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. Since launching Books Unbanned in April 2022, the Brooklyn Public Library has given 8,200 teens and young adults aged 13 to 21, from all 50 U.S. states, full access to its extensive catalog of ebooks, e-audiobooks, and online learning database collections. These cardholders, all of whom have written personal emails explaining their need for access to the library’s collection, have checked out over 270,000 books.
ALA has recently issued a revised document, Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or Detained. It will help support libraries and library staff to meet the literacy, learning, and recreational needs of people held in jails, prisons, detention facilities, juvenile facilities, immigration facilities, prison work camps, and segregated units within any facility, whether public or private, military or civilian, in the United States and its territories.
A North American sample of 327 public libraries weighs in on digital magazines. The report includes figures on digital magazine spending, preferred access models, selection criteria, user experience, and popular magazine titles and topic areas.
Just in time for Banned Books Week 2024, Penguin Random House’s Banned Wagon will hit the road for the second year in a row to connect with communities impacted by censorship and sound the alarm on the negative consequences of book bans.
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.
How old is your library? In 2021, the American Library Association reported that the average library building is over 40 years old and that the nation’s 17,000 public libraries would need approximately $32 billion dollars for construction and renovation over the next 25 years.
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.”
“The freedom to read is a nonpartisan, broadly supported American value…. It’s time to push back and make sure that we express our rights and expand rights for everyone in this country.”
Theoretically, incarcerated people could have access thousands of books, which provide ample opportunities for self-development, intellectual growth, and productive leisure. In practice, prison tablets have become an engine of carceral censorship.
Nearly half of current audiobook consumers had borrowed a digital audiobook from their library in the last year, according to the survey. “The BookTok/Bookstagram space has changed discoverability,” says Jolene Barto, marketing director of Dreamscape Media. “And with Spotify entering as a retailer this year, we’re seeing new opportunities.”
The editors of Library Journal need your help in identifying emerging talents in the library world—both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors who are providing inspiration and model programs for others. Our 23rd annual round of Movers & Shakers will profile up-and-coming individuals from around the world who are innovative, creative, making a difference fighting against censorship, and helping improve their workplace. From librarians and non-degreed library workers to publishers, vendors, coders, entrepreneurs, reviewers, and others who impact the library field—Movers & Shakers 2025 will celebrate those people who are moving all types of libraries ahead. Deadline to submit: October 18, 2024
By Laura Eckert, Di Herald, Lesa Holstine, and Alison Zaya
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
The Booker Prize shortlist is announced. Entitlement by Rumaan Alam gets reviewed. Memoirs arrive from James Middleton, Eric Roberts, Ina Garten, and Mark Hoppus. Plus, interviews with Gillian Anderson, Coco Mellors, Mirya R. Holman, and Connie Chung.
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.
Victor Luckerson’s Built from the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street and Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song win Dayton Literary Peace Prizes. Writers’ Trust of Canada announces shortlists for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for 2SLGBTQ+ Emerging Writers and the Hilary Weston Prize for Nonfiction. Plus, censorship and ebooks in prison, a profile of Katherine Rundell, and Page to Screen.
The LJ editors are seeking nominations for the 36th annual Library Journal Librarian of the Year Award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, to honor a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession. Deadline to submit: October 23, 2024
The shortlist for the Nota Bene Prize, for novels “that have received organic, word-of-mouth recognition and are deserving of a wider readership,” is revealed. Annabel Sowemimo wins the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing for Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need To Decolonise Healthcare. Salman Rushdie wins the Halldór Laxness International Literary Prize. Winners of the V&A Illustration Awards and the shortlist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year are also announced. Several academic publishers facing an antitrust suit over unpaid peer review processes. Plus, new title bestsellers and an Isabel Allende Barbie doll.
LitHub releases its ultimate fall reading list. Nadia Davids wins the Caine Short Story Prize, and the German Book Prize shortlist is announced. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Richard Osman’s latest novel, We Solve Murders. Memoirs from Connie Chung, Jaleel White, Melania Trump, Wilmer Valderrama, Katherine Moennig, and Leisha Hailey get buzz. Plus, interviews with Srikanth Reddy, Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert, Sharon McMahon, Terry Szuplat, and Francis S. Collins.
Safe Enough: Crime Stories by the Author of Jack Reacher, by Lee Child, is a starred mystery selection. "This intriguing assortment should appeal to Child’s many fans, as well as mystery/thriller/crime readers." In religion and spirituality, The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis, by Michael W. Higgins, is a starred selection. "Filled with vignettes and details revealing Higgins’s insider view of life at the Vatican, this highly recommended book often has the friendly and joyous feel of someone talking about a dear friend." And Hero City: Leningrad 1943–44, by Prit Buttar, is a starred history selection. "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."
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