Members of the book industry are finding that the current pandemic is accelerating changes that were already taking place.

Higher education continues to grapple with an uncertain future of flat or declining student enrollment and mounting financial pressures. Library budgets are for the most part flat or diminishing, leaving libraries to yet again battle the terrible twins of cost inflation and revenue stagnation. Many libraries are cutting continuing expenditures by cancelling or breaking up journal packages and buying only those titles for which use or demand justifies the price. Others are aggressively renegotiating contracts with publishers to reduce ongoing costs.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced on April 13 that it would begin steps to distribute the first $30 million appropriated to the agency through the federal Coronavirus Aid Package, or CARES Act. The $2 trillion emergency funding legislation, which passed on March 27, included a $50 million package spearheaded by the Washington Office of the American Library Association (ALA) to help ensure that libraries could continue to provide workforce development, connectivity, and digital content during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, as well as to protect core library services in the face of future expected cuts and to help support library organizations.

Guidance from those who have been there can help prospective students as they consider librarianship and choose a library science program.

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.

A Statement From NYC Libraries: During this unprecedented, challenging moment, the City’s public libraries continue to provide New Yorkers with critical resources they need, including job search help, Census information, e-books, and remote learning support for children and parents. As we all move into an uncertain future, one thing we know is that libraries will […]

From Frontiers: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to help funders identify specialists to peer-review proposals for emergency COVID-19 research has been developed. It aims to help fast-track the allocation of funding, and in turn, accelerate the scientific response to the virus. The open-access publisher Frontiers has specifically developed the recommendation tool to aid funders during […]

From the University of Illinois: Professor Ted Underwood has received a $73,122 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to investigate the consequences of error in digital libraries. While digital libraries represent an immense storehouse of knowledge, the texts are full of errors because of the imperfect process by which they are transcribed optically. […]

From the San Diego Union Tribune: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on San Diego’s 36-branch library system, which has been closed since March 13 and is facing budget cuts that will mean shorter hours when pandemic-related restrictions are lifted. The system also is facing questions about how it will operate in a […]

From a PLA/ALA Release:  As public libraries close their buildings to the public, staff continue to serve their communities in innovative ways. Those are among the chief findings the Public Library Association (PLA) announced today in the broadest survey of public libraries’ response to the pandemic to date.

Members of the book industry are finding that the current pandemic is accelerating changes that were already taking place.

Many libraries, library organizations, and others are offering webinars during the COVID-19 for a variety of reasons including thinking/planning for the future, developing learning new skills, and simply conversing with colleagues. infoDOCKET is organizing a spreadsheet with links to these recordings, along with a submission form for libraries and vendors to add more.

Update from March 16: COVID-19 Reports from the Congressional Research Service; Searchable Video From C-SPAN; and More Added to infoDOCKET Roundup

LJ's documentary film reviewer picks four stirring new works, now available on DVD/Blu-ray.

Nine new films and one documentary now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

LJ's film columnist picks the month's top indie, foreign, and classic films, now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

The latest audio reviews include Joyce Carol Oates's curated collection of crime fiction penned by women writers, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler's look at the impact on technology on future industry, and Michael Korda's moving memoir about losing his wife to cancer.