Author Webinar: Pamela Cameron

Posted on by Lena Burdick

Please join the Great Lakes, Great Read 2026 community for a conversation with Pamela Cameron, author of SPORT – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes. The program will be hosted by Anne Moser, manager and librarian of the Wisconsin Water Library.

Register Now!

Webinar with author Pamela Cameron

When: Wednesday, May 13th
At: 7pm EDT / 6pm CDT

Register Here

This year’s picture book selection, SPORT – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes by Pamela Cameron is the true story of a puppy rescued during a storm by a sailor working on a Great Lakes tender (a boat that brings supplies to the various lighthouse keepers in the lakes). A delightful tale with wonderful illustrations, Cameron introduces us to Sport and his human companions as they deliver essentials to keep the lights on and ships safe in Lake Michigan. Parents, grandparents, educators, librarians and all are welcome to join the webinar to learn more from the author of this delightful book.  Please register today!  

Awards Announced: Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

Posted on by Lena Burdick

Awards Announced: Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

brought to you by Library of the Great Lakes

This winter, libraries across the Great Lakes applied for our first-ever Fresh Coast Bookshelf program. This May, we announced which 10 libraries will receive:

  • 12 curated books across age-range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes
  • A full-color promotional kit

And the awardees are:

  • Bridgman Public Library
  • Cleveland Public Library
  • Frankenmuth Wickson District Library
  • Grand Ledge Area District Library
  • Huntington Woods Public Library
  • Lincoln Township Public Library
  • Ojibwa Community Library
  • Oswego Public Library
  • Presque Isle District Library
  • Salem-South Lyon District Library

THANK YOU to everyone who applied.

We received over 100 applications, from towns of 300 residents to cities of 1.5 million! We were heartened to read how the Great Lakes play a role in so many diverse communities, and how literature can connect us all to the land we share. We wish we could send books to every library, and we hope that to reach even more communities each year!

To learn more about the program, download free materials, or help us expand in future years, visit our Fresh Coast webpage!

Visit our Fresh Coast Webpage!

Announcing: Great Lakes, Great Read 2026

Posted on by Lena Burdick
A graphic featuring a megaphone, three book covers, and the Great Lakes Great Read logo.

We are excited to announce the titles chosen for this year’s Great Lakes, Great Read!

Great Lakes, Great Read is based on the One Book, One Community model where reading programs choose one book for libraries, community groups, and the public to read and enjoy together over the course of a year.

This year’s GLGR Titles are:

Picture Book

The cover of Sport, Ship Dog of the Great Lakes by Pamela Cameron. The cover features a cartoon of a black and brown dog on a doc in front of a lighthouse and large ship.
Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes by Pamela Cameron

Middle Grade

Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn

Adult

The cover for the book "The Gales of November" by John U. Bacon. Includes a color illustration of the ship the Edmund Fitzgerald in heavy waves.
The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon

Click any of the covers above to see them in our Digital Bookshelf!

Read more about this year’s GLGR
Visit the GLGR Website

Applications Open for Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

Posted on by Lena Burdick

Applications Open for Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

brought to you by Library of the Great Lakes

Applications are now open for the Fresh Coast Bookshelf, a curated collection of 12 fantastic books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes, plus a full-color display kit! All local Great Lakes region public libraries are invited to apply. Up to ten libraries will be awarded the collection in this inaugural year of the Fresh Coast Bookshelf.

Apply Now

Applications are due by Midnight Eastern Time February 18, 2026. Please share this wonderful opportunity with your local library.

Check out this year’s titles:

Children’s Books
Cover of Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer featuring a cartoon drawing of a young girl with a dog in a meadow with flowers.
Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A book cover with cartoon graphics of a young woman standing on the decl of a lighthouse with a young man a few feet behind her.
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson
Cover of the book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea. The cover features an illustration of a frozen lake with a small figure skater. The skate marks in the ice form the script of the title.
Skating Wild on and Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol

Family Nonfiction
The cover of The Great Lakes, Our Freshwater treasure by Barb Rosenstock featuring a pastel painting of two people and a dog in a canoe at sunrise near a sandy shore.
The Great Lakes, Our Freshwater Treasure by Barb Rosenstock
The cover of Plants of the Great Lakes Region by Philippa Joly. The cover includes pictures of children interacting with nature.
A Kid’s Guide to Plants of the Great Lakes Region by Philippa Joy
The cover to Dave Dempsey's book "The Great lakes: Fact or Fake?" with a silhouette of the Great Lakes and red questions marks in the background.
The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake by Dave Dempsey
YA and Adult Fiction
The cover of Sisters In The Wind by Angeline Boulley. The cover features a red background with artwork of a woman whose face is obscured by a bird.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Cover for the book "The Best Part of Us" by Sally Cole-Misch. The cover features a photograph of water with distant, forested land.
The Best Part of Us by Sally Cole-Misch
Nonfiction
Great Lakes Champions: Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds by John Hartig
A book cover featuring whimsical art of a large fish jumping out of water.
The Accidental Reef by Lynne Heasley
Poetry and Essays
The cover of Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes featuring a photograph of rolling storm clouds over water.
Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes, edited by Alison Swan
What Can the Matter By? by Keith Taylor

Visit our Fresh Coast Webpage!

Fresh Coast Bookshelf: Title Reveal #3!

