Utilizing Technology for Mock Caldecott

I am the Youth and Teen Collections Librarian at my library system. The majority of my job duties involve purchasing materials. One of my additional responsibilities is to assist with our Annual Mock Caldecott event held in January. Throughout the years, I have been utilizing technology to improve this process for myself and staff, while providing more access for all those interested.

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My Mock Caldecott process includes:

1. Track the starred reviewed titles throughout the year.
2. Include titles that will be eligible for the Caldecott Medal.
3. Create a list for staff.

The publications I use for starred reviews are Booklist, BookPage, Bulletin of the Center for Children, Horn Book, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness.

A sample of my 2025 Mock Caldecott Tracker:

My library system uses G-Suite, allowing us to share and edit documents in real time. Our Mock Caldecott event only pertains to books eligible for that award, but I track all book reviews for youth and teens. I love data collection, and track quite a bit of information for each title. Throughout the years, I have improved upon my Master Google Sheet by utilizing its features to my advantage. I have a Master tab for all titles and apply formulas to automatically sort picture books, nonfiction, fiction, and graphic novels into their own tabs. The reviews are sorted into separate tabs based on their star ratings, and each row is conditionally formatted with specific colors corresponding to the number of stars.

For each title, I include the date of publication, journals with starred reviews, the audience, format, genre, and subjects found in that book. The majority of the information for my Google Sheet comes from the initial starred review and Baker & Taylor’s Item Details.

My 2026 tracker has 73 subjects and an additional 20 subjects specific to young adult titles. The subject information is not necessary, but only for my own curiosity and data collection obsession. This information is based upon my own choices and interpretations, while attempting to stay as close to publisher information as possible. It may seem overwhelming, but I am so familiar with the information, it becomes a couple of keystrokes.

The formats and genres that I use for labeling:

2026 Mock Caldecott Tracker with subjects (not up-to-date)

Beginning in November, myself and the Mock Caldecott committee members meet to narrow down titles that will be included in our event. We create 2 separate lists– “Official Titles” and “Buzzworthy Titles”. The Official Titles are typically those that received 4, or more, starred reviews in professional review publications. Buzzworthy Titles are those that have been on professional blogs, yearly recommended lists, and titles that stood out to our staff throughout the year. The lists typically have 20-25 titles each for a total of approximately 45 books for our event. The chosen titles are rotated throughout our library system for staff to examine and evaluate for the Mock Caldecott event. A document, based upon the Committee’s selection criteria, is provided for staff, and they are able to track their evaluations using an electronic or print version.

2025 Mock Caldecott Evaluation Sheet Example

On the day of the event, we have small group discussions and narrow down our selections to our “Top 10”. And then the voting begins!
This year, at our Mock Caldecott event, we utilized a Google Form for voting on the Top 10 titles, which attendees accessed via a QR Code.

I have an incredible coworker, Cassidy Thompson, that figured out how to sort the voting into a Google Sheet, while applying the weighted totals for first, second, and third place. She created a tab that displayed the voting, as it was taking place, providing a visual representation. Previously, we used paper slips and a large dry-erase board. This was so much easier and quicker! Most staff members used their personal devices, but we also had library iPads available for those that needed them.

Google Form Voting

Google Form Results Sheet

Current Rankings Tab–Displayed as votes were tabulated. The final results:

I am happy to share as much information and resources as possible. Please leave a comment if you are interested.

(All photos courtesy of guest blogger.)

Today’s blog post was written by Jessica Beal (she/her), Youth and Teen Collections Librarian at Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in Evansville, IN. Jessica is a member of the ALSC Early Childhood Programs and Services and Children and Technology Committees and can be reached at jessicab@evpl.org.

This blog post relates to the ALSC Core Competencies of: I. Commitment to Client Group, IV. Collection Knowledge and Management, VII. Professionalism and Professional Development

The post Utilizing Technology for Mock Caldecott appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 I am the Youth and Teen Collections Librarian at my library system. The majority of my job duties involve purchasing materials. One of my additional responsibilities is to assist with our Annual Mock Caldecott event held in January. Throughout the years, I have been utilizing technology to improve this process for myself and staff, while providing more access for all those interested. My Mock Caldecott process includes: 1. Track the starred reviewed titles throughout the year.2. Include titles that will be eligible for the Caldecott Medal. 3. Create a list for staff. The publications I use for starred reviews are Booklist, BookPage, Bulletin of the Center for Children, Horn Book, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness. A sample of my 2025 Mock Caldecott Tracker: My library system uses G-Suite, allowing us to share and edit documents in real time. Our Mock Caldecott event only pertains to books…
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