When a series of unanticipated hardships hit Breathitt County, KY, its library came forward to serve residents in large and small ways. For its critical community work now and looking ahead, Breathitt County Public Library is the recipient of LJ and Gale's inaugural Libraries Defying the Odds award. Charleston County Public Library, SC, is awarded honorable mention for its ongoing work to address food insecurity.
In the Southern California community of Huntington Beach, days before sharp budget cuts to the Huntington Beach Public Library were proposed—and then walked back—battle lines were drawn over a proposal to screen public library materials for what some deem sexually explicit or age-inappropriate content, and possibly limit access to those materials. The challenge, however, did not originate with an anonymous patron or member of a right-wing group, but with the city’s Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark.
The American Booksellers Association, Association of American Publishers, Authors Guild, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and two Austin bookstores have filed a suit claiming the new Texas law violates the Constitution's First and Fourteenth Amendments.
UPDATE: On Saturday, July 29, U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks temporarily blocked two sections of Act 372, citing concerns that they were too vague and could potentially violate the First and 14th amendments. The preliminary injunction prevented the two contested sections from taking effect on August 1, as scheduled; the court will continue to investigate their constitutionality. Brooks’s 49-page order opened with a quote from Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451: “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”
“We had the Red Cross here, we had FEMA, we had all kinds of long-term-recovery people in the building. We were pushing the message to the community: ‛Come to us if you were flooded, if you had damages, if you lost things. All your community resources are here in one spot.’”
The overarching concern at ALA Annual in Chicago this summer was the proliferation of censorship attempts and book challenges at libraries of all kinds, in all states.
Library Journal announced that Barbara Hoffert, Editor of Prepub Alert, will retire effective September 14. In a career spanning more than 37 years, Hoffert has been a key voice within the LJ book review and in book criticism, herself shining a light on over a thousand titles each year through her prepublication recommendations and reviews. Over the years, she has convened hundreds of panels featuring authors, book editors, publishers, and other creators. And through her writing about trends in library collections and publishing, she has helped inform and advocate for the library field as it continually evolves.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett leads holds this week. Other titles in demand include books by Sandra Brown, Kathy Reichs, Gillian McAllister, and Elizabeth Acevedo. Three LibraryReads and four Indie Next picks publish this week.
Library Journal is collecting information about library projects completed over the last year for our annual Year in Architecture feature. If your institution completed a library construction or renovation project between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, please tell us about it! The links below will direct you to download a pdf of the form before filling out your responses online.
The shortlists for the Alice Awards for illustrated books and the seventh annual Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award have been announced. There are remembrances of the late singer Sinéad O’Connor and her memoir,
Murder Most Royal, the latest title in S.J. Bennett's "Her Majesty the Queen Investigates" series, is a starred mystery. "Bennett’s newest is marvelous, as is her crackerjack royal detective." Angelina M. Lopez's latest novel, Full Moon Over Freedom, is a starred romance title. "In this second installment of the 'Milagro Street' series, Lopez (After Hours on Milagro Street) interweaves history, Hispanic culture, magic, and passion in a modern-day love story." Chaos Terminal, by Mur Lafferty, is a starred SFF selection. "The follow-up to Station Eternity is just as complex and engaging as its predecessor. Lafferty’s skill with dialogue and emotional arcs make the story equally character- and action-driven." And Noon: Simple Recipes for Scrumptious Midday Meals and More, by Meike Peters, is a starred cooking and food title. "Perfect for experienced cooks, who will relish Peters’s imaginative takes on classic dishes as well as her inspired original culinary creations, and those new to the kitchen, who will feel empowered by the clear, easy-to-follow format and welcoming tone of the recipes."
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