In our Climate Crisis series, rolling out over the next two weeks, LJ writers examine climate chaos from multiple perspectives and offer their thoughts on ways to address climate impact.
The vital role libraries play in their communities has been well documented, yet many libraries are overlooked, and certainly underfunded, for their significant involvement in disaster preparedness and recovery. Each new disaster brings focus to the urgency around recognizing libraries as key climate resiliency partners. To that end, academics, practitioners, educators, and other leaders have created a body of work to help share stories that raise awareness.
Artificial intelligence is not a solution—it’s a tech tool that is only useful when it actually solves problems for learners and librarians. AI is everywhere you look today, from the big three search engines to the local library.
Capturing and preserving information has long been part of the library mission. As the world grapples with the wide range of threats climate change presents to the environment, ecosystems, and society, we can make a difference by keeping people informed.
From Federal News Network: The largest source of federal funding for libraries and museums is putting all its employees on paid administrative leave, as the agency prepares for major cuts to its operations. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) put all of its approximately 75-employee workforce on paid administrative leave Monday, according to several IMLS employees.
Last year, John Wilkin shared his essay Lyrasis in a Landscape of Radical Interdependence where he discussed the interdependence of libraries, archives and museums, and how Lyrasis is uniquely positioned to provide the connective tissue between them.
In January, the HBCU Library Alliance announced the award of a $1,000,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support its multipart program “Empowering HBCU Libraries with Civil Rights Preservation, Digital Innovation, and Transformative Professional Development.”
“In our communities, libraries do everything, so when it comes to a crisis, you just do more of everything. It’s just thinking outside the box, seeing what people need and trying to provide it.”
Artificial intelligence and smart automation are streamlining workflows and transforming key processes across a wide range of industries. Even libraries are now benefitting from the rapid advancements in automation and AI.
Looking to improve engagement and provide historical context in her Literature 155 course last fall, Professor Alisa Allkins of Harold Washington College used Gale Literature Resource Center to introduce her students to diverse primary sources connected to the book Passing by Nella Larsen. And she discovered a powerful strategy to counter AI-generated work.
Fiona McFarlane wins the Story Prize for Highway Thirteen: Stories. Ann Regan wins the Kay Sexton Award, and Gustavo Bondoni wins the Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award. The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction and recipients of the Writing Freedom Fellowship are announced. April’s Read with Jenna pick is Heartwood by Amity Gaige. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title Lethal Prey by John Sandford. Interviews arrive with Tess Gerritsen, Abby Jimenez, Gregory Maguire, John Green, Graydon Carter, and Brian Goldstone. Plus, NYPL opens the Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne archive today.
The Dublin Literary Award shortlist is announced. An Iowa law that would ban books including 1984 and Ulysses has been blocked by a federal judge. Simon & Schuster’s new publisher aims to make it the A24 of books. Taylor & Francis announces it will use AI to translate books from some languages into English. Penguin Random House and the National Coalition Against Censorship have both announced fundraising initiatives to counter censorship. Plus, interviews with Bob the Drag Queen, Amanda Knox, and Chris Offutt.
The shortlist is announced for the EBRD Literature Prize for European literary fiction translated to English. After an Alabama board voted to defund the Fairhope Public Library over teen books, Read Freely Alabama raised over $40,000 to keep the library open. French Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal has been sentenced to prison in Algeria, allegedly for criticizing the country. Salman Rushdie will publish a new collection of stories, The Eleventh Hour, due out in November. Plus, Page to Screen and interviews with John Green, Sigrid Nunez, and Cynthia Ozick.
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez leads holds this week. Also in demand are titles by Jesse Q. Sutanto, J.A. Jance, Robert Jackson Bennett, and Katee Robert. People’s book of the week is Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger. Kirkus introduces its list of the best books of the century, and The Atlantic shares the best American poetry of the 21st century. Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman will take the helm at The Rumpus on May 1. NBA star Stephen Curry signs a three-book deal with One World. Plus, James Patterson and YouTube star MrBeast will team up to write a forthcoming thriller, after an eight-figure bidding war for the novel and film and TV rights.
In mysteries, Jeffrey James Higgins' "pulse-pounding political thriller" The Havana Syndrome "is a must-read for fans of Vince Flynn and Lee Child. Based on events in the news, it is thought-provoking, scary, and hugely entertaining." Roll for Romance, by Lenora Woods "has just enough D&D to delight role-players and also welcome unfamiliar readers. Romance fans will be drawn to the growing friendships and blossoming love interest that will keep them engaged from start to finish. A natural 20 on both story and sizzle" in starred romance. And The Starving Saints is Caitlin Starling's starred horror selection. "A brilliantly constructed and thoroughly unnerving fever dream that Starling’s fans will gulp down. It will also appeal to readers nestled in the space where Brom’s Slewfoot, Agustina Bazterrica’s The Unworthy, and Nick Cutter’s The Queen overlap."
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