Materially Different: A New Kind of Materials Survey
By Barbara Hoffert
As LJ’s materials survey grew too complex, we turned to vendor data for a granular look at what’s selling to libraries.

2020 Budget Survey Shows Growth, Unpredictable Patterns
By Lisa Peet
Library budgets continued to expand in 2019, but varying areas of growth make patterns—and predictions—hard to discern.

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Graphic Novels: New Frontiers, New Audiences

It’s a Golden Age for graphic novels. Readers, creators, and publishers are enjoying a burst of energy as the new decade begins. The expanding graphic novel universe now covers all subjects, reaches all audiences, and erases all boundaries.

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Referenda Report: Renewals Up, New Funding Lagged in 2019
By John Chrastka
2019 library ballot measures see success in renewals, less for new funding.

LJ Celebrates Sacramento Public Library, Winner of the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize | PLA 2020
By Lisa Peet
Library Journal’s reception at PLA celebrated Sacramento Public Library, the inaugural winner of the $250,000 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, for the many ways it is deeply embedded in its community.

Gig Librarianship | Editorial
By Meredith Schwartz
Vocational awe. Burnout. Low morale. Precarity. Undercompensation. Together, the themes I see cropping up in LIS research, conference presentations, and Twitter point to a chronic problem.

Schools Fight Misinformation and Fear As They Prepare for Possible Coronavirus Outbreak
By Kara Yorio
While there are no reported outbreaks in the United States, anxiety is building as more cases are announced each day around the world. U.S. residents are being tested all across the country, with some positive for the virus called COVID-19.

Tulane University Acquires Archives of Anne Rice—New Orleans Novelist of Vampires and Witches
By Jennifer A. Dixon
The archives of Anne Rice have found a new home in New Orleans, where Rice was born and many of her iconic novels, including 1976’s Interview with the Vampire, are set.

Coronavirus Shutters Book Fairs; Reese Witherspoon & Jenna Bush Hager's Book Club Picks | Book Pulse
By Neal Wyatt
Fears over the coronavirus shut down the Paris Book Fair and the London Fair is looking iffy as U.S. publishers pull out. Long Range by C. J. Box leads holds this week.

A Deep Dive into Deep Fakes: Media Literacy in a World Where Seeing Is no Longer Believing
By Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgins
How do we know when videos that look plausible have been manipulated to deceive or manipulate the viewer? More importantly, how do we teach today’s learners fact from fiction in a world where seeing is no longer believing?

NY Times Names New Poetry Columnist; Must-Read Books for March | Book Pulse
By Neal Wyatt
The Invisible Man arrives in theatres and Candyman gets a trailer. March reading lists pile up. Romance novels, YA, and graphic novels get lists too. The New York Times hires a new poetry columnist and Electric Lit writes “Black Women Poets Will Start the Revolution.”

Coauthors, Colleagues, and Librarians Remember Clive Cussler
By Jeff Ayers
The literary world lost a legend this week with the passing of Clive Cussler at age 88. When librarians and readers alike thought of action-adventure novels, his name and works were at the top of the list.

 Reviews

WEB-FIRST REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND MEDIA

Tomasz Jedrowski's debut novel, Swimming in the Dark, is one of this week's starred fiction selections. "German born of Polish parents, debut author Jedrowski here writes in English, and his lyrical prose reveals a complete command of the language.... Highly recommended for all who enjoy a tale of love under the most difficult circumstances." Also in fiction, Ellen Feldman's Paris Never Leaves You is another starred title. "Things are seldom as they seem in this engrossing tale of identity, survival, loyalty, and love. With frequent time shifts and dubious identities, the author adds considerable depth to her well-crafted tale." And Julia Alvarez makes a return to adult fiction with her latest starred title, Afterlife. "An incisive book that will burrow itself into people’s hearts and stay long after they’ve turned the last page." In another starred fiction selection, David Nicholls "plumbs human relationships, this time offering a singular reading experience about one young man’s fraught coming of age" in Sweet Sorrow. In self help, Mike McHargue's starred selection, You’re a Miracle ( and a Pain in the Ass): Embracing the Emotions, Habits, and Mystery That Make You You, is "recommended for anyone who feels they’ve tried everything in the way of self-improvement yet are determined to live to their fullest potential." And another starred self-help selection, One Step Ahead: Mastering the Art and Science of Negotiation, by David Sally, is "a comprehensive guidebook delivering valuable skills to apply in both business and personal relationships."

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