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.

On October 24, the Association of College and Research Libraries announced the publication of its 2024 report for the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries (POAL) toolkit. Data in the report offers a snapshot of POAL’s use and impact in FY24, from September 1, 2023, to August 31 of this year. The report is available as a free download from the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries website.

LJ’s 2024 Placements & Salaries Survey sees new grads grapple with questions of relocation, living wages, and job drift, but eager to begin careers in the field.

As Lorcan Dempsey, formerly with OCLC, observed in portal: Libraries and the Academy (2008), “discovery happens elsewhere”—that is, people are using internet search engines, recommendations from social media, or emails from friends and colleagues to discover content. Search can be a powerful tool, provided you know what you are looking for. Yet there are significant problems associated with the search process.

From an Introductory Blog Post: IFLA has for many years had its own Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE), which has both engaged in discussions internationally and provided a space for discussing the work of libraries in their own settings to uphold intellectual freedom. Through this, it works to strengthen […]

The article (abstract only) linked below was published the Journal of Community Health. Title A Study on How Libraries Operate as Health Spaces in the United States Authors Sasha A. Fleary City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Patrece L. Joseph Boston University School of Public Health Somya Rastogi […]

From the ARL Salary Data Release: The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published the ARL Annual Salary Survey 2023, which analyzes salary data for professional staff working in 126 of the 127 ARL member libraries during 2023. Data are reported for 11,118 professional staff from 120 university ARL libraries in Canada and the United States […]

From a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Announcement: The National Archives announced the launch of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Portal today [11/18]. This portal serves as both a subject guide and an index for the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection, which consists of records generated in response to the Civil Rights […]

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.

AI provides a new level of destructive capability to undermine trust in government and public institutions, and unfortunately yes, even in libraries. This episode focuses on these AI tools, their corrosive effects, and ways that libraries and librarians can help to repair the damage.

TikTok! Used regularly by over half the US population, why do so many either love or loathe TikTok? Is it simply a fun and terrific platform for creating, sharing, and consuming content? Is it an addictive, mental health hazard destroying America’s youth? Is it a major national security threat of Chinese infiltration? Is it all of the above…and more?

Upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases feature 15th-century Italian sage Leonardo da Vinci, young Oscar winner Tatum O'Neal, and composer Sakamoto's final curated performance. 

Now or Never by Janet Evanovich is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

Readers can look forward to new suspense from Lisa Jewell, psychological thrillers from Matthew Blake and Liv Constantine, and a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic from S.A. Cosby this month.

Bestselling Laura Lippman returns with a book featuring middle-aged widow Muriel Blossom from her Tess Monaghan books, Nilima Rao writes a second Sergeant Akal Singh historical mystery, and Sally Smith debuts with a cozy gaslight series set in 1901 London.