May 2014

Features & Trends

The Practical Librarian’s Guide to Collection Development

By Abby Preschel Kalan

After years of practicing adult collection development skills in a medium-sized suburban public library, I have discovered that specific “shortcut” rules have become second nature to me. I present here an annotated rundown of my shortcuts that can help anyone create and maintain viable and successful collections for customers older than 10. My guide begins … Continue reading The Practical Librarian’s Guide to Collection Development →

Newsmaker: Stan Lee

By Mariam Pera

You’re known for making movie cameos. What is your favorite one to date? Stan Lee: I did one in the new Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie. I think it’s a very funny one. We’re pretty partial to the librarian you play in The Amazing Spider-Man. Do you have a spidey sense? No, I wish I … Continue reading Newsmaker: Stan Lee →

Connecting Latinos with Libraries

By Ellyn Ruhlmann

Velez moved in with her brother, a US citizen, and at his suggestion enrolled in a free Spanish GED program offered at the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library (WPL). She earned her degree in just a few months. Now Velez and her son serve as volunteer library promotores, helping other Latinos to take advantage of free … Continue reading Connecting Latinos with Libraries →

A Novel Idea
By Apryl Flynn Gilliss
2014 ALA Annual Must-Dos
By Mariam Pera
Library Systems Report 2014
By Marshall Breeding
ALA Leadership Institute Participants Continue to Benefit
By Laurie D. Borman

Columnists

More than Words
By Meredith Farkas
Businesslike Management
By Karen Muller
A Moment of Science
By Rene Tanner
Media in the Classroom
By Julie A. Decesare
None of Your Beeswax
By Joseph Janes
Knowing What Readers Need
By Ernie Cox
Libraries Transforming Communities
By Keith Michael Fiels
Now Trending: Tech and People News
By Laurie D. Borman
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
By Barbara K. Stripling

Latest Library Links

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Ricardo Serrano Denis writes: “New York Public Library (NYPL) has put together a list of the best new comics of 2026 based on librarian input and feedback. It’s a special list as it offers a glimpse into the reading habits, intellectual leanings, and potential fandoms shared among New York’s book ambassadors. As such, it is an infectious selection of comics. Manga and young adult comics have always had a strong presence in NYPL’s best new comics lists, especially in recent years. This year, the selection is more varied, running the gamut of genres.”

The Beat, Oct. 1
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Eamon O’Connor writes: “Calling on public spaces to be the savior for our crisis of social connection can seem like a tall order. Can we really expect library- and park-goers to become fast friends just because they’re sharing the same space? Maybe with time—but the key is understanding that friendship is not the only goal. Indeed, many studies are showing the value in the weak ties, the casual encounters and loose acquaintances in our orbit that keep us connected to community.”

Reimagining the Civic Commons, Oct. 6
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Evie Cordell, Kate Lambaria, and Piper Martin write: “Springshare’s LibGuides platform is a widely used tool for sharing digital content, allowing librarians to curate resources about specific topics. However, at many libraries, the large number of guides and their inconsistent quality pose educational and practical challenges. Librarians at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library developed a systematic, multi-phase process to assess, update, and standardize LibGuides, balancing the importance of maintaining high-quality instructional content with the need for scalable, sustainable, and accessible LibGuides.”

Portal: Libraries and the Academy, vol. 26, no. 4, Oct.
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Chirag Shah writes: “Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has made production close to free. A report, a thread, a paper, a newsletter: one prompt and 30 seconds. So what changed? Everything on the supply side, and nothing at all on the demand side. Whatever generative AI has done to the supply of text, it’s done nothing to the thing that actually limits knowledge, which is a human being paying attention long enough to understand something. We automated the easy half of the loop and left the hard half exactly where it was.”

Information Matters, Sept. 30
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How many Bluesky posts has the Censorship Cases Bot made providing updates on legal cases related to book censorship? What percentage of 2025’s library censorship attempts were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, or decision makers rather than “concerned parents”? Find these statistics and more in a special edition of American Libraries’ By the Numbers.

American Libraries Online, Oct. 7
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“Book bans are pervasive and insidious threats to creative expression and intellectual freedom. Stories are an unparalleled tool for truth, and in the face of fear of misinformation, it is paramount that truth prevails.” Read quotes like this one from Tony Weaver Jr., Banned Books Week honorary cochair and author of the graphic novel Weirdo, on intellectual freedom and book-banning.

American Libraries Online, Oct. 7
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Phil Morehart writes: “This year’s Banned Books Week coincides with ALA’s official 150th anniversary on October 6. To mark the occasion, ALA has released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented from 1990 through 2025. The list spans contemporary titles such as Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and literary classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.” Also in recognition of ALA’s anniversary, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson officially proclaimed October 6, 2026, as American Library Association Day in Chicago.

I Love Libraries, Oct. 5; ALA150.org, Oct. 6

View more Latest Library Links