Author Archive: Ann Medaille

Secrets of Effective Upskilling

By Ann Medaille | September 1, 2026

This is an excerpt from Upskilling for Library Workers: A Guide for Future-Ready Professionals by Ann Medaille (ALA Editions, 2026). While corporations may embrace upskilling to stay competitive, libraries will have to support upskilling to remain relevant. Library leaders are under greater pressure to respond rapidly to changing social and economic conditions and demonstrate that … Continue reading Secrets of Effective Upskilling →

Cultivating Creativity

By Ann Medaille | November 1, 2023

Acts of imagination include both play and creative endeavors. While play may appear to be merely a pleasurable activity, it serves an important role in human development. Creative endeavors, such as projects or everyday forms of problem-solving, give purpose and meaning to human existence. While libraries can be places for quiet contemplation and intense concentration, … Continue reading Cultivating Creativity →

Latest Library Links

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Courtney Mares writes: “Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Library for the first time as pope on his birthday, September 14, and announced plans for the construction of a new modern building in Vatican City to house the holdings of the library and the Vatican Apostolic Archive. The pope said it seemed providential to celebrate his 71st birthday at the Vatican Library because his mother was a librarian.”

OSV News, Sept. 14
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Liz Parker writes: “It’s officially Practical Magic season! If you grew up watching the 1998 film, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as descendants of a long line of powerful witches, you’ll know that the long-awaited sequel hit theaters on September 10, so what better time for a witchy reading list? Whether you’re a witch yourself or you simply love the special magic that autumn conjures up each year, this article is for you.”

Reactor, Sept. 9
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Asher Kessler writes: “In 2006, Facebook was facing something of a crisis. Its internal data suggested that for the first time since its launch two years earlier, the company had stopped growing. The solution cofounder Mark Zuckerberg and colleagues came up with, the News Feed, meant individual users’ homepages would be automatically updated with information tailored to them. Twenty years later, we can understand this development as one of the most significant socio-technical changes of the entire digital revolution. It ushered in an age where algorithmic systems structured how people interacted, consumed news, and conducted political activity.”

The Conversation, Sept. 7
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Amelia Schafer writes: “The Chicago National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of Bureau of Indian Affairs records spanning nearly two centuries, but the site is set to close by the end of September. There is no clear answer about where the documents are going or when they’ll next be accessible. There are maps, photos, court records, first-hand testimonies, Indigenous language materials, genealogies, and more stored in the archives, all of which is at risk, according to tribal historians. According to a leaked inter-agency email, San Francisco and Seattle’s National Archives are both slated to close as well.”

ICT, Sept. 6; Federal News Network, June 25
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Aster Zhao writes: “Across all three platforms, the strongest use case for these AI features is early-stage research: learning unfamiliar vocabulary, assessing whether a document is relevant, or locating a useful passage in a long text. Database embedded tools can lower the barrier for novice researchers because they operate in databases libraries already license. Their limitations are equally clear. None of these tools are well suited for expert, transparent, or reproducible searching. The tools generally support one document, chapter, or viewed result set at a time—not synthesis across a full literature. Output quality is another challenge.”

Katina, Sept. 11
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Amelia N. Aldred writes: “In July, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for Act 372, a law that promotes censorship in libraries and other places, to go into effect. This is part of an ongoing lawsuit, Fayetteville Public Library v. Murray, that challenged sections of Act 372. Here are the facts about Act 372, the Eighth Circuit Court decision, and how advocates can support libraries and library workers in Arkansas.”

Unite Against Book Bans, Sept. 10
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“Given the increasing threat US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) poses to immigrant and refugee communities across the United States, Toward Inclusive Excellence is returning to the topic of how best to support these communities on college and university campuses. Our September 2 webinar brought together three academic librarians to share the steps and protocols they have employed on their campuses, along with suggestions for how academic librarians can respond to this moment.” The Public Library Association hosted a similar webinar in February, but this webinar specifically focuses on the academic library community.

Choice: Toward Inclusive Excellence, Sept. 2, American Libraries feature, Summer

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