| Urban Libraries Council Names Top Innovators for 2024 By Lisa Peet On October 3, the Urban Libraries Council announced the six North American public libraries named as Top Innovators for 2024 as part of its annual Innovations Initiative. Denver Public Library; Gwinnett County Public Library, GA; Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL; San Francisco Public Library; Toronto Public Library; and Virginia Beach Public Library, VA, were recognized for their out-of-the-box thinking, measurable outcomes, and the potential for other libraries to replicate and implement the award-winning programs. |
SPONSORED BY ANDERSON BRULÉ ARCHITECTS, INC Libraries, Outdated Buildings, and the Joys of Renovation
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.
Read more>>> |
| Life + Style, October 2024 By LJ Reviews Fall arrives. Tune in to the seasonal atmosphere with reviews covering cooking, crafts, and more. From knitting scarves to planting bulbs, these books help readers celebrate, gather, and create. |
| Call for Nominations | LJ Movers & Shakers 2025 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 |
| Quelling the Boredom with Alternative Instruction: Augmented Reality, Escape Kits, and Scavenger Hunts | Research Briefs By Laura Galán-Wells In an effort to minimize student boredom while learning library information, Jacksonville State University (JSU) librarians implemented gamification―introducing game mechanics into non-game environments―which studies have shown can increase engagement and motivation, and in turn, improve learning across age groups and settings. JSU librarians Karlie Loren Johnson and Kimberly Westbrooks analyzed their results in “Quelling the Boredom with Alternative Instruction: Augmented Reality, Escape Kits, and Scavenger Hunts.” |
“This year’s Top Innovators and Honorable Mentions exemplify the evolving role of libraries as dynamic public institutions that are integral to the fabric of our urban communities. These innovative projects confirm the powerful impact of libraries and how they actively shape the future of our cities.” –From: Urban Libraries Council Names Top Innovators for 2024 |
| Han Kang Wins Nobel Prize in Literature | Book Pulse By Sarah Wolberg South Korean novelist Han Kang, best known for 2016’s Booker Prize–winning The Vegetarian, wins the Nobel Prize in literature. The shortlist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is announced. BBC’s Between the Covers book club has revealed its books and guests for its eighth season, starting with Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark. Winners of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards and Scholastic UK’s inaugural Graphic Novel Prize are announced. Created by Humans, a company that helps writers license their works for use by AI, has forged a partnership with the Authors Guild. Plus new title bestsellers. |
SPONSORED BY EBSCO Navigating AI’s Future: How Sci-Fi Predicted Today’s Knowledge Challenges
Dr. Ashleigh Faith, MLIS, PhD from EBSCO dives into "Libraries of Future Past," exploring how science fiction predicted today’s AI challenges: navigating information overload, discerning truth, and ethical knowledge pursuits. While AI helps, humans—especially librarians— are crucial in organizing and helping unearth trustworthy information.
Read more>>> |
| Pop Fiction | Prepub Alert, April 2025 Titles By Melissa DeWild and Neal Wyatt Dolen Perkins-Valdez returns with a novel inspired by the real-life Kingdom of the Happy Land, Jennifer Weiner pens a story about sisters who form a pop supergroup, and Nancy Thayer offers another Nantucket-set novel. |
| Series Travel Guides Open the World | Discover. Share. Pack Your Bags. By Jill Cox-Cordova and Neal Wyatt Forty in-depth reviews of travel series, spanning hikes in national parks to a perfect day in Positano. To help manage selection, we provide full bibliographic data for 533 individual titles that make up this series review, along with a downloadable spreadsheet of every title sortable by BISAC. |
| Call for Nominations | LJ Librarian of the Year 2025 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 |
| Oprah Picks Lisa Marie Presley’s From Here to the Great Unknown for Book Club | Book Pulse By Kate Merlene Oprah picks From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley, with Riley Keough, for her book club. Publishers Weekly rounds up the rest of October’s book club picks. Finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Wonderland Awards are announced. October’s Loanstars features top pick The Waiting by Michael Connelly. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak. BBC will adapt Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister, to be aired during the 30th anniversary of BBC’s classic Pride and Prejudice series. Plus, the latest on the Princess Diaries 3 film, based on the books by Meg Cabot. |
| Terah Shelton Harris Is Target’s Author of the Year | Book Pulse By Kate Merlene Former librarian Terah Shelton Harris has been named Target’s author of the year; The Women by Kristin Hannah is book of the year. The Elgin Awards winners are announced. The 2024 Nobel prize in literature will be awarded this Thursday. From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley with Riley Keough gets reviews and buzz. The Millions revisits Claudia Rankine’s Citizen 10 years after its publication. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty will get a new series adaptation, courtesy of Nicole Kidman. Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him will be adapted for film. NYT looks at weeding in libraries. Plus, LJ announces a new partnership with the Libraries Lead podcast. |
WEB-FIRST REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND MEDIA |
Malcolm Before X, by Patrick Parr, is a starred social sciences selection. "Parr never overreaches or preaches. He doesn’t slight Malcolm’s rigidities but he enriches readers’ appreciation of one of the most influential spokespersons of a tumultuous age." Haruki Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a starred fiction title. "At times a meditation on romance, reality vs. fantasy, ghosts, and the power of written words, this metaphysical novel examines the questionable value of timekeeping while thoroughly exploring unconditional love, self-imposed constraints, and deaths of one’s body and soul." And Amy James's debut novel, A Five-Letter Word for Love, is a starred romance. "This heartfelt novel will surely garner an enthusiastic following for debut author James." See All Reviews››› |
Job Zone utilizes unique job matching technology to help you find the perfect job (and employers find the perfect candidate), whether you’re actively seeking or just keeping an eye out for your possibilities. Log on today and check out our newest features, including automated job and candidate matches, and email alerts. JOB OF THE WEEK
Brazosport College is seeking a Director of Library Services. |
|
