America's Star Libraries 2021
By Keith Curry Lance
This is the 14th year in which LJ has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2021 scores and ratings are based on FY19 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Library Survey. We’ve interviewed library directors to learn how the pandemic has changed things since these numbers were collected.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Addresses Digital Divide with 20,000 Computers and Free Neighborhood Wi-Fi
By Matt Enis
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML), NC, in March 2022 will begin distributing 20,000 free, refurbished laptops to Mecklenburg County adults who do not have their own home computers through its MeckTech Computer Kit Program. Separately, this month CML began rolling out MeckTech Connect, a pilot program that will provide free broadband internet service to about 800 households in Charlotte’s West Boulevard Corridor.

SPONSORED BY QUIPU GROUP

Make your library safer with PITS patron incident reports

PITS allows libraries to track patron incidents to ensure greater security and safety for their staff and patrons. PITS maintains all of the information from the time the incident occurs to the time of full resolution. A simple dashboard allows for an at-a-glance view of current reports, perpetrators, and suspensions.

Get more info on PITS and request a demo!›››

Ithaka Big Data Report Enlists Librarian Cohorts, Provides Professional Development
By Lisa Peet
The latest report from Ithaka S+R, “Big Data Infrastructure at the Crossroads,” released December 1, offers critical findings and recommendations on the ways higher ed researchers, scholars, and technicians can partner with university and college librarians to support data research.

Publishers Open Up About the State of Reference
By Maggie Knapp
Representatives from Gale, EBSCO, Oxford University Press, and Bloomsbury discuss upcoming products, the need to address bias, and what makes an ideal reference resource.

 

Opera Expert | Cool Library Jobs
By Lisa Peet
Tanisha Mitchell’s love of music enabled her to connect two roles, as curator and consultant for the Metropolitan Opera Music Library and reference librarian and performing arts coordinator for the Freeport Public Library, NY, where she brings rich classical music programming to a popular audience.

Anne Rice Dies at 80 | Book Pulse
By Kate Merlene
Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire, died Saturday at the age of 80, following a stroke. Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners: 75 Healthy Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals by Gina Homolka and Heather K. Jones, R.D. tops holds this week. One Library Reads and one Indie Next pick publish this week. People releases its top ten lists of 2021. 

Because Books Save Lives: GLSEN’s Rainbow Library stays the course on what matters
By Kathy Ishizuka
In the face of rising book challenges, Michael Rady is remarkably upbeat. Program manager of the Rainbow ­Library, GLSEN’s project to distribute LGBTQ+–affirming titles to schools and libraries, Rady emanates a clear-eyed sense of purpose around a program that is seeing unprecedented demand.

Kedrick Brown Wins 2021 Analog Award for Emerging Black Voices | Book Pulse
By Anita Mechler
Kedrick Brown wins the 2021 Analog Award for Emerging Black Voices. The 2022 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award finalists are announced. Interviews showcase the words and thoughts of authors Andy Cohen of Glitter Every Day: 365 Quotes from Women I Love, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore of Between Certain Death and a Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing Up with the AIDS Crisis, Sharon Gless of Apparently There Were Complaints, and more.

SPONSORED BY EX LIBRIS, PART OF CLARIVATE

Four Ways to Achieve More Success as an Academic Librarian

Academic libraries have experienced dramatic changes over the last few decades. With information now just a few clicks away, libraries are transforming from collections of knowledge to modern hubs for supporting teaching, learning, research, and student success.

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Job Zone utilizes unique job matching technology to help you find the perfect job (and employers find the perfect candidate), whether you’re actively seeking or just keeping an eye out for your possibilities. Log on today and check out our newest features, including automated job and candidate matches, and email alerts.

JOB OF THE WEEK
UC San Diego Library seeks a Head of Digital Object Metadata Management