“Redeployment” Wins National Book Award for Fiction

The National Book Foundation has awarded former Marine, Phil Klay, a National Book Award–his debut short story collection Redeployment, took home top honors as the winner in the fiction category.

Established in 1950, the National Book Award is an American literary prize administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of great writing in America.

Read more“Redeployment” Wins National Book Award for Fiction

Feature Focus: Highlights and Notes in Kids InfoBits

At one time or another, almost everyone has broken the rules and written in a textbook. When I was in school, our teachers reviewed our books at the end of the year and we had to pay a fine if they found writing in them; at the end of every school year I would frantically erase the notes and doodles that I had written on the pages of each textbook. Now, with Gale’s Highlights and Notes tool – available in Kids InfoBits, as well as many other Gale products – those days are over for students of all ages.

Read moreFeature Focus: Highlights and Notes in Kids InfoBits

Programming Tips for National Family Caregiving Month

Caregiver resources and ebooks

With an estimated 21% of American families involved in family caregiving responsibilities, National Family Caregiving Month is one worth observing at your library. Whether you are looking for quick links to trustworthy information, places to request a speaker, or a good book club idea, bringing National Family Caregiving Month to your library will be easy with this collection of online resources.

Read moreProgramming Tips for National Family Caregiving Month

Focus on Relevance: Tell Politicians Why Libraries are Vital

In this post, Rebecca Miller, editorial director of Library Journal and School Library Journal, discusses the critical need to help politicians understand that libraries remain relevant and have a critical role to play. She discusses the experience of Kim Wyman, who was elected secretary of state of Washington and shortly thereafter started a “crash course” … Read more

Libraries Add Economic Value to Local Communities

Ken Detzner, Florida’s Secretary of State supports public libraries, calling them “a place of learning, a hub for educational resources, and a community center.” According to an ROI study conducted by the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, University of West Florida, libraries deliver value to the areas they serve by supporting economic … Read more

Want to Start a Garden? Now you can get Free Seeds at the Phoenix Public Library

The Phoenix Public Library has recently launched a seed library at the Harmon Library. This new program allows patrons to check out more than 100 varieties of fruit, vegetable, and perennial seeds with their library cards—three packets at a time. Patrons can “return” seeds by donating what they’ve harvested to the collection. This program joins … Read more

Myth or Reality: Younger Americans are Using the Library?

According to “Younger Americans’ Library Habits and Expectations,” a study from the Pew Research Center, younger Americans ages 16 to 29 are much more likely than older Americans to use public libraries. In fact, approximately 60 percent of younger library patrons have done so in the last year vs. 45 percent of those 30 and … Read more

Booking Bands: Newton Free Library is Compiling a Boston Music Data Base for the General Public

The Newton Free Library is building a database of Boston-area music. It already has some 250 CDs in its collection, available to its patrons and others within the 43 other libraries affiliated with the Minutemen Library Network. “The Newton Free Library is always looking for new ways to connect our patrons with the arts and … Read more

Scores Come to Chattanooga Public Library to Study Library Innovation

Nationwide, libraries are losing funding, information is streamed into private homes, and increasingly, libraries are becoming static places. Chattanooga, however, is at the forefront of overcoming those challenges. In mid-November, more than 100 library directors and administrators from all over the U.S. kicked off an annual two-day summit hosted by the Library Journal—a gathering whose … Read more

Cool Stuff Librarians Do: Librarians without borders

Librarians Without Borders (LWB) originated as a student project of Founder and Co-Executive Director Melanie Sellar, who attended library school at the University of Western Ontario. The organization’s tagline is Putting information in the hands of the world. Now nearly 10 years old, LWB’s mission is to “improve access to information resources regardless of language, geography, or … Read more