Library Journal

04/03/2021

From Breakbeats to Books: Essential Titles in Hip-Hop | Collection Development

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library librarians Tracy Crawford and A.J. Muhammad have curated LJ's new guide to essential titles in hip-hop, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors.

Build collections about hip-hop, spanning scholarship, poetry, memoir, and photography, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors.

04/03/2021

Read-Alikes for ‘The Red Book’ by James Patterson & David Ellis | LibraryReads

Put a hold on the new James Patterson / David Ellis collab at your local library, then bide your time on the waiting list with these read-alike recommendations from LibraryReads.

LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting for The Red Book by James Patterson & David Ellis.

04/03/2021

From Breakbeats to Books: Essential Titles in Hip-Hop | Collection Development

Tracy Crawford and A.J. Muhammad, librarians at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library, have curated a new guide to essential titles in hip-hop, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors. Their selections span criticism, scholarship, poetry, memoir, photography, and more.

Build collections about hip-hop, spanning scholarship, poetry, memoir, and photography, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors.

04/03/2021

Lessons Learned from the Pandemic, Oct. 2021, Pt. 2 | Prepub Alert

New books out in Oct. from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Chris Cuomo will reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic; plus James Patterson talks to E.R. nurses about their experiences. This and more in the new Prepub Alert.

Titles in science, political science, and medicine reflect on what we've learned from the pandemic and what happens next.

04/03/2021

Broadband for all: "We have the need, the will, and now, the funding." With $10 billion in new federal funds for expanding access to home broadband nationwide, libraries must parlay temporary aid into a lasting paradigm shift, editor-in-chief Meredith Schwarz writes in April's issue of LJ: http://ow.ly/5CJ150EfEdB

04/02/2021

Ebony Magazine Considers ‘Fiction’s New School of Black Women Heroines’ | Book Pulse

Diana Gabaldon finishes writing the 9th OUTLANDER book; for EBONY mag, Kaitlyn McNab writes about Black heroines in Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Kiley Reid, Raven Leilani, and Candice Carty-Williams; this and more in today's Book Pulse.

Ebony magazine publishes “From ‘Sula’ to ‘Luster’: Fiction’s New School of Black Woman Heroines.” Diana Gabaldon announces she has completed her ninth Outlander book, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. More April book picks arrive: Oprah Daily offers poetry selections, EW names great rom...

04/02/2021

Public Programming with Virtual Murder Mysteries

Librarians are trying out virtual murder mysteries as pandemic programming. Wood Library's Alexis Lawrence wrote and produced a mystery involving real Salem witch trial figures and a fictional murder, while Shaker Heights Public Library's Kristen Chilson and Shannon Fischer Titas created a whodunit about the murder of a librarian. LJ's Mahnaz Dar reports.

Public libraries are seeing success with virtual murder mysteries, which vary in format from Zoom events to text-based games to videos.

04/02/2021

For more than two decades, LJ’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 6! Register here: https://bit.ly/381GwF7

04/02/2021

Missed the LJ Winter Summit? No problem! Catch up on all you missed with On Demand here: https://bit.ly/3bpqs24

04/02/2021

Penguin Random House Book & Author Festival

Join Penguin Random House, LJ, and SLJ for a free, day-long virtual book and author festival as we celebrate National Library Week and librarians everywhere! Register here: https://bit.ly/2OgaFtB

Join Penguin Random House, Library Journal, and School Library Journal for a free, day-long virtual book and author festival as we celebrate National Library Week and librarians everywhere! Enjoy a day packed with author panels and interviews, book buzzes, virtual shelf browsing, and adding to your....

04/02/2021

Eggers, Kumar, Towles, Verble, Yanique & More Literary Stars, Oct. 2021, Pt. 2 |Prepub Alert

Out in October: new novels by Louise Erdrich and Dave Eggers, plus award-winning debuts from Khadija Abdalla Bajaber and Violaine Huisman. This and more in the new Prepub Alert.

Top reads ranging from Khadija Abdalla Bajaber’s The House of Rust, a Graywolf Press Africa Prize winner, to NYPL Young Lion Claire Vaye Watkins’s I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness, which is autofiction like ViolaineHuisman’s multi-award-winning debut The Book of Mother. Plus more award wi...

04/01/2021

Garden of Reading Delights: Fiction and Gardens | The Reader’s Shelf

While you're waiting for your seeds to sprout, check out the gardening-themed novels in this month's Reader's Shelf column.

