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From the Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Early Tuesday morning, the Laramie County Library System was the victim of a ransomware attack that shut down library servers and immobilized most digital services. The library’s Information Technology team was able to revert the system to a previous state and resume full service for library patrons by 9 a.m. […]
Thao Thai’s Banyan Moon wins the Crook’s Corner Book Prize for the best debut novel set in the American South. Winners of the Silvers-Dudley Prizes, for literary criticism, arts writing, and journalism, are announced. Crown, a division of Penguin Random House, has launched Storehouse Voices, a new imprint devoted to elevating Black voices, and Simon & Schuster has announced a new audio-first imprint, Simon Maverick, focused on self-published authors. Publishers Weekly has Barack Obama’s list of his favorite books of 2024. Plus, interviews with Chukwuebuka Ibeh, Stuart Turton, and Tracy Clark.
In a significant decision for the freedom to read, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas recently declared two key sections of Arkansas Act 372—which expose librarians and booksellers to criminal penalties—unconstitutional. Section 1’s criminal penalties for “furnishing harmful items to minors” were deemed overly broad; Section 5’s process for giving decisions on book challenges and appeals to local government officials lacked constitutional safeguards and threatened a chilling effect on library staff and users alike.
From the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): This collection of brief essays challenges long-held principles of archival practice by addressing the carceral underpinnings of the cultural professions. Contributors explore how complicity with carceral systems and the Prison Industrial Complex undermines equitable access to information and perpetuates systemic harms. Drawing from their experiences working […]
The article (preprint) linked below was recently shared on arXiv. Title Agent Laboratory: Using LLM Agents as Research Assistants Author Samuel Schmidgall AMD Johns Hopkins University Yusheng Su AMD Ze Wang AMD Ximeng Sun AMD Jialian Wu AMD Xiaodong Yu AMD Jiang Liu AMD Zicheng Liu AMD Emad Barsoum AMD Source via arXiv DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2501.04227 […]
From the U. of South Carolina College of Information and Communication: A College of Information and Communications research team conducted a national survey on “Americans’ Use and Perception of AI Tools” in December 2024. This marks the second survey carried out on this topic, continuing their efforts to understand public attitudes toward AI technologies. The […]
AI AI and the Struggle for Control Over Research (via Inside Higher Ed) Meta Knew It Used Pirated Books to Train AI, Authors Say (via Reuters) The Publisher of the Journal “Nature” is Emailing Authors of Scientific Papers, Offering to Sell Them AI Summaries of Their Own Work (via Futurism) Authors Alliance Artificial Intelligence, Authorship, […]
Winners of the Pacific Northwest Book Awards are announced. The shortlists for the Westminster Book Awards, for political books and books by UK parliamentarians, are revealed. Jenna Bush Hager, host of the Read with Jenna book club, is starting her own publishing venture with Penguin Random House. Plus interviews with Graham Norton, Jean Hanff Korelitz, and Liz Moore.
From the Public Domain Review: After the hundreds (thousands?) of hours trawling through online image collections since the PDR’s inception, we’ve decided it was time to create one of our own! We are really excited to share with you the launch of our new sister-project, the Public Domain Image Archive (PDIA), a curated collection of more […]
The article (preprint) linked below was recently posted on arXiv. Title Detection of Metadata Manipulations: Finding Sneaked References in The Scholarly Literature Authors Lonni Besançon Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden Guillaume Cabanac Universit´e Toulouse Cyril Labbé Univ. Grenoble Alpes Alexander Magazinov Yandex.Kazakhstan Jules di Scala Universit´e Toulouse Dominika Tkaczyk Crossref Kathryn Weber-Boer Digital Science Source via […]
California Los Angeles Public Library Director John Szabo is Library Journal’s 2025 Librarian of the Year (via LJ) Connecticut E-Book Licensing Bill Filed in Connecticut General Assembly (Senate) HathiTrust Unlock the Past: Public Domain Day 2025 Idaho Boise Library Board Wrestles with Application of ‘Library Protection Act’ (via IdahoNews.com) Libraries Research Librarian is #20 on […]
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Joy-Ann Reid, Alyssa Cole, Essie Chambers, and more are nominated for NAACP Image Awards. Oprah picks Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose for her 110th book club. Other January book club picks include Kate Fagan’s The Three Lives of Cate Kay (Reese Witherspoon and Target), Emma Knight’s The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus (Read with Jenna and Barnes & Noble), and Karissa Chen’s Homeseeking (GMA and Good Housekeeping). LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams. Reba McEntire will star in and produce an adaptation of Fannie Flagg’s The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. Plus, Eliza Kennedy’s forthcoming novel Lucky Night will be adapted for the stage.
For those participating in Dry January or anyone looking to consume less alcohol, here’s a tempting array of cookbooks containing ideas for nonalcoholic cocktails.
