58s
Alika Medina writes: “The research lab Transluce says an OpenAI agent targeted the University of New Mexico’s digital library in multiple hacking attempts in May, but did not successfully breach the system. According to the report, the agents were trying to obtain a photograph from UNM’s Valmora Collection, which documents the history of health care in Mora County.” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez urged congressional leaders to regulate the artificial intelligence industry in the wake of the attempted hack.
KOB-TV (Albuquerque, N.M.), Sept. 24; Transluce, Sept. 23; Source NM, Sept. 25
5h
Reanna Esmail writes: “Library workers are well aware of the effects of book bans and censorship. Propaganda and disinformation are the flipside of the same coin. Understanding the complex relationships among these interrelated processes is more critical than ever, especially as libraries explore possible solutions and responses. The following books show how disinformation can lead to censorship and how censorship can, in turn, allow disinformation to thrive.”
American Libraries column, Fall
9h
ALA and the International Interior Design Association have announced the winners of the 2026 Library Interior Design Awards. Submissions are open to any library worldwide and are judged by industry professionals for extraordinary interior design and innovative concepts. Of the selected projects, one is named Best of Competition. The winners were recognized in June at ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.
American Libraries feature, Fall
3d
Tony Phillips writes: “For a single unit conversion, Google wins on convenience. But if I have a bunch of measurements to convert, I don’t want a scrap of paper covered in random numbers, or to keep copying values out of a spreadsheet and back again. Excel’s CONVERT function lets me keep the measurements, units, and results together, while reusing the same formula for as many conversions as I need.”
How-To Geek, Sept. 21
3d
The National Book Foundation (NBF) has announced longlists for its 2026 National Book Awards. The longlists include ten books in each of five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. These longlists will be narrowed to five-book shortlists October 6 before winners are announced at a ceremony November 18. Also at the ceremony, NBF will present its Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to Salman Rushdie and its Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community to Perri Klass, a pediatrician and National Medical Director of Reach Out and Read.
National Book Foundation, Sept. 8, Sept. 10, Sept. 15–17
4d
Rachel Bachman writes: “We talk about craft. So why do discussions of didacticism in children’s literature sometimes seem to suggest that the problem begins with the author’s desire to communicate something meaningful? Somewhere along the way, I think we may have confused two pieces of advice that sound remarkably similar but are not quite the same thing. On one hand, we have ‘don’t preach to children.’ And on the other, ‘don’t write children’s books with a message.’ The first is excellent advice. The second is a little strange.”
Excuse My Whimsey, Sept. 20
4d
Muhammad Sarwar writes: “There is a risk in allowing our response to publishing failures to become increasingly centered on what can be detected, screened, investigated, or automated. Every additional layer of oversight depends, ultimately, on people with the expertise and time to interpret problems, exercise judgement, and make responsible decisions. We continue to invest significant intellectual and financial resources in detecting when publishing fails, yet comparatively little attention is given to strengthening the institutions and communities that help prevent those failures from emerging in the first place.”
Katina, Sept. 16
