Some of our favorite librarians and booksellers on Substack

It's hard to choose! All of you are so smart and kind!!

The welcome we’ve received here on Substack these past few months has been extraordinary. We wanted to share the love and shout out some of our favorite accounts to follow. Without further ado…

Librarians:

On the Same Page explores the vital, evolving mission of public libraries—from the hyper-local work happening at their Greenfield Public Library in Massachusetts to the global trends and ideas shaping the library world at large. We loved reading about their 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative.

Card Catalog for Life, which is written by by Hana Li Goldin, MLIS, teaches readers how to think like a librarian in the age of AI and misinformation. We all need “librarian skills” now: the ability to evaluate sources, verify claims, and maintain healthy skepticism. Free subscribers get weekly essays, while paid subscribers can access a professional toolkit for navigating AI with confidence.

The American Library Project is a storytelling initiative that investigates the changing role of public libraries across America by asking:

• Why do libraries matter today?

• How do libraries connect people with the world around them?

• How are libraries responding to today’s most urgent social issues?

A recent post visited a library director changing children’s lives in Donnelly, Idaho.

Chrissie Wright is a K-5 public school librarian in the Pacific Northwest and host of the Book Delight with Chrissie Wright podcast. She shares book recommendations and anti-recommendations in her “Ursula Nordstrom Would Never” recurring feature. Fun!

Booksellers:

These folks claim to be “new booksellers, finding [their] way,” but you wouldn’t know it from their Substack presence. They’re writers, podcasters, and the owners of Nooks bookstore in Lancaster, PA, where they’ve got a busy calendar of events—but we’ve especially liked their thoughtful posts about cultivating calm in a worrisome time.

Katie Clapham is a writer and the owner of Storytellers, Inc. bookshop in Lancashire, UK. Her witty weekly posts document the comings and goings at her seaside independent bookshop—she drafts them throughout the day while she’s working and hits “send” before going home at night.

Fisher the Bookseller is here to spill the tea as a frontlist buyer for a midwest indie bookstore—from how he decides what goes on the shelves to a day in the life of a book buyer to existential dread. We’re here for all of it.

Who are other librarians and booksellers whose Substacks you love? Share their handles below.