El-Mohtar’s solo debut is a heart-wrenching fairy tale about the bonds of love and family. It’s a murder ballad in book form that will linger long after the final page is turned.
The author of Where They Last Saw Her brings back Cash Blackbear in a tragic, unforgiving crime novel that emphasizes the perils of the foster care system for Indigenous children.
On December 9, the American Library Association (ALA) announced that it will receive an approximately $25 million bequest from James W. Lewis, senior vice president and senior relationship manager of the Lewis Group, an investment company within the Washington, DC, office of Merrill Lynch, to fund library school scholarships for students with demonstrated financial needs. The bequest is the largest in ALA’s history.
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
From Baylor University: Baylor University has been awarded a $2.48 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative (RCII) to support a major expansion of the Black Gospel Archive (BGA) at Baylor University Libraries. The award represents one of the largest foundation gifts to support Baylor Libraries and will underwrite an […]
From a CARL Announcement: The Canadian Association of Research Libraries is pleased to welcome the Library of Parliament as its newest member, which joins 29 university libraries and 2 federal institutions. As the voice of Canada’s research libraries, CARL enhances its members’ capacity to advance research and higher education; promotes effective and sustainable knowledge creation, […]
From Stateline: Amid a national rise in book bans in school libraries and new laws in some red states that threaten criminal penalties against librarians, a growing number of blue states are taking the opposite approach. State leaders are demonstrating that censorship has no place in their state and that the freedom to read is […]
From the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today the release of a report “State-Level Analysis of Public Library Service Adaptations in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This report focuses on state- and territory-level profiles covering public library financial health, resources, services, usage, and staffing […]
The article (preprint) shared below was recently shared on EdWorkingPapers. Title GenAI-101: What Undergraduate Students Need to Know and Actually Know About Generative AI Authors Sina Rismanchian University of California, Irvine Eesha Tur Razia Babar University of California, Irvine Shayan Doroudi University of California, Irvine Source EdWorkingPapers; January 2025 DOI: 10.26300/1087-pv22 Abstract In November 2022, […]
From OED: The latest update to the Oxford English Dictionary includes more than 500 new words, phrases, and senses, including content creator, stroopwafel, and cosy crime. Learn more about the words added to the OED this quarter in our new words notes by OED Editor, Jennifer Hurd: Brand spanking new words in the OED December 2024 update. Our latest update sees the revision of the word berserk. While […]
LitHub releases the list of its most anticipated books of 2025. New year previews also arrive from Electric Lit, BookRiot, and Vogue. Barnes & Noble announces plans to open 60 new stores in 2025. Meta signals an end to its third-party fact-checking program. Diana Gabaldon shares a new Outlander excerpt. Vox examines: “Are men’s reading habits truly a national crisis?” Bestselling thriller author Andrew Pyper has died at the age of 56.
From Science: During the COVID-19 pandemic, preprints—unreviewed manuscripts posted online—were an important venue for biomedical researchers to quickly share findings with colleagues that might help curb the disease. At the same time, some scientists worried about whether and how to responsibly convey these unvetted findings to a public desperate for information. Two recent studies support […]
The journal article linked below was recently published by Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. Title School Library Professionals’ Perspectives on Current and Future Workforce Challenges Authors Margaret Kristin Merga University of Notre Dame Australia Saiyidi Mat Roni University of Notre Dame Australia Source Journal of Librarianship and Information Science DOI: 10.1177/096100062413091 Abstract While school […]
The article linked below was recently published by Learned Publishing. Title As of My Last Knowledge Update’: How is Content Generated by ChatGPT Infiltrating Scientific Papers Published in Premier Journals? Author Artur Strzelecki University of Economics in Katowice, Katowice, Poland Source Learned Publishing Volume38, Issue1; January 2025 DOI: 10.1002/leap.1650 Abstract The aim of this paper is […]
Alabama Library Battles Heat Up in Spanish Fort, Athens as New Year Begins (via APR) Data Announcing Make Data Count and HELIOS Open Collaboration: ‘Implementing data evaluation at institutions’ Working Group National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Trump Promises to Replace National Archivist After the Agency’s Role In Documents Case Against Him (via AP) NDSA […]
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by James Patterson and Brian Sitts, Fiona Davis, Danielle Steel, and Alafair Burke. People’s book of the week is Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin. Audiofile announces the January Earphones Award winners. Jenna Bush Hager selects The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight for her January book club. The film and TV adaptations for Conclave, Wicked, Shōgun, I’m Still Here, and The Penguin win Golden Globes. Plus, what to read in 2025.
