Catalog data are a library’s most important map to knowledge. What does it mean that
the Library of Congress just released 25 million records to the public?
When picking books to read this summer, reach out for the unknown. Here are five expert recommendations for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, for which deserved attention is just starting to shine.
Young adult literature is starting to explore death in depth.
Lionsgate
Death used to happen off the page in kids’ books, but not anymore. They kill each other in The Hunger Games, and 13 Reasons Why graphically describes the impact of teen suicide.
Arundhati Roy’s activism has made her a longtime target of the Indian government. In this 2002 file photo, Roy celebrates after being released from Tihar Jail in New Delhi. The Supreme Court found Roy guilty of criminal contempt of court and sentenced her to a day of “symbolic imprisonment.”
(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Award-winning author Arundhati Roy’s activism has made her a longtime target of the Indian government. At a recent Toronto event, she received a standing ovation as she read from her new novel.
A recent flurry of tweets about cultural appropriation from members of the Canadian media elite show their ignorance the publishing industry remains overwhelming white
Nearly three-quarters of Australians go to live art events, such as Dark Mofo in Hobart.
Stefan Karpiniec/Flickr
New survey from the Australia Council shows pretty much all Australians engage with the arts, and 8-in-10 do so online. However more people are ambivalent about public arts funding, and more people think the arts are too expensive.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first in the phenomenally successful series, turns 20 this month. Despite criticism of their status as ‘literature’, the books remain a magical experience for children.
Front cover of Tjarrany Roughtail - the book features a collection of Dreaming stories.
Magabala Books
Unlike earlier lesbian and gay movements whose politics depended on visible identities, queer theory grew out of a critique of this – and perhaps that’s where Djuna Barnes sits.
‘Women Who Work’ attempts to present itself as an apolitical work. But no narratives ever are – and it’s especially the case for those that anxiously seek to appear that way.
Families benefit when fathers and mothers get paid parental leave.
popofatticus/flickr
The nation needs a more comprehensive approach to family leave and relief for parents with child care expenses. But the proposals the Trump team rolled out initially fell short.
Tech billionaire Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra Lenas Parker are among today’s youngest and most ambitious donors.
Rich Fury/Invision/AP Photo
In ‘The Givers,’ author David Callahan warns that today’s mega-rich philanthropists wield too much political clout. He may be exaggerating their power and lowballing the public’s own strength.
Planting a diverse blend of crops and cover crops, and not tilling, helps promote soil health.
Catherine Ulitsky, USDA/Flickr
Conventional wisdom says we need industrial agriculture to feed the world. Not so, says geologist David Montgomery: Practices that focus on creating healthy soil can transform agriculture.