Search

The article features Mychal Threets, a librarian at Solano County Library in California and one of the honorees of the journal's Movers & Shakers 2024 Award. Topics discussed include his habit of sharing stories to inspire people to visit their library, his concern on the safety of library workers and of library users, and his effort to advocate for mental health in the workplace and promote programs like the Afro Library Revolution.

The article reports on the recovery of the Toronto Public Library (TPL) from a ransomware attack on October 28, 2023 that shut down the library's internal network, website, and public computers. Topics discussed include the inability of patrons to access their library accounts online or use the library's computers for more than two months, comments from Toronto's City Library Vickery Bowles, and findings of the "2023 Palo Alto Networks Canada Ransomware Barometer" report.

The article discusses the need of library leaders, staff, and boards to be prepared for attacks on readers' rights. Topics include a library's strongest and probably most-used defense when it comes to facing challenges, the need of library administrators to familiarize themselves with First Amendment legal decisions at the national and state level, and importance of freedom of information and library policy training for trustees.

The article discusses the results of the yearly material survey which highlights the demands of readers for a range of formats and the need to ensure that library collections reflect voices previously ignored due to racism and other structural biases. Topics include physical books as the core of library collections in 2021, a change in patron usage seen by librarians, and percent change in spending for certain materials between 2020 and 2021.

The article reports on the launch of a job training program by Georgia's Clayton County Library System (CCLS) that enables patrons to use virtual reality (VR) headsets to simulate hands-on experiences in various trades. Topics include the Interplay Learning as the recommended software by Assistant Library Director Marquita Gooch-Voyd, demand for the job training program, and advice of Director Rosalind Lett for other library systems that consider purchasing Interplay or other similar software.

The article discusses the survey and report "Gen Z and Millennials: How They Use Public Libraries and Identify Through Media Use" which found that people 40 and younger are using public libraries, often at higher rates, compared with older generations, even when they do not define themselves as readers. Other findings include the percentage of people 40 and under who visited a library branch within a 12-month period and the challenges libraries and publishers face with Gen Z and millennials.

The article reports on the partnership of Hiveclass, a startup company building a digital encyclopedia of youth sports training, with libraries throughout the U.S. to offer teens and youth access to its mobile-friendly database of instructional videos on sports in both English and Spanish. Topics include consortia and library systems that made the platform available to member libraries and patrons and people with disabilities that can enable a variety of accessibility features on the platform.

The article offers information on creating accessible spaces/programs/services in libraries. Topics discussed include the most important thing a library can do, especially when creating or redeveloping a facility, service or program, importance of getting input from patrons with disabilities on digital initiatives, and factor that should be considered for a library to be truly accessible.

The article focuses on the new library design in the U.S., as of November 2021. Topics discussed examples of how the modern public library is much more than a place to borrow books, significance of the furnishings that libraries can play in enhancing the patron experience, and the adoption by many libraries of best practices from retail stores to highlight their collections.

The article discusses the work of public libraries to find employment and secure better jobs and promotions for library users in the U.S. Topics include increase seen by libraries across the country in the use of virtual career and business resources during the pandemic, initiatives that seek to address the needs of patrons who lack the reliable internet access to apply, interview and train for new jobs, and programs that target specific career paths created by some libraries.

The article discusses the results of the "Library Journal's" 2021 survey on readers' advisory (RA) services in U.S. public libraries. Topics include the challenges reported by RA librarians, the necessity for multilingual RA resources, and the most useful question one asks patron when conducting one-to-one RA.

The article discusses a variety of training options and practical tips offered by vendors to ensure librarians and patrons get the most out of their databases. Topics include the importance of training according to Allyson Zellner, manager of Customer Training Services for EBSCO, courses being offered by EBSCO Academy, and training offered by ProQuest.

The article reports on the launch of the status of Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut as the first sanctuary library in the state. Ferguson followed Chicago Public Library's lead to become the second sanctuary library in the U.S., a place where patrons are promised access to books banned or challenged elsewhere. The Senate Bill 2, An Act Concerning the Mental, Physical and Emotional Wellness of Children" drafted by the Connecticut General Assembly's Committee on Children is discussed.

The article discusses the "Library Journal's" survey on College Student Library Usage, sponsored by ProQuest which looked at how students in U.S. colleges and universities use their institutions' libraries and whether those libraries are meeting students' needs. Findings of the survey include the positive view of college students of their institutions' libraries, average time of visit of students on the library in person during the fall 2021 semester, and barriers to in-person use of libraries.

The article discusses the efforts by Pioneer Library System (PLS) to innovate services to meet customers where they are. Topics discussed include the interaction of customers with the library through StoryWalks, 24-Hour Libraries, book lockers, virtual programs and more; action taken by PLS to combat the digital divide, reduce barriers to service, and add more ways to engage with the library; and comments from Library Board Trustee and Newcastle Assistant City Manager Jeanette McNally.

The author discusses a study which examined Facebook relationships of 72 million people. The study found that the biggest determining factor of a neighborhood's less wealthy children obtaining positive economic mobility as adults was how much they connected with people outside their economic strata. The author cites the failure of the analysis to directly measure the role of race and the need of libraries to build programs that appeal to and welcome patrons from a cross-section of demographics.

The author considers these stressful times in 2022 as a perfect moment to celebrate the pleasure and comfort of rereading. She talks about ways libraries could further serve patrons, the need of librarians to open reader advisory (RA) tools to patrons' direct use, and the emergence of romance genre as a great place to start rereading.