The article linked below was recently shared on arXiv. Title Rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Science Authors Liangping Ding University of Manchester, UK Cornelia Lawson University of Manchester, UK Philip Shapira University of Manchester, UK Georgia Institute of Technology Source via arXiv DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2412.20960 Abstract Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI, generative AI) has rapidly become […]
From KRQE: The window has opened for lawmakers to file bills they want to introduce during this year’s 60-day legislative session. One bill that is sure to spark debate would stop funding public libraries that ban books. “It is not a culture war bill,” said New Mexico House Representative Kathleen Cates. “It is a way […]
Arkansas Crawford County Library Director Returns Fire in Ongoing Legal Battle (via Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) Ohio For One Community, A Library is Much More Than Books, It’s Support (via WCPO) Oregon The Governor Wants to Improve Literacy. So Why Are So Many School Libraries Empty? (via Willamette Week) Texas This Austin, Texas, Suburb Shows How Developers […]
Aisha Johnson, associate dean for academic affairs and outreach at the Georgia Institute of Technology Libraries, was named a 2024 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her work on Sustainable Leadership as a Solution for Representation and Inclusion in LIS: A Bibliography and Toolkit. We recently spoke with Johnson for insights and updates on her work.
The article linked below was recently published by Data Science Journal. Title The Dataset Finder: A Tool Utilizing Data Management Plans as a Key to Data Discoverability Authors Soo-Yon Kim RWTH Aachen University, Germany Steffen Hillemacher RWTH Aachen University, Germany Max Kocher RWTH Aachen University, Germany Bernhard Rumpe RWTH Aachen University, Germany Sandra Geisler RWTH […]
The article linked below was recently published by Quantitative Science Studies (QSS). Title Teaching Counts! Open Educational Resources as an Object of Measurement For Scientometric Analysis Author Sylvia Kullmann DIPF Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education Source Quantitative Science Studies 1-24 DOI: 10.1162/qss_a_00346 Abstract At present, performance assessment in science focuses mainly on scientific […]
ENSHITTIFICATION. It’s a real thing—the purposeful degradation of the quality in systems in order to maximize profits. And we saw ICT as a boon to society, liberating not oppressing. Sigh. Listen in as we explore enshittification and the implications of all this profit-seeking across all types of information systems.
Hoeppner offers effective practices for improving communication skills, plus excellent advice on acknowledging nerves and managing anxiety about speaking.
A must have for any collection looking to add a well-written, unexpected, and highly entertaining and delicious take on regional Italian cooking and locale.
With so many knitting and crochet books providing expensive yarn recommendations and patterns that depend on precision, this book will satisfy the itch to stitch for people who enjoy a little more freedom and flow without sacrificing form and function.
While this may be a little daunting for inexperienced cooks, it is a must-have for ambitious foodies who love to grill. A fun addition to any library collection.
New York–area libraries with larger travel sections already established will find this a beautiful addition for their patrons to browse through. This book can also be valuable for readers interested in landscape aerial photography.
Like many works on longevity, Smith’s leans heavily into how lifestyle contributes to aging. The actionable steps for incorporating practices into daily life may empower readers to have more nuanced conversations with their doctors about how to embrace health and strength while aging.
While some of these recipes may be too fussy for less-experienced home cooks, Soteriou equips readers with the tools they need to create big, boldly flavored, visually appealing dishes that may mark her as the next iconic vegan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s ilk.
Though there are many cleaning and tidying books around, this one is particularly astute. It cuts to the chase with foundational advice that makes incremental changes achievable and is recommended for most collections.
Cooks who fell in love with the food of Southern France in Rebekah Peppler’s Le Sud or discovered the joys of cooking in Maine with Erin French’s The Lost Kitchen will be equally enamored with Clark’s loving culinary celebration of the best that California’s Central Coast has to offer.
Worth picking up for Gay’s introspective yet inclusive introduction alone, this new collection provides accessible entry points into feminism and offers even advanced scholars new ways of viewing the complex, intersectional histories of feminist thought, literature, and action.
This book is recommended and appropriate for libraries supporting students and general readers interested in exploring governmental policies from abroad that could work in the U.S.
Emotional, raw, and real, this memoir is a deep dive into one couple’s trials and triumphs to redefine marriage to fit their lives and needs. A valuable addition to memoir collections.
A fresh take on banking that will show readers how credit unions and community banks can improve the social, economic, and environmental situations of the people they serve.
This compelling, evocative book expertly centers queer writing and resilience to imagine new approaches to living during environmental crises. It’s an excellent choice for scholars, students, and general readers of queer studies and ecocriticism. Pair with The Queerness of Water: Troubled Ecologies in the Eighteenth Century by Jeremy Chow.
Written in clear prose with well-founded arguments, this book, heavily illustrated with archival photographs and drawings, makes an excellent addition to history collections. For general audiences interested in Americana.
Steves’s journal offers a window into time, before travel through the greater Middle East became vastly more complicated. Recommended for Steves’s fans and armchair travelers.
Fascinating insight into the lives of two remarkable women who may be unfamiliar to readers in the United States. Especially recommended for readers interested in biographies about royals.
Allensworth gives readers accessible descriptions of the professional licensing process and attendant problems. She explains the reasons for caring about this weighty topic and suggests solutions.
