As they anticipate hits from lowered enrollment and decreased endowments, as well as declines in state funding for public universities and community colleges, and potential rollbacks of money that has already been authorized, academic institutions have begun hiring freezes and reductions, including furloughs, layoffs, and reduced hours for non-tenured faculty and staff. Many campus libraries are seeing reductions in workforce that threaten to affect their ability to serve students, faculty, and researchers.

In late June, Macmillan announced the creation of the Trade Management Committee, which will “set the goals and objectives for the publishers, divisions, and departments that comprise U.S. Trade and Shared Services.” However, the question remains whether this committee and other steps taken by the publisher will result in real change or are a temporary measure to placate criticism.

From a California Dept. of Technology: The California State Library has launched a one-stop portal for all grant and loan opportunities offered on a competitive or first-come basis by California state agencies and departments.

ValChoice, an independent data analytics company focused on the U.S. insurance industry, is offering public and academic libraries permanent, unlimited access to online calculators, insurance company ratings, tutorials and “how-to” videos, worksheets, and other tools designed to help users understand how insurance—such as car and home insurance—is priced, and how to decide on policies based on their age, deductibles, coverage limits, and other factors.

During the week of March 19–23 MIT Libraries convened experts from across disciplines and domains to identify and address grand challenges in the scholarly communication and information science landscape.

Suppose a librarian receives an email from a man named Greg Walsh, wanting to become a cardholder or simply inquiring about the open hours. Would the librarian reply? And, if so, would the reply be polite, including for instance some form of salutation, such as “Hello” or “Good morning”? Does your answer change if the guy is called Tyrone Washington? Is a librarian treating Jake Mueller differently from DeShawn Jackson?

A detailed look at pain management implementing the use of medical cannabis rather than opioids; A complex look at the issue of opioid abuse backed up with research and first hand stories; A valuable addition to the conversation about addiction filled with case studies illustrating the complexities of the disease

Editor Sarah Janssen discusses editing The World Almanac in an age where being attuned to "fake news" is especially vital.

If you’re a fan of 80s music, the band Adam and the Ants, and/or enjoy tribute videos with a library theme, here’s a new slickly produced music video from the band, Bodley and the Bookworms titled “Scan and Deliver.” In less than one day the video has received more than 4,500 views on YouTube! Direct […]

From a Letter by Skip Dye, SVP, Library Sales and Digital Strategy & SVP, Sales Operations, Penguin Random House to Partners: I hope that you and yours are well. With the uncertainty of what this upcoming school year will bring – either home-learning, in-classroom or a combination of both – and the pressures that our […]

A New Issue of the IIIF Bulletin (July 30, 2020) Now Available Newsletter Plugin Bugs Let Hackers Inject Backdoors On 300k Sites (via BleepingComputer) Open Science Skilling & Training Programmes Across Europe (via LIBER)  Security Considerations for Exchanging Files Over the Internet (via ITL/NIST)

Version 1.0 of the book linked to below was recently published by Milne Publishing,  Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo. Title Open Pedagogy Approaches Subtitle: Faculty, Library, and Student Collaborations Editors Alexis Clifton Senior Instructional Support Specialist SUNY Geneseo Kimberly Davies Hoffman Head of Outreach, Learning, and Research Services at the River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester […]

How do you reopen a library with no guidelines or best practices to work from? That’s the question public leaders and staff are considering as library buildings gradually open across the country.

With some libraries reopening for at least limited services, and many others doing curbside pickup, face masks are a necessity for library workers and patrons alike. These library- and book-themed offerings can make it fun and show your library love all over your face.

Most public libraries stopped distributing materials during the pandemic to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean they stopped distributing anything. Some leveraged their expertise at getting resources into the hands of patrons to help those suddenly struggling with the bare essentials of life: food, diapers, the means to clean up, or a place to sleep.

IMLS: In the first phase of a project to disseminate and develop science-based information about how materials can be handled to mitigate exposure to staff and visitors, scientists have found that the virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 is not detectable on five common library materials after three days.

Libraries can and should continue to apply creative problem-solving to mitigate the worst impacts of this pandemic on staff and users. There is a limit to what even the most nimble, inventive, and dedicated libraries—or even consortia or associations—can fix. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do. We need to think bigger and to throw the collective power of our profession toward advocacy for large-scale solutions.

The Hugo Awards are announced. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine wins for best novel. The Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer were announced as well. Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer leads holds this week. Pennie Clark Ianniciello picks a much older title, Last Orders by Graham Swift, as her August title. More book picks for August arrive and Chicago will host the 80th World Science Fiction convention.

Since LJ’s last debut novels coverage, COVID-19 has upended business as usual, with publishers scrambling to get books out and review sources scrambling to cover them. Titles here range through January 2021, but there are a few not-to-be-missed early summer titles as well.

Discover new authors and revisit old favorites with the following list of books and websites for Christian fiction readers who are looking for something fresh and different.