As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in work, creative pursuits, and the generation of online misinformation, public libraries have a major new role to play in digital literacy.

As libraries face increasingly challenging funding landscapes, a key to securing public support lies in mobilizing a coalition of foundation donors, Friends members, and board volunteers. Successful advocacy campaigns happen when these key stakeholders unite behind the library’s mission, reinforcing its value and amplifying its message to decision-makers. To that end, library directors can use several types of advocacy to strengthen their budget campaigns, including community-driven advocacy, public-private partnerships, and the concept of advocacy through fundraising.

When the journey is the point, the mode of travel is as important as the destination. Moving from here to there—whether via quiet footfalls or the whisper of wings or sailing with a neatly trimmed spinnaker—fascinates readers and makes them wonder if there are ways to do it more efficiently, more economically, or with more zest and flair. The books on this list answer with a resounding “yes.”

Election Day 2024 held mixed results for libraries on the ballot across the country. EveryLibrary identified and tracked 79 library measures on local and statewide ballots about funding, buildings, and governance. Of those, 55 were for long-term operating revenue, 10 for building projects, seven for annual budgets, one was a defunding measure, two concerned library governance, and four were statewide issues. 

From the Emerging Technology Observatory (ETO (a project of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University): Today marks the official release of AGORA (AI GOvernance and Regulatory Archive), ETO’s latest tool. Previously in beta, AGORA is a living collection of AI-relevant laws, regulations, standards, and other governance documents from the United States and around the world. […]

From KELO:  Library advocates are calling for more attention on South Dakota’s upcoming budget after Gov. Kristi Noem’s recommended budget included cuts to the State Library. Many librarians are concerned about the proposed cuts, with just over $1 million is set to be cut from the State Library and almost $1.4 million from federal funds. The State […]

From CTV News: A year after a cyberattack brought down systems at the Toronto Public Library (TPL) for months, the results of an investigation into the breach show that thousands of cardholders, donors, and unsuccessful job candidates may have also been affected. In a news release issued Monday, the TPL released the results of its investigation […]

The article (full text) linked below was recently published by Learned Publishing. Title Intelligent Summaries: Will Artificial Intelligence Mark the Finale for Biomedical Literature Reviews? Authors Carlo Galli University of Parma Chiara Moretti University of Parma Elena Calciolari Queen Mary University of London University of Parma Source Learned Publishing https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1648 DOI: 10.1002/leap.1648 Key Points LLM […]

Dave explores NotebookLM’s podcasting feature. NotebookLM is an AI system from Google that lets you create a workspace around documents that summarizes, creates study guides, and much more. One of the features is creating an “Audio Overview” that transforms your notes and documents into a two person podcast. Dave was impressed, see what you think.

The election is over, and the reactions are emotional and raw. America is still as divided politically and socially as the day before. What’s in store for us as individuals, families and communities? What might the next few years look like for libraries and librarians and those who use and rely on library resources and service?

Natural and human-made crises, disasters, emergencies, and catastrophes. Beth leads us through an update on how we've progressed or declined in our collective ability to deal with crises, and how the library & information field can play an even more active and visible role in preparing for, during, and recovering from these disasters.

Deck the shelves with novels set during Christmas and Hanukkah!

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

O’Brien’s fiction debut is a highly intriguing vision of the near future that examines the role of memory in a functional aspect, which also underscores the utility of forgetting: “Funes the Memorious” by Jorge Luis Borges meets Total Recall by Philip K. Dick, with a wry narration that balances the grim reality.

New LGBTQIA+ fiction from Joanna Lowell, Mae Marvel, Chip Pons, and Jodie Slaughter to help celebrate Pride Month along with great beach reads from Josie Silver and Alicia Thompson.