By Lisa Peet On April 25, the Peabody Awards revealed the list of its 68 nominations for 2023, chosen from a field of 1,100 entries. This year’s contenders include popular TV series such as The Bear, Bluey, and Reservation Dogs, documentaries about Judy Blume and Little Richard, children’s programming, newscasts—and two offerings from public libraries: Milwaukee Public Library’s social media streams in the interactive and immersive media category, and Borrowed and Banned, a 10-episode podcast from Brooklyn Public Library in the podcast/radio category.
Fifty-seven percent of academic libraries report that the use of audiovisual (AV) sources such as news reels, recordings, performances, and films have increased over the past three years—with 21 percent describing significantly increased usage—while only 15 percent say that use of these resources have decreased, according to Library Journal’s recent AV Primary Sources Survey of Academic Libraries, sponsored by AM, that netted 220 responses from academic librarians in the United States and Canada. Thirteen percent of respondents said that college and university students now prefer AV primary source materials, compared with 18 percent who prefer print and other archival primary source materials
The Adler, which opened on May 12, 1930, is the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, and holds one of the largest collections of historic scientific instruments in the world, as well as rare books, manuscripts, archival materials, models, and photographs. Max Adler, the institution’s namesake, purchased and donated the initial collection of instruments, which included sundials, astrolabes, telescopes, and a projector.
By Amy Rea Chelsea Heinbach is the teaching and learning librarian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was named a 2023 LJ Mover & Shaker for her work (with Nimisha Bhat, Hailley Fargo, and Charissa Powell) in developing the blog and related podcast LibParlor, a site dedicated to helping researchers find community resources and have a place to ask questions, discuss issues, and share expertise. She and the team received an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to create LibParlor Online Learning, a free, online curriculum devoted to research topics and how-tos. LJ recently followed up with her to learn more about her work.
Lifestyle-related books are hugely popular, and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do these books help readers express their creativity and achieve the kind of lifestyle they aspire to, but they also bring together people with a common interest and create a sense of connectedness around their topics.
The top reads from our May issue, ranging across audio, mystery, suspense, romance, fiction, horror, science fiction, fantasy, arts, science, and more.
Winners are announced for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Book Awards for books from indie presses. The Asian American Literature Festival will return in September, organized by a collective of literary groups, this time without the Smithsonian. NPR’s Fresh Air looks back today on past interviews with Paul Auster. Plus, Page to Screen and reviews of Kaliane Bradley’s buzzy The Ministry of Time.
“Instagram/Tiktok provided us a platform to post entertaining videos, which ultimately are meant to spotlight library services, spark meaningful conversations, and offer fresh perspectives on why libraries matter today.”
Winners of the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards are announced, including best novel Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke. The winners of the League of Canadian Poets prizes are Hannah Green’s Xanax Cowboy, Sandra Ridley’s Vixen, and Bradley Peters’s Sonnets from a Cell. The finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing, the shortlist for the Leacock Medal for Canadian humor writing, and the shortlist for the Reading the West Book Awards are revealed. A record number of writers were jailed globally in 2023, according to a report by PEN America.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Kaliane Bradley, Mary Kay Andrews, Colm Toibin, and Jayne Castle. Nine LibraryReads and nine Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is How To Read a Book by Monica Wood. Alexis Wright wins the Stella Prize for Praiseworthy.
Copyright: Best Practices for Academic Libraries, edited by Donna L. Ferullo and Dwayne K. Buttler, is a starred reference title. "An invaluable resource giving librarians the tools to assess copyright issues, risks, and approaches both domestically and internationally." In romance, Laura Wood's Under Your Spell is a starred selection. "This excellent, unputdownable adult debut from YA author Wood (Agency for Scandal) is a must-purchase title." And Sophie Kim's The God and the Gumiho is a starred SFF title. "YA author Kim’s (Last of the Talons) adult debut is an action-filled contemporary fantasy based in Korean mythology, featuring morally gray characters and a little heat."
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