News & Features

This month, librarians are gearing up for the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. But some question whether "annual" really serves their professional development needs. In a time of contracting budgets, layoffs, and demands for tech expertise in the library, is ALA still the must-attend event for all? Or is ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education conference) in San Antonio a better choice?

From toads to bats and the Beatles to doctors, Junior Library Guild editors select new informational picture books for young readers that complement Common Core State Standards and do more than just fill a hole in the lesson plan.

Rebecca T. Miller, Editor-in-Chief of School Library Journal, has accepted the position of Editorial Director of Library Journals, effective immediately. She will serve as Editor-in-Chief for both Library Journal and School Library Journal. Michael Kelley, previously Editor-in-Chief of LJ, is no longer with the company. Please submit LJ news and feature queries to Executive Editor Josh Hadro at jhadro@mediasourceinc.com.

On June 7, Tiger Eyes premiered in select theaters nationwide and was released simultaneously on Video On Demand and iTunes. Co-written by Judy and Lawrence, who also directed, this film is the first adaptation of one of the iconic author's novels. Actress Amy Jo Johnson joined the Blumes in a Q & A session with the audience at the movie's premiere at the AMC Theaters in Times Square, New York City.

Simply put, "The pictures tell the story," says David Wiesner. The three-time Caldecott Medal winner Wiesner shared his thoughts on visual storytelling,—along with fellow panelists, Lizi Boyd, Oliver Jeffers, Matt Phelan, and Chris Raschka—at SLJ's 2013 Day of Dialog held May 29 at Columbia University.

Ideas about social media, teens, and the future of libraries were shared in a dynamic online exchange sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Connected Learning.

ICv2 has the BookScan graphic novel numbers for May, which tell us, among other things, that manga is not yet dead, since Naruto topped the chart and Sailor Moon was in fourth place. BookScan measures book sales in retail bookstores and also includes online retailers such as Amazon. Meanwhile, Playing with Fire, the first Adventure [...]

A wordless concept book that is chock-full of homey details

The White House’s announcement Thursday that it is urging the FCC to overhaul E-Rate—the program that provides discounted Internet access and telecommunications services to U.S. schools and libraries—is an important and nearly unprecedented step forward in closing the digital divide, the American Library Association tells SLJ.