Issue 264, 20 Nov 2025

Welcome to our latest roundup of interesting and useful things from the world of libraries. We are back from a brief hiatus while we migrate to a new newsletter platform - please forgive any glitches while we get things up and running again.

💭 ARTICLES

Australia’s public libraries are thriving as the cost of living rises. We can’t afford to lose them | The Conversation - Usage of Australian public libraries is moving in the right direction thanks to, among other things, impressive public programming and digital support services.

From Dublin to Seoul and Back Again: A Transformative Vision for University Libraries | libfocus - Irish library blog - Emily Daly from Dublin City University Library explores how Seoul’s lively outdoor library model could inspire new possibilities for Irish university campuses.

Quick wins to boost engagement with passive programming | WebJunction - Some ideas for engaging library users with informal, often-minimal, interactive events that are defined by how patrons engage with it.

24/7 Opening of University Libraries: New Flexibility for Concentrated Work Leads to Record Start | ZBW MediaTalk - The benefits (and obstacles) libraries at TU Berlin and Berlin University of the Arts experienced when they switched to 24/7 access based on user feedback.

University Presses and Libraries, Teaming Up to Innovate | Katina Magazine - Case studies from Temple University, the University of Liverpool, and Brown University on how their university presses and libraries collaborate.

🧰 RESOURCES

Maximizing Impact: Using Excel Solver for Optimal Library Budgeting Choice 360 - Sam Suber (Moraine Valley Community College Library) shares how you can use this Excel add-in as a powerful tool in your library’s financial decision-making.

The 2026 Guide to TikTok for Libraries: How to Maximize Reach (While It Still Exists) | Super Library Marketing - The annual, up-to-date guide to using TikTok for library marketing, including the latest on where this app is prohibited for libraries.

A 2025 Deep Dive of Consensus: Promises and Pitfalls in AI-Powered Academic Search | Aaron Tay - A thorough review of Consensus, an AI-powered academic search engine, they’re currently using at Singapore Management University Libraries.

📚 JOURNALS

IFLA Journal. October 2025 [Special Issue: Artificial Intelligence (AI): Transforming Global Librarianship] - Some broad, international views on AI in libraries in this special issue of IFLA Journal, guest edited by Andrew M. Cox (University of Sheffield, UK) and Xuemao Wang (Northwestern University, USA).

Shine bright like a diamond: what can library hosting services offer in the academic publishing market? | Insights - The advantages of running a journal hosting service based on the experiences of Edinburgh Diamond at the University of Edinburgh and the Open Journals Service at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).