Library Journal

Featuring herb gardens, encyclopedias, container gardening, and more, these are the 20 gardening titles that library patrons are seeking. https://hubs.la/Q03dFW0r0

Fiona McFarlane wins the Story Prize for HIGHWAY THIRTEEN. The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction and recipients of the Writing Freedom Fellowship are announced. April’s Read with Jenna pick is HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige. https://hubs.la/Q03dFTNX0

Together with the Audio Publishers Association, in September 2024 LJ and SLJ fielded a survey about audiobooks in U.S. public libraries. Nearly 500 librarian respondents provided insight audio formats, budgeting, licensing terms, and selection influences. https://hubs.la/Q03d9CrZ0

Fee-based databases offer scholars and general readers access to authoritative, fact-based research. These tools further study, enable discovery, and highlight key archival collections around the world. https://hubs.la/Q03d9HMl0

LJ recently spoke with Scott Summers, assistant director of the Media and Education Technology Resource Center at North Carolina State University, about helping new teachers contend with the growing problem of book censorship in school libraries. https://hubs.la/Q03d9Q1F0

The winners of the Windham-Campbell Prize and longlists for the PEN America Literary Awards are announced. NYT reports how library advocates are rallying to the defense of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. https://hubs.la/Q03djYJt0

S.A. Cosby’s thriller KING OF ASHES launches Flatiron’s new imprint Pine & Cedar in June 2025. Cosby talks with LJ about the novel, his writing process, and the authors who first made him fall in love with crime fiction. https://hubs.la/Q03d9PWF0

The year in reference showcases how essential facts-based resources are and how they can be harnessed for endeavors as profound as saving lives or as soul-satisfying as fixing a bike. https://hubs.la/Q03d9Cs50

After 30 years of service, Karen Beach, deputy director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, NC, shared insights with members of the Library Support Network on how development professionals can serve as thought partners to library staff. https://hubs.la/Q03d9QQ90

Genre blends, older sleuths, and subjects as expansive as Jane Austen and AI fill this season’s killer titles. https://hubs.la/Q03d9CrC0