Loan Stars Overview

What is Loan Stars?

Loan Stars is the readers' advisory tool that allows libraries across Canada to indicate popular upcoming titles. Using LibraryData, the library data aggregation service, the forthcoming titles with the most orders become Loan Stars top picks! Along with Adult and Junior lists, Loan Stars periodically releases lists identifying the top-ordered Canadian-authored titles as well as genre-specific lists.

Eligibility Criteria

Unfortunately, not every book can become a Loan Stars pick. Eligible Loan Stars books must be:

• publishing for the first time in the Canadian market — this excludes titles that have been previously published in a different format;

• forthcoming — this means that the publishing status in the book's metadata must be set to "active" or "forthcoming" for the relevant Loan Stars months' list;

• English-language;

• on order at Canadian libraries; and

• listed in BNC CataList.

The Loan Stars schedule

There are two core Loan Stars lists released during the year.

• The Adult List includes Fiction and Non-Fiction titles ordered by libraries

• The Junior list is intended for younger audiences, including Fiction and Non-Fiction picture books, middle grade, and Young Adult titles. For the Loan Stars Jr. list, the schedule operates slightly differently.

  • Loan Stars Jr. releases six lists per year, or one every two months

Finally with LibraryData we will have the ability to produce specialty lists that will highlight titles by Canadian contributors, feature specific subjects, or focus on regional lists.

• These lists are scheduled to be produced six times per year, once every two months, in the months when the Jr. list is not published.