Boise (Idaho) Mayor David H. Bieter at the opening of the Boise Airport library facility on September 10, 2014.

February 13, 2015 500 × 391 Digital Books Are Up in the Air

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On June 27, the Supreme Court upheld the Universal Service Fund, which funds the E-Rate program. ALA issued a statement regarding the ruling that reads, in part, “The ALA applauded the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision to uphold the Universal Service Fund (USF). The system of telecommunications subsidies administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) includes the E-Rate program, which provides libraries and schools billions of dollars each year for broadband access and connectivity. More than half of all public libraries apply for funding to subsidize the cost of internet connectivity through E-Rate each year.”

AL: The Scoop, June 27
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On June 27, ALA announced its new executive director, Daniel J. Montgomery. ALA’s announcement read, in part, “Montgomery has worked on behalf of public education and the rights of workers for more than two decades. He was elected to a three-year term as president of the 103,000-member Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) in October 2010 and has been unanimously reelected every three years since then. He will start at ALA on November 10. The steering committee chose Montgomery because of his commitment to public institutions, his comfort working across diverse and difficult political situations, his service to both cities and rural areas, and his experience managing a complex, member-driven organization.”
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Oliver Moody writes: “In the €100 million Oodi library, which looms over central Helsinki like a cruise ship from the future, robots called Tatu, Patu, and Veera trundle back and forth between the shelves and the reading rooms. Against this backdrop, foreign visitors might be surprised to see how many children and teenagers are engaged in an almost unsettlingly archaic activity: reading and borrowing books. In the age of TikTok, Netflix, and Candy Crush, it is not just Finland’s public libraries that are booming, but also demand for their physical paperbacks and hardbacks.”

The Times (London), June 20
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Amit Agarwal writes: “Angus owns a beautiful apartment near the university campus. With the new semester around the corner, he wants to create brochures to attract students as tenants. But here’s the challenge: the university has students from all over the world who speak different languages. Angus needs to create brochures that speak to everyone—from students from Japan to those from France, and everywhere in between. While he could create PDF brochures in multiple languages manually, that process would be both time-consuming and error-prone. This guide explains how you can automate it all.”

Digital Inspiration, June 18
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Emma Roth writes: “A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in an artificial intelligence (AI) copyright case, ruling that training its AI models on legally purchased books without authors’ permission is fair use. It’s a first-of-its-kind ruling in favor of the AI industry, but it’s importantly limited to physical books Anthropic purchased and digitized. Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California also said in his decision that the company must face a separate trial for pirating books from the internet, and did not address whether AI model outputs infringe copyrights, which is at issue in related cases.”

The Verge, June 24
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Kimberli Buckley writes: “The modern library is a unique ecosystem. It’s rich with stories, resources, and people of all ages. Today’s library staff might include members of at least five different generations—all working under one roof. With such a broad mix of perspectives, experiences, and communication styles, it’s no surprise that misunderstandings might happen, but with mindful communication it doesn’t have to. Mindful communication offers us a way to pause, listen, and connect more intentionally so that no matter your generation or role, you feel seen, heard, valued, and understood.”

Compassionate Librarian, June 22
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Ann Baillie writes: “Your library going through a building renovation can lead to many different, and often conflicting emotions. Building renovations are complicated, and depending on the size and scope of the work, you may need to close to the public for a while. You want to make sure you maintain a positive relationship with patrons while your physical building is closed. But how can you?”

ALSC Blog, June 18

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