January is a time for resolutions and looking ahead at the year to come. But it’s also a great time for reflection. In 2024, we strove to expand the number of blog writers and the topics we addressed to prove to our readers that the library can support your academic endeavors, career pursuits, and, in many cases, your everyday life.
To recap 2024, we are revisiting the top 10 blogs that resonated most with you, our readers. The list spans a collection covering historical events, scientific changes, recipes, and even a glimpse at what those of us in the library are reading and watching at home. Check out some that you missed, or re-read your favorites. No matter the topic, each blog aims to highlight library resources and tips for finding them.
#10 Flashback Friday: Brown v. Board of Education
May 17, 2024
Our Flashback Friday series was launched to highlight famous or impactful moments in history and link them to resources available with a few clicks. The Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education qualifies as both. This brief synopsis created by Julia includes a list of books, articles, and videos addressing this landmark case.
#9 What We're Doing: Books, Movies, and TV Shows
April 29, 2024
In the age of Google and AI, many people are still surprised that real humans are running the library. To show our “real” side, we polled the library staff to find out what everyone was reading and watching. My memory is a little fuzzy, but we were probably suffering from collective writer's block in late April. However the post originated, it made the top 10. Maybe it was Mike’s inaugural Cooking with Mike post, which gave us breakfast tacos.
#8 Sailing with Anime Pirates and Navigating the Library for Afflictions of the High Seas
June 24, 2024
Summertime in the desert leaves those of us who reside here wishing for the cool breezes of the ocean. Our Southern Californian librarian, Lyanne, rubs it in with her blog post featuring pirates and anime (One Piece). She cleverly weaves in pirate health issues with PICOT searching in one of our popular nursing databases, CINAHL Ultimate.
#7 Flashback Friday: Bunsen Burner
June 14, 2024
This is the second of three Flashback Friday submissions that made the list. Who doesn’t have warm memories of Bunsen burners in the high school science lab? But have you ever wondered how some of these simple tools originated? Or even their seemingly unrelated impact on other discoveries? It’s short and sweet, but Traci provides links to fascinating bios and insights into early pyrotechnics.
#6 The Dark Side of Reading: Banned Books and Literary Criticism
March 18th 2024
Every industry has a dark side, and book bans could arguably be the darkest for libraries. Alexis explores how to use the library's databases to research analyses and criticisms of literature and popular works. She highlights some works from the American Library Association’s list of top challenged books.
#5 Oh, the Places You'll Go! Books, Travel, and Databases
March 4, 2024
March hosts Read Across America Day, and I celebrated by walking our readers through some of the topical databases within Gale Research Complete. Many of our users are familiar with ProQuest and EBSCOHost, two of our major multi-disciplinary databases. Gale Research Complete is similar in size and scope and expands our holdings across a slew of industries and topics. I highlight its range by discussing some of its lesser-known resources (and featuring the concept of literary landmarks in time for spring break).
#4 The Little Planet That Could: Pluto's Excellent Adventures
May 28, 2024
Did you know the state of Arizona enacted legislation in 2024 to declare Pluto its state planet? Traci breaks down the history of this maligned planet in her post. Who knew there was so much drama in the planetary science community around the ninth sphere in our solar system? If you didn’t know, this post and its corresponding list of books and articles found in our library will put it directly in your orbit.
#3 Flashback Friday: Copyright Act of 1790
May 31, 2024
Flashback Friday features another reader favorite: the Copyright Act of 1790 (this goes on the list of “Things that make you go, huh?”). While it may seem like a dry topic, at #3, many of you realize that the complexity of generative artificial intelligence (and its reliance on materials published on the internet) makes this a very hot topic. Check out the brief synopsis of the earliest U.S. copyright statute and the links to additional resources covering one of the most important creative and educational legal protections.
#2 ChatGPT and Citations: A Tale of Monstrous Love
February 5, 2024
Where else but in our library blog could you find the topics of monsters, romance, and generative AI woven together? It may seem like a whimsical topic, but I address the serious implications of substituting a generative AI tool like ChatGPT for a library database to perform research.
#1 Labyrinths from the Library: The Mysteries of Loch Ness
February 19, 2024
February 2024 was a month for love and monsters, and since both blog posts for February made the top 2 favorite posts of 2024, we know you agree. Traci’s post featuring the Loch Ness monster is the most-read blog post for 2024! She compared its elusive sightings to the treasure trove of information lurking in the most unexpected places in the library. Be entertained! Get informed! Check out the mysteries of this Scottish mascot and plumb the depths of the University of Phoenix’s library!
Subscribe to the University Library blog Keeping Up with the Librarians to get notified when new blogs are published. We look forward to another year of highlighting the best resources and sharing knowledge of how the library can support you in 2025!
Nicole Tassinari is an associate university librarian and oversees content development. She's the proud mom of three almost-grown children who love to tell her to "just Google it!"