In Vermont, the upcoming consolidation of several state colleges plans to include a shift to all-digital libraries. The February 7 announcement drew fire from a range of affected constituents. Charlotte Gerstein, reference and instruction librarian for Castleton University, pointed out that forcing the university and college libraries to go fully digital would affect not only libraries in the new system, but public libraries throughout the state.
A recent outreach initiative by the Penn State University Libraries aims to engage students, faculty, and staff in the discovery of political and protest songs through a live performance event. Political Song-a-Palooza, which we cocreated as Music and Political Science subject specialists, highlights political songs of many nations and time periods that have contributed to political dialogue in those countries and shaped their cultural landscapes.
Censorship efforts continue across the country. Here is a look at some recent stories about book challenges and the ongoing fight for intellectual freedom.
The delights and gratifications of audiobooks never fail to satisfy. Across these reviews we highlight stories that transfix, narrators that enthrall, and experiences that fulfill.
With so many genre blends happening in crime fiction these days, it seemed timely to speak with author Valerie Wilson Wesley. Wesley’s career has included the popular “Tamara Hayle” PI series, but these days she’s right on trend with cozy mysteries featuring Odessa “Dessa” Jones, a real-estate agent/caterer with a cat, a love for tea, and—oh yes, paranormal skills. Dessa reads auras, which she calls glimmers, and when she smells nutmeg, look out! Something bad is sure to happen. The third in the series, A Shimmer of Red, will publish in July.
“We have issues with the broadband. It's a rural state, a lot of poverty, and places where broadband hasn't gotten to yet. So this is not the state that should be a guinea pig for this kind of proposal.”
Toni Morrison is honored on USPS’s newest Forever Stamp. NYT Magazine offers a guide to “The New Black Canon: Books, Plays and Poems That Everyone Should Know.” The Women’s Prize for Fiction announces its longlist. The 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Prize finalists are announced. Laurie Halse Anderson wins the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson.
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction longlist, the Baillie Gifford Prize Winner of Winners Prize shortlist, and the Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award finalists are each announced. Illinois proposes anti–book ban legislation. Interviews feature conversations with Dina Nayeri, Michelle Dowd, Annalee Newitz, Roxanna Asgarian, Madelaine Lucas, Julia Bartz, and Thomas Mallon. Adaptations based on The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave and Denise Mina’s “Morrow” series are in the works.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben leads holds this week. Three LibraryReads and two Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine. The Oscars were awarded on Sunday night, including honors for the adaptations All Quiet on the Western Front, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Women Talking, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Simon Parkin wins the 2023 Wingate Literary Prize for The Island of Extraordinary Captives.
Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture, by Neil Gross, is a starred social sciences selection. "This study belongs in social behavioral sciences collections. Ideal for scholars and general readers interested in this current, relevant, and much debated topic." Howard Pollack's Samuel Barber: His Life and Legacy is a starred performing arts title. "Barber knew everybody in his milieu, and this book reflects that. Scholars will devour this exceptional study, but any music lover will benefit from reading it." Also in performing arts, Electronically Yours, Vol. I: My Autobiography, by Martyn Ware, is another starred selection. "Spiced with fascinating stories, this book provides a valuable personal insight into the heyday of ’80s electropop that will appeal to general readers." And in spirituality and religion, Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End, by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill religion professor Bart D. Ehrman, is a starred selection. "Lucid and compelling, Ehrman challenges readers to encounter the ancient Book of Revelation once again. This title makes it worthwhile."
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