“[I felt] kind of irresponsible,” said Crenshaw, who is perhaps best known for her work in the critical race theory movement and coining the term intersectionality. “Shouldn’t we all be out there in the streets doing this work?” But Backtalker (Simon & Schuster), a book that represents “the sum total of what it means to … Continue reading Talking Back to Injustice
This type of unsettling interaction was the subject of “‘That Guy’: Addressing Patron Sexual Harassment in Reference Services,” a session of the American Library Association’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 29. “‘That guy’ is someone who is weird for sexual purposes but not necessarily sexually explicit,” explained Jennifer Goodland, technical services … Continue reading The Creepy Caller Problem
A panel of librarians and a game café owner shared suggestions for the emerging practice of players’ advisory at “For Every Player Their Game: Winning Strategies for Recommending Games,” a June 29 session of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. “Players’ advisory is simply connecting people with games they … Continue reading Players’ Advisory
Knowing that some librarians are thinking about ignoring AI completely, Hanegan had a thought: “What institution is going to help [my mom] and all of her friends navigate this?” “Disengagement from AI guarantees your vulnerability,” he said. “The people that you serve will be harmed without your trusted guidance.” Hanegan was one of four panelists … Continue reading Exercising Agency with AI
In conversation with American Library Association (ALA) President Sam Helmick during the ALA President’s Program at ALA’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 28, Biden spoke about her time in the White House and her new book, View from the East Wing (Gallery Books). “I know there was a lot of press … Continue reading Balancing It All
Embracing your individual creativity is central theme in her forthcoming children’s book, Cat and Lola: School Picture Day (Gloo Books, September), which she introduced as a featured speaker June 28 at the American Library Association’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. “This is the first day I’m seeing this, touching it, and smelling it, … Continue reading Creativity That Lights the Soul
At “Leading ALA Into the Next 150 Years,” a June 28 panel held at ALA’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, longtime Association members spoke about their pathways to governance, the importance of mentorship, and what changes they see for the profession decades down the road. Panel moderator Amy Lappin, deputy director of Lebanon … Continue reading Leading from Where You Are
Council adopted the rules (CD#5.1) and the agenda (CD#8.6). Committee on Legislation Chair Susan Hempstead brought forth a resolution affirming public libraries as essential economic and civic infrastructure (CD#20.1). The resolution passed 111-3 with an amendment to broaden the statement to include all libraries, not just public libraries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group co-chairs Ed … Continue reading Council II: Guidance Approved for AI in Libraries
“As a person who was an outsider, in order for me to learn how to behave in certain spaces, I read these old novels,” Lee told attendees at the American Library Association’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 27. “I think it’s the most romantic thing I could say, but my life … Continue reading Prices Paid for Lessons Learned
Moderator Amanda Gray Perry, web and digital user experience librarian at Hesbergh Libraries at University of Notre Dame (Ind.), grounded the panel’s discussions of AI in lived experience. “The more time I spend with technology, the more I am aware of the importance of including humanity in the process,” she said, also citing Notre Dame’s … Continue reading Coexisting with the Machine
“Tell me the truth, though—how many people saw my name in the program and thought, ‘I had no idea she was still alive’?” The 89-year-old author—twice a winner of the Newbery Medal, for The Giver and Number the Stars—took the stage to a standing ovation at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference and … Continue reading A Storied Career
At the “Pokémon Club @ Your Library: Engaging Young Learners Through Play and Community” session, held June 26 at ALA’s 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, TPCi representatives and librarians who offer the clubs in their libraries discussed the first nine months of the partnership—TPCi’s first of this kind—and what the clubs can offer … Continue reading Catch ’Em All
