Despite COVID Concerns, Library Measures Do Well at Polls in 2020
By Lisa Peet
A number of critical library ballot measures were decided on election day—and the wins far outnumbered the losses.

Charleston Conference Panel Discusses Getting Back To Business Post-COVID
By Lisa Peet
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the Charleston Conference took place virtually from November 2–6. Video recordings of the sessions will be available on their pages in Pathable for one year after the conference ends; content will then move to the conference website and be available OA from there.

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Former OU Dean of Libraries Carl Grant Shifts Gears, Leads Revs Institute
By Matt Enis
Carl Grant, former president of Ex Libris North America and interim dean of the University of Oklahoma (OU) Libraries, this summer became managing director of The Revs Institute, a Naples, FL–based not-for-profit dedicated to the research and historical study of automobiles.

LJ Librarian of the Year Award | Call for Nominations
The LJ editors are seeking nominations for the 33rd annual Library Journal Librarian of the Year Award to honor a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession. Submit your nominations by November 21.

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Between already tight library budgets and mounting pressures, it is more important than ever to spend wisely and make investments that ensure a strong return. The best way to do so is using data, best practices and proven methodology to make decisions.

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Q&A: Author Deborah Douglas Blends Travel and Black History
By Mahnaz Dar
Deborah Douglas voyaged throughout the South in preparation for her book Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler’s Guide to the People, Places, and Events That Made the Movement.

Construction Wraps on DC, Boston, and Brooklyn Public Library Branches, and More | Branching Out
By Lisa Peet
Work has wrapped up at DC, Boston, and Brooklyn Public Library branches; construction proceeds on schedule at Spokane and Mid-Continent Public Libraries, and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library has chosen Snøhetta as its design firm.

The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly Tops Holds This Week | Book Pulse
By Mary Bakija
The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly tops holds this week, and LibraryReads and Indie Next offer several recommendations for additional buzzy new releases. Infinite Cities: A Trilogy of Atlases—San Francisco, New Orleans, New York by Rebecca Solnit, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, and Rebecca Snedeker wins the 2020 Alice Award.

Movers & Shakers 2021 | Call for Nominations
The editors of Library Journal need your help identifying the emerging leaders in the library world. Movers & Shakers profiles up-and-coming, innovative, creative individuals from around the world—both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors—who are providing inspiration and model programs for others, including programs developed this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luster and Stakes Is High Win 2020 Kirkus Prize | Book Pulse
By Mary Bakija
Luster by Raven Leilani, Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream by Mychal Denzel Smith, and I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James, win the 2020 Kirkus Prize. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May tops the December Indie Next List.

 Reviews

WEB-FIRST REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND MEDIA

Violence in American Society: An Encyclopedia of Trends, Problems, and Perspectives, edited by Chris Richardson, is one of this week's starred social sciences selections. "An ideal overview of American violence that will pique the interest of general readers and provide high school students and undergraduates with an outstanding resource for reports and background research." Michelle Gallen's debut novel Big Girl, Small Town is a starred fiction selection. "With echoes of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine crossed with the 1990s-set British sitcom Derry Girls, this debut is recommended for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, Emma Donoghue, and Sally Rooney." Also in fiction, Chelsea G Summers's starred debut A Certain Hunger is "presented as a prison memoir...narrated by the funny and astute Dorothy Daniels, a food critic who just happens to be an unrepentant cannibalistic serial killer.... You won’t soon forget Dorothy or her delicious insights, but fair warning: This book might turn you into a vegetarian, if you aren’t already." Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause, by Ty Seidule, is another starred social sciences selection. "Seidule openly confronts his own indifference to racism, and this absorbing book will be of value to anyone interested in how history informs our present."

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American Library Association seeks an Executive Director, Public Library Association (PLA)