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December 12, 2016 970 × 647 Bringing Assistive Technology to Patrons

Ken Redd uses a screen magnification program on an adaptive computer workstation at the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. Photo: Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled

Latest Library Links

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Brian Stephens writes: “Lack of high-speed internet is a significant problem in almost 75% of communities served by the nation’s K–12 schools, according to Funds For Learning’s annual E-Rate Applicant Survey. A key change to the E-rate program’s rules aims to narrow the ‘homework gap’ by making Wi-Fi hotspots that schools and libraries loan to students and patrons eligible for E-Rate discounts. For funding year 2025, Wi-Fi hotspots are eligible for Category One discounts. However, schools and libraries must follow a slew of requirements in order to take advantage. Here’s a closer look.”

THE Journal, Sept. 24
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Danielle Costello writes: “Unsurprising to anyone who has ever known me, when I think about my favorite games, I have a very hard time deciding on a rank order. Favorites to me exist on a wide, joyful, and ever-increasing plane. Since I’m hoping to keep this list to a reasonable length, I’m sharing some of my favorite categories of games and some standout examples. Please enjoy!” The list includes examples of board games, role-playing games for groups and individuals, and video games in several genres.

ALA Games & Gaming Round Table, Sept. 30
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “Library workers are finding the joy in library work they have missed over the past few years. What is more joyous than finding that book you read as a child and sharing it with your kids? Or finding just the right story that pulls on your heartstrings or takes you on an adventure? Sometimes, it’s a song in storytime that brings on a smile or a chance to learn about a fantastic wine or how to fix a car.”

Public Libraries Online, Sept. 25
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Matthew Gault writes: “In a time of devastation and loss, some people in Asheville, North Carolina, are turning to the public library for comfort and communication [after Hurricane Helene]. Cell services have created a communications blackout in much of the state, but Asheville’s downtown library is offering something incredible: free Wi-Fi.” ALA’s is accepting donations to its Disaster Relief Fund; the Chapter Relations Office is collaborating with state chapters in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina to identify affected libraries and facilitate the distribution of money from that fund.”

Gizmodo, Oct. 1; ALA Chapter Relations Office
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Lucy Podmore writes: “While preparing for our yearly celebration of Banned Books Week, how many of us have been asked why we are celebrating banned books? Based on my experiences the past four years, I have come to the decision that it is time to reframe that celebration for my Texas high school campus. Central to this reimagined celebration has been the introduction of the Freedom Walk, an event designed to emphasize the fundamental rights of students to access a diverse range of information and literature in their school library.”

Knowledge Quest, Sept. 30
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Elyse Graham writes: “In July 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed William Donovan, to start up a new intelligence agency, as it was growing more evident that the US might not be able to keep itself free of the war in Europe. His great innovation was a branch called Research and Analysis, in which analysts trained among library stacks read everything they could, from novels to newspapers to trash, and turned what they read into intelligence insights. US intelligence quickly discovered that libraries didn’t have the most basic information that the country needed in this crisis.”

Time, Sept. 25
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“Rising awareness of the consequences of knowledge injustice, further technological advances, sharpening political polarization, and the pandemic are some of the factors that have impacted the information environment” since the original International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Trend Report was published in 2013. A new edition, published September 30, explores seven key trends in the information and knowledge landscape, from what we understand by knowledge itself, through technological, political, and environmental dimensions. The report also looks at what can happen when these trends meet and interact.

IFLA, Sept. 30

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