Emily Drabinski and Michele Norris

2024 LibLearnX Wrap-Up

February 5, 2024

Authors told inspiring stories and emphasized the importance of having open conversations. Presenters addressed the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), covering different ways librarians have started using the technology, as well as measuring its impact. Speakers tackled critical topics in the profession, including intellectual freedom, community engagement, and leadership and management. A different dialogue Opening … Continue reading 2024 LibLearnX Wrap-Up


2024 Youth Media Award Winners

January 22, 2024

A complete list of the 2024 award winners follows. John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: The Eyes and the Impossible, written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Shawn Harris, is the 2024 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published simultaneously by Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random … Continue reading 2024 Youth Media Award Winners



Child actor and author Mia Armstrong at the 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore

‘Do Say Hello’

January 21, 2024

“I wanted to inspire people with or without disabilities,” said Armstrong, who wrote the book about her experience as a person with Down syndrome.  Armstrong, alongside her mother Cara, discussed I Am A Masterpiece! (Random House Books for Young Readers, January) and the importance of belonging during their January 21 featured speaker session at the … Continue reading ‘Do Say Hello’


Antonia Hylton speaks on the LLX Studio stage

Breaking the Stigma

January 21, 2024

Over 11 years, Hylton built relationships with and interviewed former Crownsville patients and staff members and examined records at the Maryland State Archives. Her new book, Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum (Legacy Lit), to be released January 23, traces Crownsville’s nearly 100-year history. Milton Kent, journalism professor at Morgan State University … Continue reading Breaking the Stigma


Children’s book author and two-time Newbery Medal recipient Kate DiCamillo speaks at ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore.

This Is a Love Story

January 21, 2024

This precision of language is what has set apart beloved children’s book author and two-time Newbery Medal recipient Kate DiCamillo in her decades-long career. And the speech—which she delivered on January 20 at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore—was one of sorrow but also hope. “Every story is a love story,” she … Continue reading This Is a Love Story


Jesús Trejo

‘Family Is Everything’

January 20, 2024

“I’m very grateful that I was able to speak and tell the story of our family,” Trejo said. “This book, with every page, with every word, with every picture, just illustrates how family’s everything. If you have that—everything else could not be lined up correctly in life—but if you have that, you’re winning.” Trejo discussed … Continue reading ‘Family Is Everything’



Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction 2024 winners: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters and We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian.

2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal Winners Announced

January 20, 2024

The selections were announced during ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore January 20 at the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Book and Media Awards event, sponsored by NoveList. In The Berry Pickers, an Indigenous Mi’kmaq family is picking summer blueberries in 1962 Maine when their youngest child, 4-year-old Ruthie, disappears. Her 6-year-old brother, Joe, … Continue reading 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal Winners Announced


2024 LibLearnX Preview

2024 LibLearnX Preview

January 2, 2024

The American Library Association’s (ALA) LibLearnX conference will be held January 19–22, bringing collaborative learning activities, networking opportunities, celebrations, and author talks to the city of Baltimore. Designed for active learning, the conference will offer more than 100 educational programs in returning formats—Accelerators, Ideas Xchanges, Learning Labs, and ShopTalks—created by and for library workers. New this … Continue reading 2024 LibLearnX Preview



2023 Author Chats - from left, authors Clint Smith, Angie Thomas, and Rick Riordan

Call Number Podcast: 2023 Author Chats

December 11, 2023

In Episode 90, Call Number presents its “2023 Author Chats.” Hear never-before-released clips from conversations with Idina Menzel and Cara Mentzel, James Patterson, Rick Riordan, Brian Selznick, Clint Smith, Tracy K. Smith, Angie Thomas, and Kelly Yang. They share how libraries have been an integral part of their life and work—often highlighting how the library … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: 2023 Author Chats