In January 2020, Crosby Kemper III stepped into a four-year term as director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). At the time, one of the main concerns at IMLS was then-President Donald Trump’s repeated efforts to zero out the agency’s budget; less than two months later, libraries across the country would shut down for COVID-19 safety precautions, and, soon after they began to reopen, a surge of intellectual freedom challenges would escalate. Kemper’s term ends on March 8; LJ caught up with him to hear his take on the past four years and find out what’s next.
To help break down the relevant library issues in this election year, LJ convened a roundtable of experts including John Chrastka of EveryLibrary; Nick Grove of Meridian Library District, ID; Jason Kucsma of Toledo Lucas County Public Library, OH; and Representative Ashley Hudson from the Arkansas House of Representatives. They covered everything from voter engagement strategies for libraries on the ballot to book ban advocacy in challenging districts to engaging the electorate in an important presidential election year.
This book explores the big geopolitical debates about the appropriate role of the Fund in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and concludes with some reflections on how all the programs also produced genuine policy reform and held out the possibility of a return to growth and prosperity.
Ry Moran, associate university librarian for reconciliation at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, was named a 2023 LJ Mover & Shaker for his work bringing the university’s reconciliation department to fruition and developing a podcast called Taapwaywin, which means “truth” or “speaking truthfully” in Michif, a language of the Métis people. LJ recently touched base with Moran to learn more about his work with truth and reconciliation, and how the podcast is going.
In 1987, Women’s History Month was formally recognized by presidential proclamation as a monthlong celebration to honor women’s contributions, accomplishments, and voices throughout United States history. The following books spotlight extraordinary women from the distant and not-so-distant past—women both imagined and real, famous and little-known, and from varied cultures, countries, and continents.
With the rise of English as the world’s lingua franca, countries have adopted English in their own unique and fascinating ways. It is therefore more important than ever to record these words and phrases.fore more important than ever to record these words and phrases.
Big releases from bestselling Louise Erdrich and Sally Rooney along with a new book from Nobel prize-winning Olga Tokarczuk.
“We place emphasis on certain materials or certain objects or certain collections of information to say that this is something important. Future generations need this to help them answer the questions of who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going. So I think commemorative work like this is quite squarely within a broad mandate of libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions.”
Library Journal & AM developed the AV primary sources survey to learn the extent to which library audiovisual materials are being used in colleges and universities as primary sources for scholarly research.
This highly recommended work about anthropological museums and creating culturally appropriate exhibits challenges preconceptions and encourages readers to think critically about this complex and important issue.
A fresh and appealing addition for film displays. It’s a foundational and fun overview for readers interested in learning more about classic and contemporary Hollywood fashion.
A breezy, charming, heartwarming work for fans of Broadway and its stars. It shows love for theater craft and Broadway’s powerful sense of community while also recognizing that roads to success are often long and bumpy.
Shortlists are announced for the J. Anthony Lukas Prizes, which honor the best in American nonfiction writing. Lucinda Riley has been posthumously awarded publisher Pan’s Golden Pan award. Lily Tuzroyluke, author of the novel Sivulliq: Ancestor, is USA Today’s Woman of the Year honoree from Alaska.
As the 2024 election year heats up, positive framing will be increasingly important for libraries. I’m certainly guilty of falling into a “doom loop” of negativity when I think about what the future might hold for libraries—or even democracy itself. But we cannot be our smartest, most strategic selves if we focus only on negating anti-library rhetoric. We need to advance a positive pro-library narrative—one that is grounded in the history of our good work—to unite us as advocates and connect with voters across the spectrum.
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