Take pleasure in these fiction picks about gardens and flowers, from the likes of Virginia Woolf and Jessica Francis Kane.

04/01/2021

The Booker International Longlist 2021 Has Been Announced; Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o Makes History | Book Pulse

The Booker Prizes longlist has been announced; Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is nominated as writer and translator of his verse novel 'The Perfect Nine'; this and more in LJ's latest Book Pulse.

The Booker International Longlist 2021 has been announced.Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead is the top Indie Next pick for May.Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia is the GMA April Book Club pick. John Lewis’s posthumous new graphic novel, Run: Book One will come out in August, whileGood Company by...

04/01/2021

Library Leaders Advocate for Systemwide Staff Vaccination

LJ talked to library leaders in California, New York, and Arkansas who are advocating for their staffs to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

As early as December 2020, many were advocating for library workers to be included in early distribution categories. Even in the absence of broad recategorization, however, some library leaders have effectively lobbied to have staff across their entire systems vaccinated. Using a range of strategies...

04/01/2021

Designing for a Flexible Future

This new design workshop and guest speaker program from LJ and SLJ explores how to create library spaces with flexibility in mind for today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities in a post-Covid era. Register here: https://bit.ly/3aQZkrk

This online course will explore how to design library space for flexibility, including coworking space, meeting space, and outdoor space.

03/31/2021

Library Journal Day of Dialog 2021

For more than two decades, LJ’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 6! Register here: https://bit.ly/381GwF7

For more than two decades, Library Journal’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 6 and will feature a close-up look at the biggest forthcoming books for summer/f...

03/30/2021

Public Programming in the Pandemic

Practically every public library has had to master digital story time in a hurry. In this timely course, you’ll find out how leading libraries have pivoted to meet their communities’ changing needs. Register here: https://bit.ly/371nXjQ

In this timely course, you’ll find out how leading libraries have pivoted to meet their communities’ changing needs.

03/30/2021

Designing for a Flexible Future

This new design workshop and guest speaker program from LJ and SLJ explores how to create library spaces with flexibility in mind for today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities in a post-Covid era. Register here: https://bit.ly/3aQZkrk

This online course will explore how to design library space for flexibility, including coworking space, meeting space, and outdoor space.

03/29/2021

Bookish ASMR and More

"Whispering, pages turning, date-due stamping, computer keys being tapped, and the plastic crinkle of a book cover"—are you longing for the soundscape of the public library? Bliss out with ASMR videos that recreate library noises (and others) for maximum relaxation.

Think of ASMR as your favorite white noise with benefits. Here are some of our favorites.

03/29/2021

'The Red Book' by James Patterson & David Ellis Tops Holds Lists | Book Pulse

Plus: George R.R. Martin signs a massive deal with HBO, Sarah J. Maas will adapt her series 'A Court of Silver Flames' for Hulu, and more in today's Book Pulse.

'The Red Book' by James Patterson and David Ellis tops this week's holds list. Two LibraryReads selections arrive this week along with three Indie Next selections. Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard is People's 'Pick of the Week.' Tributes pour in for Beverly Cleary and Larry McMurtry. George R.R. Martin...

03/28/2021

Roundup: Statements of Solidarity with Asian American & Pacific Islander Community From Libraries and Library Organizations

Many libraries and library organizations have issued statements recognizing and condemning the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States during the past year.

We will continue to update this collection with more statements in the coming days. Last Update: March 26, 2021 at 1 p.m. Eastern (44 entries) National American Library Association (ALA) Asian/Pacific American Library Association (APALA) Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Associati...

03/28/2021

What We Miss About Misinformation: Q&A with Dr. Nicole Cooke

"We tend to avoid the information on the negative end and gravitate to information that makes us happy, that confirms what we already know, and that doesn’t challenge us."

LJ caught up with Dr. Nicole Cooke, Augusta Baker endowed chair and associate professor at the School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, to ask what librarians need to know about how misinformation and disinformation work in the modern era and how they can be combated....

03/28/2021

Bud Barton on Bringing Library of Congress IT Up to Date

"It’s not a one-time deal, it’s not checking a box, it’s really putting in place processes, procedures, and funding streams that allow us to keep things modern as technology improves."

