It has been a busy legislative session in the Louisiana House, with several bills poised to impact libraries and library workers halted at various points, while others have been approved and moved on to the Senate. As they proliferate, grassroots library advocacy organizations are stepping up to combat them.

This responsive digital resource provides up-to-date, highly searchable information for students seeking to cite sources and engage in the research process, from formatting to documenting to using inclusive language. Highly recommended for any undergraduate or graduate institution.

Those outside our field may marvel at—or be disconcerted by—transformations they experience as new, seismic shifts from what they understand about libraries. We know the transformation is far from sudden, and far from over. Understanding this, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is using best practices and key research to better understand and equip libraries with the tools needed to address the future needs of the diverse communities they serve.

Fifty-seven percent of academic libraries report that the use of audiovisual (AV) sources such as news reels, recordings, performances, and films have increased over the past three years—with 21 percent describing significantly increased usage—while only 15 percent say that use of these resources have decreased, according to Library Journal’s recent AV Primary Sources Survey of Academic Libraries, sponsored by AM, that netted 220 responses from academic librarians in the United States and Canada. Thirteen percent of respondents said that college and university students now prefer AV primary source materials, compared with 18 percent who prefer print and other archival primary source materials.

COVID shifts drove falling print circ and rising ebooks. But will it last? LJ's 2021 Materials Survey looks at some of the last year's trends.

This is the 13th year of the LJ Index of Public Library Service and Star Library ratings. The 2020 scores and ratings are based on FY18 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS). Because of that delay, they don’t reflect the impact of the coronavirus; that won’t be reflected in the data until 2022. The big news in this year’s edition is that successful retrievals of electronic information (e-retrievals)—measuring usage of online content, such as databases, other than by title checkout—joins the six other measures that determine the LJ Index.

Whether librarians are providing services in-person or virtually, reference has changed with the pandemic.

Library Journal’s annual Placements & Salaries survey reports on the experiences of LIS students who graduated and sought their first librarian jobs in the previous year: in this case, 2019. Salaries and full-time employment are up, but so are unemployment and the gender gap; 2019 graduates faced a mixed job market even before the pandemic.

UPDATE: Statement From ALA: American Library Association Welcomes Fcc Cybersecurity Funding Pilot For Libraries, Calls For Long-Term Funding —- From the Federal Communications Commission: The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a three-year, $200 million Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program. This program will allow the Commission to obtain actionable data about which cybersecurity services and […]

The full text article linked below was recently published by PLOS One. Title Measuring Data Rot: An Analysis of The Continued Availability of Shared Data From a Single University Author Kristin A. Briney California Institute of Technology Source PLoS ONE 19(6): e0304781. June 5, 2024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304781 Abstract To determine where data is shared and […]

AI Close Encounters With AI: Introducing the AI4Culture Interview Series (via Europeana) DuckDuckGo Announces Free, Private Access to Some AI Chatbots (via News.com) Google: NotebookLM Goes Global, Gains Web And Google Slides Support (via 9to5Google) Elsevier CiteScore 2023: A Comprehensive, Clear and Current Metric for Journal Impact Harvard Library Bow & Arrow Press Finds Permanent […]

The lawsuit was filed today in the Southern District of New York. Claims For Relief Count I – Contributory Copyright Infringement (Asserted by the Publishers) Count II – Vicarious Copyright Infringement (Asserted by the Publishers) Count III – Trademark Infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1114(1)(b) (Asserted by the Trademark Plaintiffs) From Reuters: Google was hit […]

When the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines began to roll out in mid-December 2020, their distribution was immediately complicated by a shortage of doses and widespread uncertainty about who would be given priority. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued suggested guidelines for phased allocation. When it was not yet clear who would be next, many library workers, leaders, and associations began advocating for public facing library workers to be vaccinated as soon as feasible.

In the messy middle of the pandemic, library leaders share how things have changed since March 2020, their takeways, and continuing challenges.

Whether librarians are providing services in-person or virtually, reference has changed with the pandemic.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of books on the subject has been increasing exponentially. This introductory list, which will be updated regularly, is meant to help collection development librarians get started on determining which books work best for their collections.

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead wins the Gotham Book Prize for the best book set in or about New York City. Nick Bradley and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo are among the 10 writers selected for the ILX 10 list by Britain’s National Centre for Writing. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize shortlist has been revealed. Imbalances still remain when it comes to Black authors in the bestsellers lists, The Bookseller reports. Plus, interviews with Morgan Talty, Griffin Dunne, Jacqueline Winspear, and Judi Dench and new title bestsellers.

David Baldacci, James Patterson, and Lisa Scottoline are just some of the names topping the charts.

First proclaimed Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 1999 and expanded by President Obama in 2011, LGBTQIA+ Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community. The following titles, ranging from romance and mystery to social sciences and poetry, honor the experiences, legacies, and accomplishments of LGBTQIA+ people.

The top reads from our June issue, ranging across mystery, suspense, romance, fiction, horror, science fiction, fantasy, arts, science, and more.