6h
Registration for ALA’s 2025 LibLearnX Conference, to be held January 24–27 in Phoenix, is now open. Early-bird rates are available through December 6. Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier and cartoonist and comics theorist Scott McLeod, co-creators of the forthcoming book The Cartoonists Club, will present the opening session. Technology reporter and novelist Vauhini Vara will discuss the power and danger of corporate-owned technologies, including artificial intelligence, at the Close Out session. Award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and writer Kyle Edwards will be the featured speaker at the ALA President’s Program. See more featured speakers and information at the LibLearnX website.
ALA Conference Services, Oct. 16
11h
Carrie M. Santo-Thomas writes: “Early this summer I was interviewed by Rose Horowitch, an editor for The Atlantic, for an article that would explore the problem of reading stamina [among college students]. But while professors at elite universities sound the alarm over Gen Z undergrads not finishing Les Misérables because they are uninterested in reading a pompous French man drone on for chapters about the Paris sewer system, my colleagues and I have developed professional toolboxes with endless other ways to inspire our students to read about justice, compassion, and redemption.”
Teaching & Learning, Oct. 4, The Atlantic, Oct. 1
1d
Ileana Garnand writes: “A Houston-area public library reclassified a nonfiction children’s book about Native American history as fiction, after the title was reviewed by citizens, not librarians. In September, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs was challenged in Montgomery County libraries by an unknown person, according to public records. Per county policy, the book was reviewed by a group of five citizens who weren’t required to consult a librarian. Coombs is a Wampanoag Tribe historian who has worked in the field for 50 years, and the book is classified as nonfiction by the Library of Congress.”
Lonestar Live, Oct. 14, Mar. 26; Texas Freedom to Read Project, Oct. 11
1d
Shannon Maughan writes: “On Saturday, October 19, libraries, bookstores, and other partners and advocates across the country will be holding community events and rallies against book banning as part of the inaugural Freedom to Read Day of Action. The effort has been spearheaded and organized by ALA, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and ALA’s Unite Against Book Bans initiative. The Unite Against Book Bans website provides additional information and resources for readers and event hosts.”
Publishers Weekly, Oct. 15
2d
Kelly Jensen writes: “Thanks to a new proviso in the South Carolina state budget, at least one public library system in the state has made the decision to acquire no new books for those under the age of 18. In a statement released across York County Public Library’s social media October 11, the library board chair announced the moratorium on new purchases until the State better clarifies what is and is not permitted in public libraries.”
Book Riot, Oct. 14; York County (S.C.) Public Library, Oct. 11
2d
Hailley Fargo writes: After chairing a double search committee this spring, “I’m happy to report our two searches were successful and our new folks started this summer. Now that our new departmental colleagues are settled, I thought I would write a bit about how we approached onboarding and things I’ve learned in that process. In January, as we developed our departmental goals for the year, we decided to have an onboarding-specific goal. This meant everyone had a vested interest in creating this experience.”
ACRLog, Oct. 10
2d
Ted Lewis writes: “This semester will likely be extra difficult for LGBTQ+ youth and particularly transgender youth, as their very identities are up for debate in the presidential election. Libraries and librarians can make the difference in the lives of their transgender students by being the safe place and affirming adults that these youth desperately need. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Project THRIVE [of which the American Association of School Librarians is a partner] has created the 2024 Back-to-School Checklist that features best practices and policies to support LGBTQ+ and particularly transgender students.”
Knowledge Quest, Oct. 10