When Bernard “Bud” Barton was hired as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Library of Congress in September 2015 he was faced with the Government Accountability Office’s list of 31 recommendations to overhaul and modernize the library’s IT infrastructure. Five years later, those reco...

03/27/2021

Inside the World's Largest Jewish Cookbook Collection

And chag same'ach to all who celebrate!

A librarian with a love for eBay built this trove of culinary history.

03/27/2021

UChicago Library to preserve ‘unique portrait’ of Jewish history in Passover Haggadot collection

Divinity School grad student bequeathing collection of more than 4,500 books for Passover

Stephen Durchslag has spent decades obtaining more than 4,500 Passover Haggadot. His bequest will leave the vast majority of this remarkable collection to the UChicago Library.

03/27/2021

Science for Non-Scientists: Essential Titles in Popular Science | Collection Development

Build popular science collections that support the scientific inquiries of non-scientists, with titles that will hold the interest of the layperson without sacrificing nuance or accuracy.

Build popular science collections that support the scientific inquiries of non-scientists, with titles that will hold the interest of the layperson without sacrificing nuance or accuracy.

03/27/2021

To Tell the Truth: Public Libraries in the Fight Against Misinformation, Disinformation

Providing accurate and reliable information is a cornerstone of public librarianship, but over the last year librarians have been especially challenged by the pandemic, the election, and the increased visibility of conspiracy theories.

Providing accurate and reliable information is a cornerstone of public librarianship, but over the last year librarians have been especially challenged by the pandemic, the election, and the increased visibility of conspiracy theories. Nonetheless, public librarians remain active on the front lines....

03/26/2021

Kermit The Frog Interview With Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden | Disney Parks

Kermit the Frog in conversation with Carla Hayden—what could be better watching for your Friday afternoon?

“The Rainbow Connection,” written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and sung by Kermit the Frog in “The Muppet Movie,” was included in the National Recordi...

03/26/2021

Chattanooga Public Library Employee Fired for Improperly Removing Books Seen Burned on His Instagram

Williams stated that his supervisor told him that he could take the books in question, and that he was never informed of library policy to the contrary. However, a hearing on February 5 determined that Williams “violated City and Library policies by improperly removing items from the Library’s collections.”

A former Chattanooga Public Library employee, Cameron “C-Grimey” Williams, was fired after removing weeded library books by conservative authors in early December 2020. A video of the books being burned was posted on Williams’s Instagram account, though the post has since been taken down. Will...

03/26/2021

Library Journal Day of Dialog 2021

For more than two decades, LJ’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 6! Register here: https://bit.ly/381GwF7

For more than two decades, Library Journal’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 6 and will feature a close-up look at the biggest forthcoming books for summer/f...

03/26/2021

Check this out: https://vshow.on24.com/vshow/LJSW2021/registration/18852

Missed the LJ Winter Summit? No problem! Catch up on all you missed with On Demand here: https://bit.ly/3bpqs24

03/26/2021

'Hamnet' Wins National Book Critics Circle Award | Book Pulse

Plus: The Dublin Literary Award 2021 Shortlist is announced, the shortlist is also announced for The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, and more in today's Book Pulse.

The National Book Critics Circle Awards are announced. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell wins for fiction. Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire by Tom Zoellner wins for nonfiction. The Dublin Literary Award 2021 Shortlist is announced as is the shortlist for The Swansea Unive...

03/26/2021

Penguin Random House Book & Author Festival

Join Penguin Random House, LJ, and SLJ for a free, day-long virtual book and author festival as we celebrate National Library Week and librarians everywhere! Register here: https://bit.ly/2OgaFtB

Join Penguin Random House, Library Journal, and School Library Journal for a free, day-long virtual book and author festival as we celebrate National Library Week and librarians everywhere! Enjoy a day packed with author panels and interviews, book buzzes, virtual shelf browsing, and adding to your....

03/26/2021

Stanford U. To Debut Archive of African American History in Silicon Valley

Set to debut online later this year, “Histories of African Americans in Silicon Valley” is a project within the university’s Silicon Valley Archives.

The lives and experiences of African Americans past and present in California’s Silicon Valley will be featured in a new collection at Stanford Libraries. Set to debut online later this year, “Histories of African Americans in Silicon Valley” is a project within the university’s Silicon Vall...

03/25/2021

Discover how to optimize your usage with our user-friendly infographic. Get the most out of your electronic resources by exploring various ways to make your collections more efficient here: https://bit.ly/2P7sHP9