Furniture echoes architectural elements; places of refuge get playful, and more of the year’s top library design trends. It’s all about flow. Rooms within rooms, nooks, delightful retreats for all ages are designed to seamlessly transition spaces from one function to another in this year’s round up of library renovations and new buildings.
The American Library Association (ALA) announced on October 5 that Tracie D. Hall will be leaving her role as the association’s executive director, effective October 6. Hall—a librarian, author, and advocate, among other roles—was appointed as ALA’s first female African American executive director in January 2020 after a nationwide search, succeeding Mary W. Ghikas, and stepped into the position on February 24—only days before libraries across the country shut their doors to accommodate COVID-19 safety measures.
A two-pronged survey from the perspective of both academic librarians and faculty reveals how campus libraries contribute to student success, what the barriers are, and what could be done to further the impact of the library. Access to detailed data tables is available at the end of the report.
With the sharp uptick in challenges to books with LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC subjects and authors, this year’s Banned Books Week (October 1–7) resonates strongly with library staff and users alike. Public, academic, and school libraries from Los Angeles to Maine have launched local anticensorship campaigns. The Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Banned Book Club has been providing challenged books to readers across the country, via the free Palace e-reader app, since its launch in July.
The LJ editors are seeking nominations for the 35th annual Library Journal Librarian of the Year Award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, to honor a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession.
Deadline to submit: November 6, 2023
“As access is diminished in fundamental real ways, we really need to find ways to both fight censorship and create new avenues to let books reach readers.”
In 2022, librarians at Utah State University collected 58 survey responses and conducted 10 interviews with high school librarians and teachers in Utah to better understand information literacy instruction happening within our high schools. Along with investigating the skills being prioritized, our study looked at how teachers and librarians are collaborating as fellow educators.
The National Book Award finalists are announced. Banned Books Week coverage continues. October book club picks arrive, including Safiya Sinclair’s memoir How To Say Babylon, The List by Yomi Adegoke, Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, and The Prospectors by Ariel Djanikian. Paolo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist will be adapted for a feature film. Plus, Netflix’s All The Light We Cannot See, based on the novel by Anthony Doerr, gets a trailer.
The editors of Library Journal need your help in identifying emerging talents in the library world—both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors who are providing inspiration and model programs for others. Our 22nd annual round of Movers & Shakers will profile up-and-coming individuals from around the world who are innovative, creative, making a difference fighting against censorship, and helping improve their workplace. From librarians and non-degreed library workers to publishers, vendors, coders, entrepreneurs, reviewers, and others who impact the library field—Movers & Shakers 2024 will celebrate those people who are moving all types of libraries ahead!
Norwegian novelist and playwright Jon Fosse wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Fiction finalists are announced for the Kirkus Prize. The shortlists for the Goldsmiths Book Prize and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction are announced. PEN America is opening an office in Florida to combat the state’s book bans. Plus new title best sellers.
Time names the 100 best mystery and thriller books of all time. The 2023 T.S. Eliot Prize shortlist is announced. Catharina Coenen wins the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing. October booklists arrive. Rick Riordan teases potential future Percy Jackson books. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner turns 20. Plus, Netflix’s adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind gets a trailer.
Cory Doctorow's The Lost Cause is a starred SFF selectioon. "Doctorow (Red Team Blues) tells a thought-provoking story, with a message of hope in a near-future that looks increasingly bleak." Mom Com, by Adriana Mather, is a starred romance. "Romance fans will delight in the story, the addition of sweet bakery treats, and the showdown between the judgmental town, the snooty Buenaventuras, and the pull of the love that got away." And Tim Maleeny's Hanging the Devil, book five in his "Cape Weathers" series, is a starred mystery. "Suggest this enjoyable caper with its well-developed characters to Lee Goldberg’s fans."
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