Keynoters and other speakers at American Library Association (ALA) conferences over the years have come to the conference from a wide range of disciplines, but their speeches all incorporate at least a few minutes attesting to the value of libraries in their lives—some landing more powerfully than others. At this year’s ALA Annual, held June 27–July 2 in San Diego, CA, speakers went beyond tales of being avid library users as children to tell stories that painted vivid pictures of what libraries, literacy, and unfettered access can mean to a kid who is looking to understand their world a little better.
The American Library Association’s 2024 annual conference and exposition included many announcements from library vendors. Here’s a roundup of some of the news from this year’s show floor.
Libraries are undergoing a thrilling transformation with the integration of AI and linked open data. This shift towards data-centric operations underscores the growing importance of enhanced collaboration and increased community engagement. Don’t miss out on this chance to shape the future of your library.
*The next Kline Community Impact Prize winner will be announced in Library Journal's February 2025 issue, so the deadline for nominations has been extended to July 31, 2024.
The first half of 2024 has been full of astronomical events—the eclipse, the northern lights, and sublime images of space. Here on Earth, LJ reviewers have discovered 490+ stars of their own, with books that have earned the magazine’s highest accolade, a starred review. To celebrate these dazzling reads, we have gathered their constellation of reviews, with an accompanying downloadable spreadsheet, sortable by subject/genre and BISAC heading.
“In economics there’s a principle called mechanism design, where you’re trying to design policy levers in order to influence the behavior of folks. So if we know what the outcome that we would like to see is, and we know what the barriers are, maybe we can all start to work together in order to create on-ramps.”
All the December 2024 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.
Call for Info: Library Renovation/Construction Projects Completed Since Last July
Library Journal is collecting information about library projects completed over the last year for our annual Year in Architecture feature. If your institution completed a library construction or renovation project between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, please tell us about it! The links below will direct you to download a pdf of the form before filling out your responses online. We have separate links for public and college/university library projects. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 26. If you are unsure of the specifics for the form, please ask your architect. They will receive free inclusion in our architect listing. Submission of high-resolution images of your completed project is encouraged and you will find digital specs and instructions in the gray box on the form.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by Emily Giffin, Daniel Silva, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Linda Castillo, and Lana Ferguson. July Book Club picks include All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Read with Jenna), The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood (GMA), The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (B&N), and The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan (Reese Witherspoon).
REVIEWS
WEB-FIRST REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND MEDIA
The Volcano Daughters, by Gina María Balibrera, is a starred fiction selection. "A devastating story of sisterhood, community, and memory, quietly magical and utterly unforgettable." In short stories, The Best Short Stories 2024: The O. Henry Prize Winners, edited by Amor Towles, is a starred title. "In this edition of the annual collection, edited and introduced by Towles, readers get a diverse and glorious selection of the best short fiction published in 2023. It’s not limited to American voices either; there are stories translated from Italian and Portuguese, originally published in the New Yorker and the Paris Review.... This must-have anthology is a treasure trove not to be missed." And D.L. Soria's The Cottage Around the Corner is a starred SFF selection. "Soria’s newest book will wrap readers into a cozy world that they won’t want to leave. This fantasy romance is sure to enrapture readers looking for an atmospheric and lovable read, much like Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett."
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