Skip to main content
American Libraries Magazine Menu
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Features
    • Trends
    • Columns
    • Newsmakers
    • Spotlights
    • By the Numbers
    • Bookend
    • People
    • Library Systems Report
    • Design Showcase
  • Trending
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Intellectual Freedom
    • Sustainability
    • Advocacy
    • Inside ALA
    • Jobs
    • Library Systems Report
  • AL Direct
  • The Scoop blog
  • JobLIST
  • AL Live webinars
  • #ALA150
  • #ALAAC26
  • 2y

    Fort Bend Independent School District logoKen Fountain writes: “After months of rancorous discussions, a split Fort Bend (Tex.) Independent School District board of trustees on August 26 approved revisions to the district’s policy on removal of books from school libraries that put the ultimate decision-making authority in the hands of the district’s superintendent. It removes a permanent reconsideration committee made up of district staff from the process of evaluating challenges to books. The 5–2 vote came after at least 16 members of the public, including teachers and librarians, parents, and former and current students, spoke against the changes. No members of the public spoke in favor.”

  • Latest Library Links

    • 54m

      Trio of men sitting, in a photo that required human intervention to generate metadata forJeehyun Davis, Alayne Mundt, and Leslie Nellis write: “This article presents a case study of a pilot project conducted at American University Library to evaluate JSTOR Seeklight, an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted tool designed to generate descriptive metadata and transcription for digitized archival materials. Our experience suggests that AI tools can function as meaningful workflow enhancements that support, rather than replace, professional expertise. Seeklight generated useful baseline titles and descriptions, but authority control, contextual interpretation, and metadata standardization continued to require professional intervention.”

      Library Resources & Technical Services, vol. 70, no. 3, July

    • 1d

      Family Engagement for Spanish-Speaking Community MembersThe Public Library Association has released “Family Engagement for Spanish-Speaking Community Members” a new workbook that provides case studies and planning tools to help library workers better engage Spanish-speaking families. The guide is available for free download in English and Spanish and includes templates, worksheets, best practices, and other easy-to-implement resources for moving programming from involvement to true engagement, exploring a multitude of Spanish-speaking identities, utilizing resources on community mapping and partnership development, and engaging families in community conversations.

      Public Library Association, July 16

    • 2d

      One person comforting anotherAlejandro Marquez writes: “The immediate aftermath of a hospital visit is a whirlwind of logistics—coordinating care, offering support, trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy. And then, I have to go to work. The shift in focus is jarring. Suddenly, I’m expected to compartmentalize, switch gears, leave behind the anxieties swirling in my mind, and focus on instruction, deadlines, and research consultations. I am arguing for a fundamental shift in how we acknowledge and address the impact of life’s challenges on our work lives.”

      Choice Toward Inclusive Excellence, July 14

    • 2d

      Librarian's Library by Rachel RosenbergRachel Rosenberg writes: “Regardless of what kind of library you work in, you’ll likely have to provide readers’ advisory, a task that can be as daunting as it is fun. It can feel like a gamble to suggest books you haven’t read yourself or in an unfamiliar genre, especially when there’s so much out there. Here are a few books that will help level up your skills.”

      American Libraries column, Summer

    • 2d

      Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in LibrariesALA’s Council has adopted “Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Libraries,” a new resource designed to help libraries develop and revise policies for the ethical, human-centered use of artificial intelligence. Developed by ALA’s AI Policy Working Group, the guidance reflects the perspectives and expertise of members from across the association. The working group considered the practical, philosophical, ethical and operational implications of AI for libraries and library workers. The adopted guidance affirms ALA’s role in supporting libraries of all types as they navigate emerging technologies while maintaining a humanistic approach to library service.

      ALA Communications and Media Relations Office, July 16

    • 5d

      Spiderweb in a bent blade of grassCharlie Osborne writes: “Quishing, or QR code-based phishing, embeds malicious links in QR codes to bypass traditional phishing filters and slip through security nets. What makes this tactic more dangerous than traditional phishing, especially for businesses, is that victims use their handsets to scan a QR code, bypassing network-based security and safety nets, such as phishing detection. QR codes, especially those you aren’t expecting, should be treated with the same suspicion as emailed links or attachments.”

      ZDNet, July 13

    • 5d

      Cover of Song in the CityWintre Foxworth Johnson et al. write: “Targeting books by or about Black people has a long history in the US. When these books are taken out of circulation, they become less available to children of all backgrounds. We describe Black livingness as Black children’s fiction by Black authors that depicts Black children and families as whole, joyful, thriving, and engaged in everyday acts of living. Children’s literature can humanize Black people in a way that news coverage, television, films, and school textbooks and curriculum often do not, helping to combat racial bias and stereotypes.”

      The Conversation, July 14; English Teaching: Practice and Critique, vol. 20, no. 4, Nov. 2021

    View more Latest Library Links

    AL Live

    al-live-logo@2x

    AL Live screenshot with laptop










    American Libraries Magazine

    A publication of the American Library Association

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • BlueSky
    • RSS
    • Advertising
    • About
    • Comment Policy
    • Contact
    • Subscriptions
    • Submissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright/Terms of Use Statement
    • Site Help
    American Library Association
    • ALA Home
    • JobLIST
    • ALA News
    • ALA Store
    • Strategic Directions

    225 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601

    1.800.545.2433

    © 2009–2026 American Library Association