The White House recently honored the bestselling author for his work supporting citizens’ engagement with literature. Patterson has committed extensive philanthropic support to literacy, public libraries, teachers, and bookstores. He has also developed programming nationwide to improve literacy and education among Americans, and to support all citizens’ love of reading. LJ asked Patterson about the books he loves, how he feels about winning, and what libraries can do collectively to support literacy and create stronger readers.

I am very excited to see the recent positive activity around libraries in the United Kingdom. The community there seems to be rallying in a new way to increase understanding of the urgency for library investment—an effort lifted by a renewed effort to articulate how much libraries contribute to the social fabric. Now is the time to build on that good news story, and their strategy is worth a look.

The Internet Archive (IA) on November 6 announced that its longtime not-for-profit partner, Better World Libraries, had acquired Better World Books. When libraries and other organizations weed or deaccession titles and donate to Better World Books, selected titles will now be directed into IA’s massive book digitization program.

Debates over what libraries should fund can get heated, but don't let that stop you from having them. All stakeholders need to not only prepare but discuss the budget, and to understand what new services will meet user demand. Good negotiators need to know when to stick to their guns, even if it means risking an argument. Good leaders also know when to concede and join with the team to ensure progress. Collegiality, civility, and good working relationships are important, but we can’t let the desire to get along prevent us from fully tackling the tough questions

During the week of March 19–23 MIT Libraries convened experts from across disciplines and domains to identify and address grand challenges in the scholarly communication and information science landscape.

Suppose a librarian receives an email from a man named Greg Walsh, wanting to become a cardholder or simply inquiring about the open hours. Would the librarian reply? And, if so, would the reply be polite, including for instance some form of salutation, such as “Hello” or “Good morning”? Does your answer change if the guy is called Tyrone Washington? Is a librarian treating Jake Mueller differently from DeShawn Jackson?

A detailed look at pain management implementing the use of medical cannabis rather than opioids; A complex look at the issue of opioid abuse backed up with research and first hand stories; A valuable addition to the conversation about addiction filled with case studies illustrating the complexities of the disease

Editor Sarah Janssen discusses editing The World Almanac in an age where being attuned to "fake news" is especially vital.

From MIT: The MIT Libraries, working with Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA), have developed the design for the upcoming Hayden Library renovation. As seen in architectural concept renderings, the new design accommodates the library’s multiple uses with dynamic areas for collaboration, research, and community-building, as well as quiet study. Reopening in fall 2020, the renovated library will […]

From ALA: Choice today announced the publication of the fifth in a series of white papers designed to provide actionable intelligence around topics of importance to the academic library community. This paper, “Research Data Services in Academic Libraries: Where are We Today?”, offers a unique opportunity to revisit and re-examine findings from a 2012 ACRL […]

The research article and the media coverage of it linked to below were published today by PeerJ and Science. Title Peer Reviews Disproportionately Harm Underrepresented Groups in STEM Authors Nyssa J. Silbiger California State University, Northridge Amber D. Stubler Occidental College Source PeerJ 7:e8247 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8247 Abstract Background Peer reviewed research is paramount to the advancement of […]

From Cornell Chronicle: When two Cornell University Library staffers heard comedian Conan O’Brien talk in his podcast about a letter he sent to famed author E.B. White nearly 40 years ago, they had a thought: What if that note from the then-16-year-old O’Brien was among the 25,000 letters in the library’s E.B. White Collection? Maureen […]

Kevin Sayar, previously at ProQuest, was named the new CEO of streaming video platform Kanopy in October. LJ caught up with him at the Charleston Library Conference to hear his thoughts on early days at Kanopy.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi sees two new books onto the bestseller lists. De’Shawn Charles Winslow wins the 2019 First Novel Prize for In West Mills. More best-of lists—including cookbooks and essay collections—arrive. Malcolm Gladwell loves thrillers, revealing that he reads “Fifty, sixty, seventy” a year. He also has a classification system for them.

A data-driven model explaining how those things that make us most human are constructed during the first six years of life, a guide to the alarming increase in anxiety and stress experienced by girls from elementary school through college, and a sourcebook detailing the the 10 personality disorders top the list of best-selling psychology books, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

Bill Gates suggests 2019 books. The readers at PBS NewsHour do, too. And so does Nancy Pearl,  and many more. LitHub calculates that On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is the most popular “Best of Year” title. Michael Chabon's Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is headed to Showtime.