As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in work, creative pursuits, and the generation of online misinformation, public libraries have a major new role to play in digital literacy.

As libraries face increasingly challenging funding landscapes, a key to securing public support lies in mobilizing a coalition of foundation donors, Friends members, and board volunteers. Successful advocacy campaigns happen when these key stakeholders unite behind the library’s mission, reinforcing its value and amplifying its message to decision-makers. To that end, library directors can use several types of advocacy to strengthen their budget campaigns, including community-driven advocacy, public-private partnerships, and the concept of advocacy through fundraising.

When the journey is the point, the mode of travel is as important as the destination. Moving from here to there—whether via quiet footfalls or the whisper of wings or sailing with a neatly trimmed spinnaker—fascinates readers and makes them wonder if there are ways to do it more efficiently, more economically, or with more zest and flair. The books on this list answer with a resounding “yes.”

Election Day 2024 held mixed results for libraries on the ballot across the country. EveryLibrary identified and tracked 79 library measures on local and statewide ballots about funding, buildings, and governance. Of those, 55 were for long-term operating revenue, 10 for building projects, seven for annual budgets, one was a defunding measure, two concerned library governance, and four were statewide issues. 

The article linked below was published today by the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication. Title Planet of the APCs: A Decade of Progress and Setbacks in Open Access Authors Josh Bolick University of Kansas Ada Emmett University of Kansas Marc L Greenberg University of Kansas A. Townsend Peterson University of Kansas Brian Rosenblum University […]

From AAP: The Association of American Publishers (AAP) today released its StatShot report for October 2024 reflecting reported revenue for Trade (Consumer Books), Religious Presses, Higher Education Course Materials, and Professional Publishing. Total revenues across all categories for October 2024 were up 8.3% as compared to October 2023, coming in at $1.4 billion. Year-to-date revenues […]

A Research Agenda From the Columbia Convening on AI Openness and Safety (via Mozilla Foundation) Every AI Copyright Lawsuit in the US, Visualized (via WIRED) Generative AI Literacy: Twelve Defining Competencies (preprint) (via arXiv) Industry Bodies Recommend Consistency in AI Audiobook Narration Terminology (via The Bookseller) See Also: Official Statement: New Naming Guidelines for AI-Narrated […]

From a Library Publication Coalition (LPC) Post: The Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to announce the publication of the 2024 Library Publishing Directory! This year’s print, PDF, EPUB, online versions and dataset of the Library Publishing Directory highlight the publishing activities of 167 library publishers across the globe. The Directory illustrates the many ways in which libraries are actively transforming […]

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?

Natural and human-made crises, disasters, emergencies, and catastrophes. Beth leads us through an update on how we've progressed or declined in our collective ability to deal with crises, and how the library & information field can play an even more active and visible role in preparing for, during, and recovering from these disasters.

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. 

Upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases feature a Rosemary's Baby prequel, Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut, and a dramatic story of glamping gone wrong.

This month’s top indie and foreign films feature a biopic of 1970s Donald Trump, a dramatization of a New Mexican coal strike, and a quartet of works from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong.