University of Washington iSchool researchers present an overview of the Open Data Literacy project's work to date, and share highlights from a survey of the current landscape of open data in Washington State's public libraries.

The University of Saskatchewan Library (USask), Saskatoon, recently wrapped up its inaugural Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence program. The pilot project appointed Lindsay “Eekwol” Knight, an award-winning hip-hop artist and PhD student at the USask Department of Indigenous Studies, to a six-week library residency; Knight presented and talked about her work, held virtual “coffee shops” where campus and community residents shared their stories, and incorporated elements of those conversations into a final project, still in progress. 

From The Washington Post: The Federal Communications Commission late Thursday finalized a $3.2 billion program that will provide a monthly discount to millions of cash-starved Americans struggling to pay their Internet bills — the country’s most ambitious effort yet to close the digital divide amid the coronavirus pandemic.

These apps can help keep your body and mind in shape, and do not require equipment other than a mat, a chair, and a little dedication.

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.

The article linked below was recently published by the College & Research Libraries. Title They Seek, but Do They Find? Investigating the Financial Information-Seeking Behavior of College Students Authors Alyson VaalerTexas A&M University Lauren ReiterPenn St. University Ash E. FaulknerThe Ohio St. University Source College & Research Libraries DOI: 10.5860/crl.82.2.267 Abstract This paper reports the […]

The NPR series aired last week and consists of four reports (text and audio): Disinformation Fuels Distrust and Even Violence at Levels of Government Political scientists say growing acceptance of unfounded conspiracy theories is fueling disengagement and distrust in democratic institutions, an effect that is trickling down to local politics. ‘More Dangerous and More Widespread’: […]

From Public Knowledge (March 6, 2021): Today, the U.S. Senate passed the next round of desperately needed  COVID-19 relief. Among other provisions, the relief bill helps students access broadband — or stay connected — during the pandemic by providing additional funding for the E-rate program to cover for K-12 distance learning. The legislation provides $7 […]

From PUL: In fall 2020, Princeton University Library (PUL)’s Inclusive Description Working Group (IDWG) sought to identify 82 unnamed women in the Latin America manuscripts collections. Processing Archivist Chloe Pfendler and Manuscripts Division Archival Resident Carolina Meneses led the research on these women who had been referred to by only their husband’s name or some […]

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.

Tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King will publish All In: An Autobiography in August. Other forthcoming book news includes the first print volume of the romance webcomic Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe, and a a graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's short story Chivalry. Torrey Peters will write and produce the series adaptation Detransition, Baby, and other adaptions in the works include The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey, The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa, and Gun Love by Jennifer Clemen. Adaptations out this week include My Salinger Year, based on the book by Joanna Rakoff, and Chaos Walking, based on The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Plus, a new Black studies book series is being established at Columbia University Press.

Erin Benzakein talks with LJ about growing flowers for your home, her new book about dahilas, and books she suggests to others.

The NYT Audio Fiction top bestseller for March is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. New releases hitting the fiction bestseller lists this week include The Kaiser's Web by Steve Berry, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke, and Kingdom of Shadow and Light by Karen Marie Moning. In forthcoming book news, Joe Exotic is working on Tiger King: The Official Tell-All Memoir, and Joy Williams will publish her first novel since 2000 with Harrow. Keanu Reeves has a new comic book series, BRZRKR, with the first issue out this week. Plus, Rebekah Taussig will co-write and executive produce the series adaptation of her memoir Sitting Pretty and Gore Verbinski will direct a feature adaptation of Sandkings by George R.R. Martin.

The Mohegan tribe recently partnered with Cornell University Library to repatriate the papers of Fidelia Fielding, one of the last fluent speakers of the Mohegan language, as part of the tribe’s efforts to revive it as a spoken tongue. Below, tribal and library representatives share their story as a potential example to be adopted and adapted by other libraries, archives, and museums in collaboratively repatriating papers and artifacts.