The results from LJ’s Fall 2021 Public Library Fundraising Survey demonstrate how the the COVID-19 pandemic changed the ways libraries conducted their fund­raising. Like so much else in the library field, the pandemic forced library staff, administrators, and Friends groups to reconsider the best ways both to raise funds and utilize them.

In 2021, the Annenberg School’s Library Archives accessioned the collection of Amy Siskind’s Weekly List website; however, the path to get there was complicated, and the final gift looked quite different from how it was conceived in the initial conversation. 

Library Journal’s recent survey on College Student Library Usage, sponsored by ProQuest, looks at how students in American colleges and universities use their institutions’ libraries, and whether those libraries are meeting students' needs. Most are pleased with the quality of resources provided, and more than three quarters feel the library contributes to their academic success. However, the number of visits, whether in-person or virtual, are hit-and-miss—as many students use the library more than 10 times a semester as never use it at all.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and several libraries have been hit by opportunistic criminals.

COVID shifts drove falling print circ and rising ebooks. But will it last? LJ's 2021 Materials Survey looks at some of the last year's trends.

This is the 13th year of the LJ Index of Public Library Service and Star Library ratings. The 2020 scores and ratings are based on FY18 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS). Because of that delay, they don’t reflect the impact of the coronavirus; that won’t be reflected in the data until 2022. The big news in this year’s edition is that successful retrievals of electronic information (e-retrievals)—measuring usage of online content, such as databases, other than by title checkout—joins the six other measures that determine the LJ Index.

Whether librarians are providing services in-person or virtually, reference has changed with the pandemic.

Library Journal’s annual Placements & Salaries survey reports on the experiences of LIS students who graduated and sought their first librarian jobs in the previous year: in this case, 2019. Salaries and full-time employment are up, but so are unemployment and the gender gap; 2019 graduates faced a mixed job market even before the pandemic.

From the Columbia Missourian: Workers at Daniel Boone Regional Library made state history on Monday, becoming the first library staff to unionize in Missouri. The results of the vote showed 101 employees in favor of unionizing to 55 opposed, for 65% approval, per the Missouri State Board of Mediation. The approval of the motion to […]

Via Email, by Peter Berkery, Executive Director, Association of University Presses (AUPresses): The past year has been a difficult one, and yet there were many things for our Association to learn from and to celebrate. Despite a host of disruptions, chronic and emergent, our global community of mission-driven publishing professionals—158 member presses, 19 volunteer committees, […]

From NPD: The number of books banned last year in various states in the U.S. reached the highest levels in the history of tracking by The American Library Association. In the public square, the surge in bans and community challenges against specific titles, like “Maus,” “Antiracist Baby,” and “Gender Queer” have been covered widely by […]

From a Joint Announcement: The City’s three public library systems are taking a stand against censorship with a new Banned Books Challenge: 10 banned or challenged books that expert librarians recommend New Yorkers borrow and read. To get the city started, Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library (which serves the Bronx, Manhattan, and […]

When the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines began to roll out in mid-December 2020, their distribution was immediately complicated by a shortage of doses and widespread uncertainty about who would be given priority. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued suggested guidelines for phased allocation. When it was not yet clear who would be next, many library workers, leaders, and associations began advocating for public facing library workers to be vaccinated as soon as feasible.

In the messy middle of the pandemic, library leaders share how things have changed since March 2020, their takeways, and continuing challenges.

Whether librarians are providing services in-person or virtually, reference has changed with the pandemic.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of books on the subject has been increasing exponentially. This introductory list, which will be updated regularly, is meant to help collection development librarians get started on determining which books work best for their collections.

The leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft decision on abortion rights has sent people scrambling to understand the current state of abortion care in the United States. As tensions are at an all-time high, librarians have an opportunity to dispel some myths about abortion care and abortion access. Here is some background to help you answer patron questions that may arise.

Library Journal and School Library Journal combine editorial & marketing expertise to conduct and present the most up-to-date library market research available.

These comprehensive and reliable reports use real data to help answer hard questions and aid decision making. Our in-house research experts conduct a variety of surveys each year focused on different aspects of public, academic, special and school libraries. Each report is made available as a downloadable pdf.

The Nebula Awards winners are announced. Mohammed Alnaas wins the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards shortlist is announced. Fijian writer Mary Rokonadravu wins the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in the Pacific category. Nightwork by Nora Roberts leads holds this week. One LibraryReads and five Indie Next picks publish this week. People's book of the week is Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner. Plus, booklists start to arrive for summer reading. 

The 2022 Orwell Prizes finalists and Owned Voices Novel Award are announced. Page to Screen highlights adaptations arriving this weekend. Interviews abound with authors Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Christine Quinn, Naheed Phiroze Patel, Tom Daley, Cynthia Clampitt, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Mesha Maren, and Fernando Flores.