association division of ALA.

About Booklist

Booklist is the book review magazine of the American Library Association, considered an essential collection development and readers' advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes a growing archive of 180,000+ reviews available to subscribers as well as a wealth of free content offering the latest news and views on books and media.

About Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)

RUSA is a member community engaged in advancing the practices of connecting people to resources, information services, and collections, building relationships among members from all types of libraries, encouraging openness, innovation, and idea sharing, and promoting excellence in library services and resources.