In Second Pandemic Wave, College Libraries Again Adjust to Shutdowns
By Jennifer A. Dixon 
With classes pivoting to all online and residential students being sent home ahead of their Thanksgiving break—or being instructed not to return to campus afterward—academic libraries are once again adjusting to support their communities’ needs.

Must-Have Databases for Academic and Public Libraries 2020
By Michael Rodriguez 
Covering topics such as Black studies, business, history, nature, statistics, and technology, the following databases will help academic and public libraries meet the research needs of patrons—a task that's become even more difficult now that access to physical materials is more limited owing to the pandemic.

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12/10 Webinar: Teaching and Learning with Digital Humanities

Join Gale and Library Journal for an engaging webinar on December 10th with expert panelists. Learn how to overcome the challenges with teaching and learning in digital humanities and implement best practices for a seamless research experience.

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Best Books 2020: Worst Year, Best Books
In a year that many would call one of the worst in recent memory, we were still rewarded with lots of great books. The LJ Best Books of 2020 feature themes of surviving loss, reckoning with class and caste, loving freely, rewriting history, exploring new worlds, busting the gender binary, seeking justice, preserving nature, and finding one’s way in the world. 

First Lady Jill Biden Will Advocate for Public Schools and Community Colleges from the White House
By Kara Yorio 
On January 20, Jill Biden will be the latest educator to become First Lady. How much of an impact can she have on the national conversation and policy? 

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Expore our creative online research and learning environments that support scholarly research and inspire students throughout the world.

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Penguin Random House To Acquire Simon & Schuster
By Mary Bakija
An early breaking announcement on November 25 stated that Penguin Random House has acquired Simon & Schuster in a $2.2 billion deal. 

 

America, World War II, and What Books Can Do | History Previews, Pt. 2 | Prepub Alert
By Barbara Hoffert 
From demythologizing the Alamo to Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan’s significantly far-reaching dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson to the British battling the Germans over Malta during World War II, plus talking about the impact of books in American history.

HISTORY
PREMIUM
The Battle of Hastings: The Fall of the Anglo-Saxons and the Rise of the Normans
By Jim Bradbury  
This dense account is not written in a narrative format but seeks for a firm understanding of a pivotal moment in history. Casual readers will not get as much out of Bradbury’s book as serious students of history and readers who like deep analysis of events.

PREMIUM
A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany
By Monica Black  
Readers interested in German and Cold War history and cultural studies of religious and supernatural beliefs will find much to enjoy in this rich study. 

BIOGRAPHY 
PREMIUM
Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now
By Evan Osnos  
This useful account will help readers understand Biden’s mindset and suggests a blueprint for the next four years. For more in-depth, but pre–2020 campaign accounts, see Steven Levingston’s Barack And Joe and Jules Witcover’s Joe Biden.

PREMIUM
All About the Story: News, Power, Politics, and the Washington Post
By Leonard Downie  
With the recent denigration of journalists by government officials and purveyors of fringe media, stories such as Downie’s are important. Aspiring journalism students and readers of the Post would especially appreciate this biography.

PERFORMING ARTS  
PREMIUM
Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces
By Laura Tunbridge  
Music students and aficionados alike will appreciate this engaging and accessible portrait of the composer.

PREMIUM
This Is Bop: Jon Hendricks and the Art of Vocal Jazz
By Peter Jones  
This evocative work conveys the challenges and successes Hendricks experienced and make for an affecting, well-rounded portrait of an underappreciated jazz artist who is ripe for rediscovery.

COVID Claims BookExpo | Book Pulse
By Mary Bakija 
ReedPop announces it is "retiring" BookExpo, BookCon, and UnBound. Nalo Hopkinson is the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's 37th Damon Knight Grand Master. Plus, more best-of 2020 lists from editors of the New York Times and the New Yorker.

Unexpected Lives: Memoir Previews, Jun. 2021, Pt. 3 | Prepub Alert
By Barbara Hoffert 
June memoir leads off with key #ownvoices narratives. 

Movers & Shakers 2021 | Call for Nominations: Deadline Extended to December 15
The editors of Library Journal need your help identifying the emerging leaders in the library world. Movers & Shakers profiles up-and-coming, innovative, creative individuals from around the world—both great leaders and behind-the-scenes contributors—who are providing inspiration and model programs for others, including programs developed this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Targeted Micro Mentoring Helps Librarians Advance and Problem-Solve | Professional Development
By Linda W. Braun 
Micro mentoring connects people in order to focus short-term on specific areas of professional development.

LA Public Library Gets a Turn Hosting the National Book Awards
By Lisa Peet 
The 71st National Book Award ceremony, held on November 18, was completely virtual. Rather than holding court at Cipriani, National Book Foundation Board Chair David Steinberger and Executive Director Lisa Lucas broadcast from their respective home bases: Steinberger from the Trustees’ Room at the New York Public Library and Lucas from the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library. 

ACADEMIC BESTSELLERS: Computer Science
By LJ Reviews 

Big Data, Blockchain, Women in Computing, and More in Computer Science Titles: November 2019 to date as identified by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

1. Big Data: A Beginner's Introduction.
Sarangi, Saswat
Routledge
2020. ISBN 9781138598577. $160.00

2. Inside Blockchain, Bitcoin, and Cryptocurrencies.
Chowdhury, Niaz
Auerbach Publications
2020. ISBN 9781138618152. $59.95

3. Critical Code Studies.
Marino, Mark C.
MIT Press
2020. ISBN 9780262043656. $30.00 

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