Election Day 2024 held mixed results for libraries on the ballot across the country. EveryLibrary identified and tracked 79 library measures on local and statewide ballots about funding, buildings, and governance. Of those, 55 were for long-term operating revenue, 10 for building projects, seven for annual budgets, one was a defunding measure, two concerned library governance, and four were statewide issues. The pass rate for operating levies and referenda was about 80 percent, down from the 10-year average of 90 percent wins. Seven out of 10 building bonds passed. As a whole, the number of library questions on ballots was smaller than in previous presidential election years.
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.
EBSCO’s new "AI Insights" feature enhances library research by summarizing articles into concise key points, making research faster and aiding information literacy. Tested in a recent beta, it received positive feedback for efficiency, with users recommending accuracy improvements.
While Texas continues to be a leading state in the number of book bans reported each year, a recent challenge at the Montgomery County Memorial Library has been reversed. The Texas Freedom to Read Project reported that a children’s book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag)—an account of American colonization and Native traditions described from an Indigenous perspective—was challenged in September and subsequently moved out of the juvenile nonfiction area to the fiction collection.
This year’s investigation into the realms and labs of fantasy and science fiction reveals a genre with pure magnetic attraction, while genre blends—from romantasy to SF mystery to SFF horror—redefine what’s possible and rocket toward their day in the sun.
Open-Access publishing advances global scholarship by making research results more widely accessible to anyone with internet access. However, publishers of Open-Access journals have struggled to find a financial model that works well for all parties. Now, a new model from PeerJ is rethinking that approach to remove barriers to choosing Open-Access.
The Oxford Dictionary of African American English, slated for a 2025 release, will include 1,000 headwords, pronunciation audio files, definitions, and parts of speech, plus multiple usage examples. LJ talked with Editor in Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Executive Editors Tracey Weldon and Jennifer Heinmiller about their quest to record the first-of-its-kind, most comprehensive, up-to-date picture of African American English.
“Our basic assumptions about photos capturing reality are about to go up in smoke.”
By day, Michael Nayak is Doctor/Major Nayak at DARPA (the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). He holds a doctorate in planetary science from the University of California at Santa Cruz and additional graduate degrees in earth science, aerospace engineering, and flight test engineering. Real-world experience in the science and intelligence communities adds next-level authentic details and a touch of hyper-realism to his fiction writing. He talks with LJ about his debut novel, Symbiote (Angry Robot), due out in February; his tenure at the South Pole; his writing inspiration; and the work of DARPA imagining the future.
Navigating a library can be overwhelming, especially in large or multi-level buildings where finding a specific item, space, or amenity can feel like a treasure hunt. StackMap, a leader in library wayfinding and digital navigation solutions, is here to change that.
In recognition of National Native American Heritage Month, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and also referred to as Native American Heritage Month or National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, this booklist recognizes the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples and marks their varied cultures, achievements, and contributions.
Rachel Cusk’s Parade wins the Goldsmiths Prize, Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo by Craig L. Symonds wins the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, and Mara Faye Lethem’s translation of Irene Solà’s Catalan novel When I Sing, Mountains Dance wins the Lewis Galantière Award. The Booker Prize shortlist is announced, and Vulture adds to their list of the best books of 2024 so far. EveryLibrary warns that U.S. election results will mean more uncertainty for libraries. Plus new title bestsellers.
Suad Aldarra is awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. LJ kicks off its countdown to the reveal of the best books of 2024. People shares best books for Native American Heritage Month. DK acquires UK-based digital publisher Canelo. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage, the top holds title of the week. Plus, interviews arrive with Peter Ames Carlin, Jody Hobbs Hesler, and Jenna Tang.
Shortlists for the inaugural PEN Heaney Prize and the Voss Literary Prize are announced. Simon & Schuster will distribute ACC Art Books. Politico writes about how Jon Grinspan’s 2021 book, The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought To Fix Their Democracy, 1865–1915, has become a cult favorite among members of Congress. Martha Stewart’s 100th cookbook arrives this week, along with a new Netflix documentary on her life; Eater looks at Stewart’s other 99 cookbooks. Plus, USA Today highlights Salma Hayek’s new series adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate.
Adriana Allegri's debut novel The Sunflower House is a starred fiction selection. "With empathy and insight, Allegri crafts a vividly realized historical novel that not only illuminates one of history’s saddest times but also illustrates the power of compassion and kindness to drive away the dark." Not My Type: Automating Sexual Racism in Online Dating, by Apryl Williams, is a starred social sciences title. "This critique of online dating platforms serves as a powerful wake-up call about how far society needs to go to disrupt racist narratives, stop microaggressions, and change how racist and sexist double standards are operationalized." And Kevin Wade's debut Johnny Careless is a starred mystery. "Blue Bloods fans will delight as Wade delivers a complicated police drama of the Don Winslow variety, written in the neo-noir style of Robert B. Parker’s 'Spenser' books."
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