Librarians always have their eyes peeled and ears perked in order to discover the next book to add to our to-be-read lists. Have you ever wondered how your New Ulm librarians discover all the books that we read and recommend?

First, we’re always recommending books to one another, and to the public, through conversations, displays, and the TV display near the service desk. We also sneak our recommendations into our monthly News and Notes and weekly Wowbrary newsletters. News and Notes features the latest library news, programs, and staff book reviews. Wowbrary lists the newest items that we’ve added to our collection and links directly to our catalog so you can place requests. To subscribe to these newsletters, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose “Stay Connected” at the top of the page.

The library subscribes to Booklist magazine, which delivers 8,000+ recommended-only reviews of books, audiobooks, and reference sources each year, spanning every age and genre. Patrons can check out print issues from the library’s magazine collection.

The library also subscribes to BookPage, which highlights intriguing new voices as well as anticipated bestsellers, pointing readers to the best new releases across all genres including historical fiction, literary fiction, popular fiction, mysteries and thrillers, nonfiction, biography and memoir, romance, cozies, audiobooks, lifestyles, children’s, young adult and more. Copies of BookPage can be found near the checkout stations in the library and do not need to be checked out.

Many of us also use the Libby app (access with your library card) to read ebooks and eaudiobooks and find readalikes offered with our choices there. If we still can’t find enough books through library recommendations (let’s face it: we’ll never get enough books!), we turn to other sources to keep us reading.

Some swear by Litsy, a social media platform that resembles a book-focused Instagram. You can follow friends and family, as well as authors or other well-known book lovers, to see their posts about what they’re reading. As a bonus, you’ll often find cute pets cuddling next to their owner’s latest read.

I like to use Goodreads to track what I’ve read, track what I want to read, and find readalikes for books I really enjoyed. Each year I set my Reading Challenge and try to beat my goal for how many books I want to read during the year. You can follow friends and see what they’re reading and how well they’re doing on their own Reading Challenges. You can also ask other users for recommendations and vote in the Goodreads Book Awards each year. I often have a long list after just seeing the nominees!

Many of us subscribe to email newsletters to receive a constant supply of book recommendations. Some of the ones library staff enjoy are Book Riot, Library Reads, and Literary Hub. These newsletters always have me adding items to my to-be-read list (and pestering my fellow librarians with purchase suggestions).

Now that you have some ideas, go forth and discover books. And make sure to bring your recommendations to the library! New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 N Broadway and is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The library is closed on Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.