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Darrell Ehrlick writes: “The Billings Public School Board, the largest in the state of Montana, decided unanimously on January 24 to keep two controversial titles found in high school libraries: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. The move came as somewhat of a surprise as a subcommittee of the board had recommended keeping Evison’s book but removing Gender Queer. However, after nearly two hours of discussion, public comment, and a review of the books, a trustee changed her recommendation, setting off a series of votes that would ultimately lead to keeping both titles. ‘The greater harm would have been in banning books,’ said Board Member Mike Leo. During the meeting, more than 40 people submitted comments or spoke in person. A tally of speakers showed that those who supported keeping both books outnumbered those who voiced objections by a roughly 2-to-1 ratio.”
Daily Montanan, Jan. 24
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World-renowned chef Martin Yan, of the pioneering TV show Yan Can Cook, and his wife, Susan, have donated a collection that includes nearly 3,000 cookbooks to UC Davis Archives and Special Collections. The Yans have also gifted photographs, videos, slides, awards, and Martin’s first wok to the library. Both are graduates of the school and chose the institution for its reputation in the food sciences and having what many scholars consider the world’s preeminent wine library. MacKenzie Smith, university librarian and vice provost of digital scholarship, noted that Yan’s donation “provides valuable insight into an important era of Asian cultural and culinary history” and his story is an important part of the history of the Northern California food movement and cultural diversity in America.
UC Davis, Jan. 24; American Libraries feature, Mar./Apr. 2017
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Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick closed the American Library Association’s inaugural LibLearnX (LLX) conference January 24. “I want you to know the value of your work cannot be understated,” he told library workers. “In fact, our lives and liberation depend on it.” During LLX, big-name speakers inspired attendees with their stories: author Angeline Boulley talked about her four-decades-long journey to publishing her award-winning debut YA novel; US Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) discussed her love of reading; actor and comedian Molly Shannon opened up about her tumultuous childhood; Mariko Tamaki talked about the queer teen experience; and author Jacqueline Woodson reflected on our collective grief.
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22–25
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After he finished writing and illustrating his first book, The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis—which features an exploding tree, a time portal, Santa, and a giant turkey—8-year-old Dillon Helbig put homemade stickers on the spine and added it to the shelves of Ada (Idaho) Community Library’s Lake Hazel branch. ‘I’ve been wanting to put a book in the library since I was 5,’ he told local station KTVB-TV. His mom didn’t know about Dillon’s plan and called the library. “His parents were worried we would find his book and we would get rid of it,” said Alex Hartman, Lake Hazel branch manager. “Dillon’s book definitely fit all the criteria that we would look for to include a book in our collection.” The book has been added to the library’s holdings and now has a wait list.
KTVB-TV (Boise, Idaho), Jan. 19
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Did you miss key actions taken by ALA Council before and after LibLearnX? American Libraries has recaps from the Council I, Council II, and Council III meetings that took place last week and this week.
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 20–21, Jan. 25
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Presenters at the American Library Association’s inaugural LibLearnX conference (January 21–24) covered a wide range of topics, including the trauma of library work and how to support staffers’ mental health; how libraries can support independent authors in their communities; the three reasons why equity, diversity, and inclusion programs fail; how to advance social equity in library communications; and how one project is using radio to bring STEM programming to rural areas. To read American Libraries’ complete coverage of LibLearnX, visit bit.ly/AL-LLX-Scoop.
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22–24
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Terra Dankowski writes: “‘Thank you for being our community anchors. Thank you for being our defenders in the struggle against censorship,’ Kaepernick told attendees at the start of ‘Voices of Change,’ the closing session of the American Library Association’s inaugural LibLearnX virtual conference on January 24. But he also urged library workers to focus on structural changes and fight the white supremacy and anti-Blackness that have been built into library systems and practices. ‘I challenge us to rethink what type of documentation should be required to apply for a library card. I challenge us to rethink the purpose of overdue fine policies. And I challenge us to get cops out of libraries.'”
AL: The Scoop, Jan. 25
