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On January 26, ALA announced the top books, digital media, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at its Youth Media Awards Announcements in Chicago.
All the Blues in the Sky (Bloomsbury) by Renée Watson won the Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature, and
Fireworks (Clarion), illustrated by Cátia Chien and written by Matthew Burgess won the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children....
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 26
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Greg Landgraf writes: “In the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, libraries have been buffeted by a string of policies and executive orders.
Some changes have been sweeping, while others were smaller in scope but still had significant impacts in specific regions or for specific library services.
Uncertainty may be the most notable overarching theme of federal policy in the past year.
Here are several updates on federal policies and decrees that have and will continue to affect libraries across the US.”...
American Libraries Online, Jan.
23
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ALA has selected
A Guardian and a Thief (Knopf) by Megha Majumdar as the winner of the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and
Things in Nature Merely Grow (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) by Yiyun Li as the winner of the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
The Carnegie Medals for Excellence have been awarded annually since 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the US.
The winners were announced on January 27....
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 27
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Looking to create a welcoming children’s area for families with young children to explore, play, share books and learn together? Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh can help! We offer a variety of time-tested exhibit components and furniture for sale that can be customized specifically for you. Library favorites include:
Light Peg Wall, Nesting
Train Tables, and the Cocoon Chairs. We can also help program spaces for art and making.
Learn more about our services and interactive components on our website.
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On January 21, ALA announced that its Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) would join ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office (PPAO) to “strengthen ALA’s legal, policy, advocacy, and member support.” Sarah Lamdan, previously OIF deputy director and a former law professor and librarian, has been named OIF’s new executive director.
“By aligning intellectual freedom, policy, and advocacy under the leadership of [PPAO leader] Lisa Varga and Sarah Lamdan, we are ensuring that our members have the strongest possible support to meet this moment,” said ALA Executive Director Dan Montgomery....
ALA Communications and Media Relations Office, Jan.
21
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Amy Brownlee writes: “Leveraging interest in the Olympics is the perfect way to bring excitement into your library this winter.
Our elementary school is planning a school-wide collaborative project centering on the Winter Olympic Games, which are happening in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6–22, 2026. In library classes, I am putting global education into practice through read-alouds, lessons, and activities.” Other ideas include passive programming, international radio broadcasts, reading promotion events, and incorporation of award-winning books....
Knowledge Quest, Jan.
22
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Natalie Logue, Jessica C.
Garner, and Stephanie Hendren write: “This scoping review categorizes the interventions discussed or explored among academic librarians to address the issue of burnout.
In literature going back as far as 1982, the pattern of interventions suggests a strong emphasis on the individual managing their burnout through personal actions.
However, in more recent years there has been a significant increase in the suggestion of organizations taking responsibility to reduce rates of burnout.
Recommendations for future research focus on increasing the diversity of populations studied, obtaining more measurable results, and identifying new sources.”...
College and Research Libraries, Vol.
81, No. 1, Jan.
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ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table announced the winners of its inaugural Outstanding Comics Award on January 26. The award recognizes winners and honor books in fiction, nonfiction, and series categories for
children,
young adults, and
adults. Winners include Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals! By Paige Walshe (children’s fiction); Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn (young adult nonfiction); and The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (adult series)....
ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table, Jan.
26
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Elissa Malespina writes: “During times of fear and instability, students do not just need information.
They need one steady place in the building where they will not be judged, questioned, or put on display.
That is the library. When families are afraid to come to school, when attendance drops, when rumors spread, and when students feel like their lives are being debated in public, we cannot step back.
This is when librarians are most essential.
Our work becomes part safety net, part truth-check, and part emotional anchor.
We show up because students need adults who will stay calm, protect their privacy, and keep learning accessible.”...
The AI School Librarians Newsletter, Jan.
23
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Stephanie Grace writes: “I never thought of curiosity as a professional skill.
I can’t recall ever mentioning it in job interviews or performance reviews.
I should have. It’s one of the most valuable things I bring to work.
It helps us notice patterns, understand systems, and work better with the people around us, going beyond our day-to-day competence. Curiosity isn’t just a personality trait but a skill we can develop and practice.
Just like we learn Boolean searching and how to conduct a reference interview, we can learn to be more curious.”...
RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Jan.
27
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “In 2025, libraries around the world continued to break new digital lending records.
Using OverDrive’s Libby and Sora apps, readers borrowed more than 820 million digital titles worldwide in 2025, marking a 10.9% year-over-year increase. More than 200 library systems, consortia, and school libraries surpassed one million digital checkouts.” All categories of materials grew, led by digital magazines, which increased by 31% to 125.1 million checkouts, and digital comics, which grew 22% to 55.7 million checkouts....
Good E-Reader, Jan. 26
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Tony Phillips writes: “Google Sheets is hiding a massive productivity feature in plain sight: the timeline builder. It's dynamic, it's colorful, and best of all, it updates itself. So, forget the manual formatting—here's how to build your own visualized project tracker in just five minutes.”...
How-To Geek, Jan. 25
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Brittany Allen writes: “This week marks the 40th birthday of the Baby-Sitters Club, that ragtag team of business-minded 8th-graders, who first appeared on our doorsteps in Ann M.
Martin’s Kristy’s Great Idea. Publisher Scholastic is launching three new books to celebrate, and Martin has tapped a crew of authors to give the squad fresh voice.
But in the meantime, fans are probably wondering: Where are the sitters now?” Allen humorously creates futures—gallery operator who secretly shoplifts, Emmy-winning showrunner, and more—for favorite characters....
Literary Hub, Jan. 27
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