14h
Online attacks have affected several libraries recently. A ransomware attack caused a network outage at Queens (N.Y.) Public Library November 4. The attack affected the library website and mobile app, digital media, book renewals, Wi-Fi, return machines, and on-site computers, although some services have been restored. Several university libraries have reported websites slowing or crashing due to overwhelming data-scraping bot traffic. Free Library of Philadelphia took its catalog offline from October 23 to November 10 for an update to address “reports of widespread vulnerabilities in PHP, a language used by the online catalog,” although no security breaches were found.
WABC-TV (New York), Nov. 8; CBC News, Nov. 5; Free Library of Philadelphia, Nov. 10
17h
Dianne Connery writes: “A library serving a few hundred people and one serving tens of thousands have a lot in common in their questions about artificial intelligence (AI). Who gets represented in AI? Who gets left out? Who gets a say? There is no customer service number you can call to fix what ChatGPT says about your town. At Pottsboro (Texas) Area Library, our pilot program asks three simple questions. What does AI know about our rural community? What do our neighbors want it to know, and not know? And how do we make that happen?”
Public Libraries Online, Nov. 4
2d
While the election’s blue wave dominated headlines, state and local measures also provided many nuggets of good news for libraries. In Ohio, voters approved all 11 levy renewals on the ballot, but only two of five new levies or renewals with increased rates. New Mexico voters passed a statewide library bond, as well as local measures in Las Cruces, Bernalillo County, and Sandoval County. Texas voters largely rejected book banners on school boards and flipped the state Board of Education. Bridgeton, New Jersey, voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure to dissolve its public library. In Palm Beach County, Florida, voters passed a $175 million bond for library construction and renovation.
Ohio Library Council, Nov. 4; Las Cruces (N.Mex.) Sun-News, Nov. 3; Anger & Clarity, Nov. 9; NJ.com, Nov. 4; WPEC-TV (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Nov. 3 ;
2d
Election results did not all run in libraries’ favor. Florida’s Amendment 3, which will reduce the value of homes subjected to property taxes that fund local services, passed. Advocates anticipate severe impacts on public libraries. In Ohio, Stark Library in Canton expects cuts to services and hours after a 2-mill renewal and 0.3-mill increase was narrowly rejected. Voters also rejected a library funding referendum in Bourbonnais, Illinois; the library board warned of service reductions as a result.
CBS News, Nov. 4; Keep Libraries Funded Florida, Nov. 4; Stark Library, Nov. 4; Canton (Ohio) Repository, Nov. 4; WVLI-FM (Bourbonnais, Ill.), Nov. 4, Nov. 6
2d
Joe Hernandez writes: “It is something of a truism in the library world that, when economic conditions worsen, people use libraries more. Patrons and librarians across the US tell NPR they’re seeing that pan out now. Data shared with NPR by several of the largest public library systems in the U.S. show recent upticks in cardholder membership, circulation and event attendance. Librarians say part of that can be attributed to the rising cost of living—and the growing recognition that libraries’ resources extend far beyond physical books.”
NPR, Nov. 5
2d
Brianna Wright and Bennie Allen Stoll write: “You may have heard the saying, ‘If you put it on the internet, it will live forever.’ But will it? According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, nearly 40 percent of websites that existed in 2013 have vanished from the web. This doesn’t just apply to recipe blogs and social media from bygone eras, but also to digital scholarship projects, which often represent the cumulative efforts of dozens of researchers and thousands of dollars of state and federal funding. What can one do in the face of such a crisis?”
choice360
3d
Annaliese Melvin writes: “In September, ALA partnered with Aunt Flow to host a webinar that focused on period-product access in libraries. My colleague and I were inspired to bring more resources and information about menstruation to patrons at our branch. We had several conversations surrounding the stigma around menstruation that young people face, and we discussed how it can be uncomfortable for anyone, but especially tweens and teens, to ask for the products that they might need.”
ALSC Blog, Nov. 8
