20h
Alex Young writes: “Dua Lipa, who in 2023 launched her Service95 Book Club, has now partnered with the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal, to open a physical library. Opening June 27, the 100-book Manifesto Library is dedicated to books ‘that challenge power, censorship, exclusion, and dominant narratives.’ Lipa explained in a statement that ‘This library is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control, and to readers who refuse to be told what book they are allowed to read.’”
Consequence, June 26
24h
Angela Hursh writes: “For years, conventional wisdom in library marketing has been clear: You need to be on Facebook because that’s where your community is. But what if that’s no longer true? The staff at Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, Massachusetts, asked themselves that question. They stopped using Facebook altogether. Several months later, Library Director Catherine McDonald says the results have been surprisingly uneventful. Program attendance remained steady, website usage remained strong, the library’s newsletters and blog continued to perform well, and community engagement did not decline.”
Super Library Marketing, June 29
1d
A man was arrested June 22 after allegedly firing eight rounds at the Chico Branch of Butte County (Calif.) Library. The attack killed two people and injured a third. Police said the suspect did not know the victims and that his “Motivation appears to be founded in a desire to commit a Columbine High School massacre type of shooting.” When the shooting began, library staff were able to move most of the patrons in the library to a locked back room. The California Library Association issued a statement in solidarity with the library and its community, which ALA echoed.
KCRA-TV (Sacramento, Calif.), June 24, June 26; California Library Association, June 24; ALA Communications and Media Relations Office, June 25
2d
Ben Rawlins writes: “Bryn Geffert’s recent Inside Higher Ed essay argues that the MLS degree is an obstacle to hiring, a barrier to diversity, and an increasingly optional credential in academic libraries. His survey data from R1 and R2 institutions, and the hiring challenges he documents, are real. His diagnosis, however, misses the mark. My concern is not with the idea that library education needs to improve, but with the slide from that legitimate observation to the conclusion that the credential itself is the problem.”
ACRLog, June 25; Inside Higher Ed, June 16
2d
The Public Library Association released its 2025 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Survey report on June 23. First conducted in 2022, the survey examines how libraries respond to diverse needs through programs, services, partnerships, and facilities. The 2025 results highlight how libraries have adapted to changing needs while continuing to build on core community services. The survey found that public libraries are increasingly offering food security support services, health and wellness programs, and spaces for cooling or warming centers during extreme temperatures. A free July 23 webinar will discuss the results.
Public Library Association, June 23
2d
ALA’s governing Council considered a wide range of business at its three meetings during Annual, including hearing the Association’s Structural Deficit Closure Plan as part of ALA Treasurer Larry Neal’s financial report. Other notable business included approval of guidance for the use of artificial intelligence in libraries, adoption of the Librarians’ and Library Workers’ Bill of Rights, a moratorium on new committees, and a resolution honoring ALA staff in honor of the Association’s 150th anniversary. See our reports on Council I, Council II, and Council III, and review all Council documents.
AL: The Scoop, June 27–29
3d
ALA leaders discussed the current state of intellectual freedom, where it’s headed, and how to connect it to our other freedoms and to democracy in the Closing General Session of ALA’s Annual Conference. The session provided a capstone to a full slate of educational sessions, covering topics such as artificial intelligence, age discrimination, career preparation for teens, strategies for recommending games, addressing harassing reference callers, and Pokémon clubs. See our full coverage of Annual sessions.
AL: The Scoop, June 26–29
