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Between September 22 and 28, the nation’s library community once again “celebrates” Banned Books Week, an annual event established in 1982 by the American Library Association (ALA) to profile acts of censorship and book banning in schools and libraries across the nation. Beginning with a “Library Bill of Rights” that ALA adopted in 1939, library leaders worked hard during the 20th century to hone a national image as defenders of intellectual freedom, opponents of censorship, and proponents of the freedom to read. But between 1939 and 1982 that image evolved to become an information silo of librarianship’s own making, one that was silent on or indifferent to issues of race and libraries.

Costanza Casati’s Clytemnestra wins the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award. David Waldstreicher wins the George Washington Prize for The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet’s Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence. Winners of the Alberta Book Publishing Awards are announced. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with Emmanuel Acho, Elizabeth Strout, Garth Greenwell, and Lauren Elkin.

For readers curious about how museums work, this engaging new look at MoMA’s origins will whet appetites for further scholarship on these fascinating figures.

During Banned Books Week, this year September 22–28, LJ has seen a wide range of libraries celebrating the right to read in their communities: public, K–12, and academic; urban and rural; large and small—and, now, little. Little Free Libraries, the birdhouse-sized book exchange structures scattered across neighborhoods around the world, have joined forces with the American Library Association (ALA) and PEN America to encourage the distribution of banned books in the areas they’re needed most.

Shortlists for the Wolfson History Prize and the British Academy Book Prize are announced. The Treaties We Break by Tina Shah wins the Mo Siewcharran Prize for unpublished fiction writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds. Llano County, TX, told the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that it should hand politicians near total authority over what books can go on public library shelves. Plus new title bestsellers and interviews with Richard Osman, Isabella Hammad, Paola Ramos, Uzo Aduba, and Myriam J.A. Chancy.

The Gale Peterson’s Test and Career Prep database is an outstanding resource that provides a plethora of tools and tests to help learners prepare for exams and career challenges. 

This month’s can’t-miss documentaries include a heartwarming exploration of the life of actor Gene Wilder, an exploration of Armenian culture, and remembrances of an iconic video rental shop. 

Forthcoming DVDs and Blu-rays for every taste, including Kevin Costner’s passion project, teen apocalypse mayhem, and New Jersey suburbanites seeking emotional connection. 

This month’s top indie and foreign films feature a poignant depiction of queer loneliness, a child caught up in 19th-century religious and political conflicts, and Bob Hoskins as big-shot London gangster Harold Shand.

Boyd’s treasure trove of information about the global impact of world music (particularly on the United States) is a tour de force that will fascinate music lovers.

The Exact Editions Literature Collection is an attractive option for users who want easy and mobile access to a curated collection of popular literary journals and magazines. 

Emotional novels set during the holiday season.

Enjoy festive holiday cases in these mysteries set in the yuletide season.

The Washington State Book Award and Dream Foundry Award winners are announced. Elly Griffiths wins Author of the Year at the BA Conference Awards. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo. Interviews arrive with Janice Hallett, Elyse Graham, Ed Burns, Kenny G, Ashley Spencer, David Sedaris, Aaron Zebley, and Wright Thompson. The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green will get a TV adaptation, and Garth Greenwell’s What Belongs to You goes to the opera. Plus, NYT delves into the “Strega Nona September” TikTok trend, inspired by the children’s books by Tomie dePaola.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Rick Atkinson and John Ferling offer books about the Revolutionary War on its 250th anniversary, while Ojibwe journalist Mary Annette Pember writes a mix of history and personal biography about Indigenous boarding schools in the U.S.

New books from bestselling Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez, queer romances from Jasmine Guillory and Meryl Wilsner, and second series entries from India Holton and Eloisa James.

For the past four years, EveryLibrary has been working to fight the book-banning movement. A large part of that fight is developing effective messaging against book bans, as well as conducting extensive message testing, surveys, and focus groups to understand the impact of messaging and determine which messages perform best.

Banned Books Week is underway, with newly released reports from PEN America and ALA on book challenges in the U.S. Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo garners rave reviews, including a four-star review from USA Today. Interviews arrive with Law Roach, Ashley Spencer, Robert A. Caro, Shayna Maci Warner, Elizabeth Strout, Morgan Talty, Wright Thompson, and Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. Influential critic Fredric Jameson has died at the age of 90.

The Eleanor Roosevelt Center is seeking nominations for its 2025 Banned Book Awards now through September 30, 2024.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney leads holds this week and is People’s book of the week. Also in demand are titles by Nicholas Sparks, Sharon McMahon, Emily Rath, Richard Powers, and Tami Hoag. The Wolfson History Prize shortlist is announced. October’s LibraryReads list is out, featuring top pick Exposure by Ramona Emerson. LitHub provides a flowchart to answer the question “Which Big Fall Book Should You Read?” Plus, Banned Books Week arrives amid a new surge in censorship.

Buttar makes brilliant use of primary sources and provides readers with a rich understanding of the unique nature of Leningrad, its military, and its people during a perilous time.

Two and a half years after launch, Books Unbanned has continued to grow as a vital resource for people in schools and communities where book challenges otherwise put content out of reach.

On August 13, a New College of Florida student posted images to social media showing a dumpster full of books situated outside the campus library. As the story and images went viral, New College issued a statement that the library’s weeding project was separate from the removal of items from the GDC, and that the center was being “repurposed.”