Libraries in Missouri, particularly rural libraries, felt a major blow last week when the state House granted initial approval to slash the roughly $4.5 million in state aid to public libraries from its budget.
Two community members are suing Louisiana’s Lafayette Consolidated Government, the municipal body that oversees the Lafayette Public Library (LPL), for denying the right to free speech in public board meetings. Lynette Mejía and Melanie Brevis, community members and patrons of LPL, are co-plaintiffs in the suit, which also names Board of Control President Robert Judge.
One of the biggest takeaways from the pandemic is the sheer number of people whose needs aren’t being met by traditional library programs. As libraries seek to expand opportunities for the patrons in their community, technology tools and resources play a critical role in ensuring access to valuable information, items, and services.
In a blow to the Internet Archive’s (IA) Open Library project and potentially to the concept of controlled digital lending, Judge John Koeltl of the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York on March 24 granted a summary judgment in favor of Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House in their lawsuit against IA. The lawsuit was filed on June 1, 2020, in response to the March 24 launch of IA’s “National Emergency Library,” which temporarily offered unlimited simultaneous access to IA’s collection of 1.4 million digitized books during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many K–12, public, and academic libraries had been suddenly closed.
Over the last five years, audiobook revenue in the U.S. has increased by an astonishing 113 percent, making it the fastest-growing book format in the U.S. The category is flourishing as publishers continue to innovate and grow their reach.
Over the past few years, LJ has provided thoughtful coverage of library employee trauma during the height of the pandemic and beyond. That’s an ongoing issue, and one that needs to remain a priority. As I thought about the discussions that took place at the 2023 Knight Foundation Library Leaders Gathering while I was compiling our package on censorship for our April print issue, I was struck by how much of the hardship involved in current book-banning efforts falls on frontline library staff.
“It feels 100 percent politically motivated. Here in Missouri, there are some really staunch right-wing people who don’t like public libraries and they don’t like public schools. And they are just trying to make it really difficult for us to exist.”
UPDATE: On March 31, a Federal District Court Judge in Texas handed down an injunction stopping the ongoing removal of books from the Llano County library system. The decision will immediately reinstate books that government officials have already removed from the system. The court found that library officials violated the First Amendment because they had targeted nationally acclaimed books based on their viewpoint and content. The Court’s order states: “The Court finds it substantially likely that the removals do not further any substantial government interest—much less any compelling one.”
On April 3, the Cleveland Foundation announced the winners of the 88th annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, the only national juried prize that specifically honors literary works confronting racism and celebrating diversity. The winners were revealed at the Sari Feldman Auditorium of the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Parma-SnowBranch by Adrian Matejka, a 2014 poetry winner.
A fantastic group of soon-to-be-released DVD/Blu-ray titles, including Tom Hanks's A Man Called Otto, an early gem from director John Woo, and a welcome 4K restoration for cult hit Party Girl, starring Parker Posey.
Homecoming by Kate Morton leads library holds this week. Six LibraryReads and nine Indie Next picks publish this week. People’s book of the week is Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin (Holt). Audiofile announces the April Earphones Award Winners. April’s Costco Connection is out, featuring Jeannette Walls’s Hang the Moon and Kate Morton’s Homecoming; the book club pick is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Plus, Judy Blume speaks out about censorship.
The 2023 Audie Awards Winners, Republic of Consciousness Prize, and Whiting Award winners are announced. The best-sellers lists this week feature Countdown by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois, The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear, Smolder by Laurell K. Hamilton, Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening by Ari Shapiro, and Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross.
The Lioness of Boston, by Emily Franklin, is a starred fiction selection. "Franklin’s lyrical, erudite style befits Belle and grabs readers’ attention. Pairs well with Ulrich Boser’s The Gardner Heist, a nonfiction title about Gardner’s fabulous collection and the famous unsolved robbery at the museum in 1990." Deena Mohamed's Shubeik Lubeik is a starred graphic novel. "A must-read modern folktale set in an alternate world where wishes come true, but not always as expected." Black Vinyl White Powder: The Real Story of the British Music Industry, by Simon Napier-Bell, is a starred performing arts title. "Napier-Bell’s racy but shrewd look at the British music scene will fly off library shelves." And Tanya: Poems, by Brenda Shaughnessy, is a starred poetry selection. "A remarkable book achieving all its ambitions; highly recommended."
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