Calling All Librarians! Vote Now for the Dagger in the Library Award!

Category: Blog

The Crime Writers’ Association have written an open letter appealing for input from our wonderful library community, and we are pleased to share this letter with you below. With a chance to have your say, and win some great prizes, keep reading to discover how to share your opinions and nominate a writer of your choice to win. The prestigious Dagger in the Library award will go to a writer whose prose is popular with library users and who in turn supports libraries!

Dear Librarian or Library Worker

We need your input! This year the Crime Writers’ Association is running the prestigious Dagger in the Library award a little differently. While in January we’ll get to the stage where we want you to nominate crime writers from a list (three votes per library, as per usual, via our website and to be made by 29 February 2024), first of all we want your help in compiling that list of crime writers. So, please would you email us names of crime writers who you think should be on the list to vote for Dagger in the Library this year? You’re very welcome – encouraged in fact! – to consult your borrowers! They could win a prize – see below.

At this stage we’d like you to let us know who you think should be in the running. Criteria are:
– Popularity with borrowers (no matter what platform; book, ebook or audio)
– Willingness to help and support libraries through participating in events and so on

Authors should write for a good part of the year based in the UK or Ireland and write crime fiction, true crime or crime non-fiction in English or Welsh. No one who’s previously won either the CWA’s Diamond Dagger or the Dagger in the Library is eligible. These lists are on the CWA website here, but we will double-check, so don’t worry if you’re unsure, just email us those author names!

We have prepared some eye-catching graphics so you can print out a poster or flyer to garner votes from your borrowers. They are available for download here.

We’ll also be supporting this campaign with social media. Please tag: #DaggerintheLibrary.

Oh, and that prize. If a borrower votes for the writer who ends up the overall Dagger in the Library winner 2024, they’ll be entered into a draw to receive a book by the winner or by one of the shortlisted authors. Please send us the names of the authors you or your borrowers think should win the Dagger in the Library 2024!

Email them all to comps@thecwa.co.uk by 4 December 2023 – send as many as you like, as many times as you like. Please supply your name, the name and location of your library and if names have been supplied by borrowers, their names too. We’ll keep all details confidential and only contact you in connection with the Dagger in the Library.

Best wishes
Dea Parkin
CWA Competitions Coordinator: comps@thecwa.co.uk