Posted on by Lena Burdick

The Fresh Coast
Bookshelf 2026

coming soon from the Library of the Great Lakes

Coming soon: The opportunity to apply for the Fresh Coast Bookshelf, a curated selection of 12 fantastic books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes, plus a full-color display kit! All local Great Lakes region public libraries will be eligible to apply.

As we count down to the Application Open date (Jan. 28th), let’s reveal the final four titles:

The next four titles to be revealed are:

The cover of The Great Lakes, Our Freshwater treasure by Barb Rosenstock featuring a pastel painting of two people and a dog in a canoe at sunrise near a sandy shore.
Cover of Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer featuring a cartoon drawing of a young girl with a dog in a meadow with flowers.
Find these titles in our Digital Bookshelf

What Can the Matter Be?
by Keith Taylor

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure
by Barb Rosenstock

Great Lakes Champions: Grassroots Efforts to Clean Up Polluted Watersheds
by John Hartig

Bud Finds Her Gift
by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Set a Calendar Reminder: Applications open January 28th!

Program open to all public libraries within the 8 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec).

Check out our previously announced titles here.

Post Image: October Saugatuck by John Shultz

Fresh Coast Bookshelf: Title Reveal #2!

Posted on by Lena Burdick

The Fresh Coast
Bookshelf 2026

coming soon from the Library of the Great Lakes

Coming your way, look for the opportunity to apply for the Fresh Coast Bookshelf, a curated selection of 12 fantastic books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes, plus a full-color display kit to help promote it – all local Great Lakes region public libraries will be eligible to apply.

As we count down to the Application Open date (Jan. 28th), let’s reveal the next four titles:

The next four titles to be revealed are:

A book cover with cartoon graphics of a young woman standing on the decl of a lighthouse with a young man a few feet behind her.
Cover for the book "The Best Part of Us" by Sally Cole-Misch. The cover features a photograph of water with distant, forested land.
The cover to Dave Dempsey's book "The Great lakes: Fact or Fake?" with a silhouette of the Great Lakes and red questions marks in the background.
A book cover featuring whimsical art of a large fish jumping out of water.
Find these titles in our Digital Bookshelf

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry
by Anna Rose Johnson

The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake?
by Dave Dempsey

The Best Part of Us
by Sally Cole-Misch

The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes
by Lynne Heasley

Save the Date: Application period opens January 28th!

Program open to all public libraries within the 8 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec).

Check out our previously announced titles here.

Come back on January 15th when we’ll reveal the next four titles!

Post Image: October Saugatuck by John Shultz

Fresh Coast Bookshelf: Title Reveal #1!

Posted on by Lena Burdick

The Fresh Coast
Bookshelf 2026

coming soon from the Library of the Great Lakes

All of our local Great Lakes region public libraries will have the chance to apply for a “Bookshelf in a Box” – a curated selection of 12 books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes, plus a full-color display kit to help promote their new bookshelf!

The selection list includes fantastic, fresh titles from children’s literature, adult fiction, nonfiction and poetry – and…

The first four titles to be revealed are:

The cover of Sisters In The Wind by Angeline Boulley. The cover features a red background with artwork of a woman whose face is obscured by a bird.
The cover of Women Writing on the Great Lakes featuring a photograph of rolling storm clouds over water.
Cover of the book Skating Wild on an Inland Sea. The cover features an illustration of a frozen lake with a small figure skater. The skate marks in the ice form the script of the title.
The cover of Plants of the Great Lakes Region by Philippa Joly. The cover includes pictures of children interacting with nature.
Find these titles in our Digital Bookshelf

Sisters in the Wind
by Angeline Boulley

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea
by Jean Pendziwol (author) and Todd Stewart (illustrator)

Fresh Water, Women Writing on the Great Lakes
by Alison Swan

A Kid’s Guide to Plants of the Great Lakes Region
by Phillipa Joly

Save the Date: Application period opens January 28th!

Program open to all public libraries within the 8 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec).

Come back on December 15th when we’ll reveal the next four titles!

Post Image: October Saugatuck by John Shultz

The Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

Posted on by Lena Burdick

Coming this January!

The Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026

brought to you by Library of the Great Lakes
–

The Fresh Coast Bookshelf program is a curated selection of books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes

Starting in January, applications will be accepted from public libraries for a chance to be awarded a Fresh Coast Bookshelf at no cost, which will also include a ready-made full-color display kit with poster, bookmarks, stickers and more to help highlight and feature these fantastic Great Lakes books!

Program open to all public libraries within the 8 U.S. States and 2 Canadian Provinces in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec)

Awardees will get 12 curated titles to build their very own Fresh Coast Bookshelf!

Check back on Nov. 17th, when we’ll reveal the first four titles on the shelf…

Post Image: October Saugatuck by John Shultz

Coming Soon!

Posted on by Lena Burdick

The Fresh Coast Bookshelf 2026, brought to you by Library of the Great Lakes

October Saugatuck by John Schultz

The Fresh Coast Bookshelf is a brand new application program bringing libraries in the region a curated selection of 12 books across age range and genre that celebrate the Great Lakes. It will include a ready-made “display in a box” to help highlight and feature these fantastic Great Lakes books.

Applications will be accepted starting in January for a chance to be awarded a program kit at no cost to the selected libraries.

Check back next month to find out more!