The challenge for libraries is, first, to obtain and spend federal funding, and second, to parlay that temporary help into a permanent paradigm shift. The new equipment will outlast the emergency. It is up to library leaders to document its ongoing impacts, so that when breakage and age take their inevitable toll, funders will find it unthinkable not to replace and upgrade the gear.

Jackie Gosselar is a Systems and Discovery Services Librarian at the University of California, Berkeley. They shared their experience as a bisexual, nonbinary librarian, and provided some insight into the value of being part of an organizational culture that makes space for all identities.

Public libraries are seeing success with virtual murder mysteries, which vary in format from Zoom events to text-based games to videos.

When Bernard “Bud” Barton was hired as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Library of Congress in September 2015 he was faced with the Government Accountability Office’s list of 31 recommendations to overhaul and modernize the library’s IT infrastructure. Five years later, those recommendations have been implemented. LJ caught up with Barton to discuss his team's work, and what’s ahead as the Library of Congress continues to modernize its IT.

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 NextGov: The National Archives and Records Administration—the keepers of all government records—manages millions of digital records. But users have trouble finding the records they’re looking for, and the current manual metadata tagging processes aren’t sufficient. The agency recently held a virtual informational day outlining its goals for integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into […]

From Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL): Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05) and James Comer (KY-01) re-introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (ACMRA) to create a single website on which Congress and the public can easily search, sort, and download all agency congressional reports. This bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in […]

From the International Federation of Library Associations: The IFLA LibPub SIG, nested within the IFLA Standing Committee on Acquisition and Collection Development, formally came into being in 2018. In the 2-year period 2019-2021 IFLA LibPub has already launched a number of ambitious programs and activities, creating a lively and comprehensive community of IFLA participants engaged […]

From a Springer Nature Announcement: Springer Nature and the University of California (UC) today launched a new initiative to gain greater understanding of researcher attitudes to and motivations towards open research practices (including open access articles, data, and code; transparent peer review; and preprints). As part of the partnership, participating UC authors will also have […]

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 new trailer for Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad gets a great deal of coverage for a May 14 release. The Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Color and Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlists are announced. Also, the 2021 Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize shortlist is announced. Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming book tour and April 27 release of new book What Happened to You makes news. Terry Crews discusses the new audiobook Stronger Together, co-written with his wife with lessons from his life and marriage. Phoebe Robinson, author of Please Don't Sit On My Bed In Your Outside Clothes, speaks about the lack of diversity in publishing. A television series based on Greyboy: Finding Blackness In A White World is being developed. Concerns are being raised about a police officer’s book regarding the killing of Breonna Taylor. Lastly, there is an interview with Lawrence P. Jackson, author of a biography on Chester B. Himes on the importance of Black crime writers.

Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson, vice provost for digital initiatives and dean of university libraries at the University of Washington (UW), recently announced that she will retire on June 30. Wilson has served as dean since 2001; in 2013 she took on the vice provost role as well, leading the libraries’ strategy on digital scholarship, data stewardship, and open access. The network of 16 libraries—one of the largest academic research libraries in North America, with the largest collection in the Pacific Northwest—serves UW’s Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses and Friday Harbor Laboratories.

The 2021 RWA Vivan Finalists are announced by the Romance Writers of America. Also, the 2021 Whiting Award Winners are announced. Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney and Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile top the best sellers lists. News breaks about the “Bridgerton effect” on the romance genre and an adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Prince Philip’s Century by Robert Jobson gets an early release. The Root shares newly released books that could help readers heal from trauma. There is a cover reveal of Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson. Lauren Hough talks about Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing and Morgan Jerkins talks about Caul Baby.

The 2021 Hugo Award Finalists are announced including Best Novel. Rep. John Lewis’ Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation will be released on July 13, almost a year after his death while Richard Wright's The Man Who Lived Underground, will finally come out in its original form on April 20th.  J.K. Rowling will release a new children’s book, The Christmas Pig in October. Natalie Portman will headline HBO's adaptation of Elena Ferrante's The Days of Abandonment and The Triumph of Nancy Reagan by Karen Tumulty continues to get attention. Plus, Bridgerton is renewed for two more seasons.