Spring is upon us and that means we’re back to share this season’s offerings of series nonfiction. According to our Fall 2019 Nonfiction survey, having nonfiction print books available in the library is ‘very important’ to 93 percent of elementary school (ES) librarians compared to only 64 percent of middle (MS) and 62 percent of high school (HS) librarians. And while recent data has shown that nonfiction spending trends have decreased over the last two years (where 11 percent of elementary, 33 percent of middle school, and 30 percent of high school librarians report that the amount they spent on nonfiction has decreased over that time period), this doesn’t erase the need for these types of texts; a significant percentage of total school librarians—81 percent—across all three segments reported an uptick in spending, and 66 percent anticipate increased nonfiction spending over the next few years. In addition to the usual suspects, topics covered this Spring include environmentalism, government/ civics, Spanish, and technology and machines. The wide variety of titles disproves the assumption that nonfiction books are stuffy, boring, or heavy-handed. Mindful of the growing print and digital divide, some publishers are incorporating online resources through website links or QR codes. We hope that your patrons and students will find something to not only pique their interest but spark their quest for knowledge.

Vanessa Willoughby
Editor, Series Made Simple
vwilloughby@mediasourceinc.com

Series Made Simple 2020 Spring Articles

Series Made Simple Main Page

• From Emus and Aye-Ayes to Lions and Orcas | Animals
• Brilliant Biospheres to Terrific Technology | Arts & Crafts
• Inspiration and Resilience | Biography
• Earth First | Environmentalism
• The Wonder of It All | General Science
• Power to the People | Government, Law & Politics
• Building Blocks of Literacy | Guided & Hi-Lo Reading
• Wisdom From the Past | History
• All Around the World | Landmarks
• Strange but (Un) True  | Myths, Mysteries & Urban Legends
• Curiosity Unbound | Social Science
• The Strength of Inclusivity | Spanish
• Let’s Play! | Sports
• Tech Your Children Well | Technology and Machines