LJ’s 2025 Directors’ Summit looked at artificial—and very real—intelligence from multiple angles.

Despite data that only about five percent of media consumers’ time is spent with books and audiobooks, publishing has the conditions to thrive.

Janet Hyunju Clarke, associate dean of research and learning at Stony Brook University (SBU) Libraries, NY, was named a 2025 Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her campus-wide collaborations to create needed support and social systems for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. LJ spoke with Clarke about how SBU’s AAPI Mentorship Network and AAPI Heritages Committee have evolved and grown.

This year’s MetLib was held from October 4–9 in Toronto, where Toronto Public Library hosted urban public library leaders from across six continents. Unlike previous MetLib events where participants presented on a wide array of urban library flagship projects and programs, this year organizers settled on one overarching conference theme: From Isolation to Social Connection: Libraries and Well-being, a clarion call for all urban public libraries to tackle the issues of increased social isolation and a lack of social connection, and envision how to enhance civic engagement among urban dwellers around the world.

From the University of Missouri Libraries: 25, marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which took place over six years between 1939 and 1945. In honor of the anniversary, the Digital Initiatives department began digitizing posters from the War Poster Collection housed in our libraries’ Special Collections. This collection offers a […]

From The Verge: Microsoft’s library of books is so heavy that it once caused a campus building to sink, according to an unproven legend among employees. Now those physical books, journals, and reports, and many of Microsoft’s digital subscriptions to leading US newspapers, are disappearing in a shift described inside Microsoft as an “AI-powered learning […]

Here’s the Full Text of Today’s Announcement (via PALCI): The partnership was made possible through financial commitments from PALCI and 26 of its member libraries, including four Leadership Circle contributors who chose to make a deeper investment in both the partnership and the broader PALCI community. Their combined support advances a new consortium-based model for […]

From the University of Kansas Libraries:  The University of Kansas Libraries will launch “Global Conversations in Librarianship,” a new speaker series highlighting international perspectives on libraries and information work, with Ukrainian library leader Tetyana Yaroshenko as its inaugural speaker Feb. 26. Yaroshenko, deputy director for research and international affairs at the State Scientific and Technical […]

In this episode, we consider the nature, joy and despair and the challenges and opportunities that we deal with every day in the digital age. Are we in control? Are we merely pawns in their game?

Crossover episode for 2 podcasts—Libraries Lead and Infoversity –explores the future of library education. Dr. Beth Patin, Associate Professor and newly appointed Program Director for the MS in Library and Information Science program, sits down with Dean Jeff Hemsley for an in-depth conversation about preparing the next generation of information professionals for an uncertain and rapidly changing world.

The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (May 2025) that library collection decisions are not protected by the First Amendment, they are “government speech” and therefore under the control of public officials. This is a very serious ruling that, if it stands, would have far-reaching effects. In this episode, we dive deep into the issues and implications for all types of libraries, education institutions, and communities.

Finalists are announced for the Story Prize for best short fiction collection: Other Worlds by André Alexis, Atavists by Lydia Millet, and Long Distance by Ayşegül Savaş. The United States Artists writing fellows are revealed. After a year in limbo, the IMLS begins accepting grant applications for fiscal year 2026. Plus, new title bestsellers, newly discovered Harper Lee letters, and interviews with George Saunders, Julian Barnes, Vauhini Vara, and Karan Mahajan.

Providing access to outstanding works, offering critique and explanation, and celebrating the power of reading and writing, these four LJ reviewers showcase the essential craft of book reviewing.

Whether it’s a history of feminist indie rock, a study of Prince’s impact on culture, politics, race, and gender, or a photo-filled book on Nora Ephron’s films, I will always learn something new thanks to Kathleen McCallister's incisive, thoughtful, and entertaining reviews.

Christa Van Herreweghe finds quirky, under-the-radar titles that shine in audio and reveal new insights at every turn. She reads voraciously and widely, from cookbooks to memoirs to science fiction, but whatever the book, her evaluations and marvelous turns of phrase are treasures in themselves.