LJ’s 2024 Year in Architecture trends see libraries simultaneously designing for pragmatic concerns, such as safety and site constraints, and an equally important quotient of delight—achieving harmony in the process!

Shamella Cromartie, associate dean of organizational performance and administration at Clemson University Libraries, was named a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her work to expand outreach, membership, and support for Black librarians in South Carolina. We recently spoke with Cromartie to learn more about these projects.

Philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York on December 9 announced a new $5 million pool of grant funding available for public libraries nationwide. The new initiative—Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy—“will help public libraries deliver critical services that promote socioeconomic mobility, civic participation, and social belonging,” according to an announcement. The $5 million will be awarded to 10 to 15 library systems in regions serving 500,000 people or more, with each system receiving up to $500,000 in funding over 24 months.

The full text article linked below was recently published by SLIS Connecting, the journal of The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). Title Mental Health and Well-Being in Academic Libraries: A Bibliometric Survey of Scholarly Publications, 1994-2024 Author Rebecca Arthur, MLIS Source SLIS Connecting Vol. 12: Iss. 2, Article 4. […]

From The Globe and Mail: The Calgary Public Library first flagged suspicious activity on its servers on Oct. 10. Less than 24 hours later, it confirmed the library was the target of a full-fledged cyberattack. Security teams chose to pro-actively shut down the servers rather than leave systems vulnerable, a decision that chief executive officer Sarah […]

AI ChatGPT Search Tool Vulnerable to Manipulation and Deception, Tests Show (via The Guardian) British Library AI (and Machine Learning, Etc) with British Library Collections (via BL) Films Preserving a Legacy: Inside the Walt Disney Studios Film Archive (via WDC) Wikipedia Wikipedia Searches Reveal Differing Styles of Curiosity (via SciAm)

From the Arkansas Times: A federal judge on Monday ruled the two most contentious parts of Arkansas’s book-censorship law unconstitutional and permanently blocked them from taking effect. An appeal is planned. Judge Timothy Brooks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas struck down Sections 1 and 5 of Act 372, which the Legislature passed last year. […]

Dave explores NotebookLM’s podcasting feature. NotebookLM is an AI system from Google that lets you create a workspace around documents that summarizes, creates study guides, and much more. One of the features is creating an “Audio Overview” that transforms your notes and documents into a two person podcast. Dave was impressed, see what you think.

Dave explores NotebookLM’s podcasting feature. NotebookLM is an AI system from Google that lets you create a workspace around documents that summarizes, creates study guides, and much more. One of the features is creating an “Audio Overview” that transforms your notes and documents into a two person podcast. Dave was impressed, see what you think.

The election is over, and the reactions are emotional and raw. America is still as divided politically and socially as the day before. What’s in store for us as individuals, families and communities? What might the next few years look like for libraries and librarians and those who use and rely on library resources and service?

On December 3, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem released the state budget for FY26, which includes devastating news for the State Library in Pierre, the state capital. The institution will have its budget cut by 12.5 FTE in staff, $1,030,267 in general funds, and $1,399,443 in federal fund expenditure authority. The library currently has 21 staff members, but if the measure passes, seven remaining staff members will work in accessibility services for disabled users, leaving two employees to cover everything else.

The theme of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2025 LibLearnX, “Reimagine, Refocus, Reset: Charting a Path for the Future,” has particular resonance, as this will be the final LibLearnX. The event, which replaced ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in 2022, had seen low attendance—just over 2,000 at last year’s conference in Baltimore—and ALA has opted to stop hosting the conference.

Publishing in a journal that isn’t reputable can reduce the credibility of research, hinder one’s career, and lessen the impact of research findings. When choosing a journal, researchers should talk with their colleagues, supervisors, and librarians to find out which publications they read regularly and which they perceive as the most highly respected in their field.

This month’s can’t-miss documentaries include the shocking story of Love Canal, a harrowing depiction of sexual assault, and a joyous celebration of composer Ennio Morricone.