are-you-a-librarian

July 28, 2025 200 × 139 The Stacks on Screen

Librarian speaking in a screencap from Are You a Librarian?

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Attendees expressed their views on a range of topics—and each in their unique way—at the ALA 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition, held June 26–30 in Philadelphia. Enjoy some of our favorite photos from the gathering, including reading challenged books in the Big Chair, fantastic fashions, collaborative zine-making, and creative button production.

American Libraries, July/Aug.
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“A June 2025 statewide poll reveals Michigan voters increasingly oppose book bans and strongly support their local public libraries. The new poll follows a similar statewide survey on library issues conducted in March 2023, both commissioned by the Michigan Library Association. Results confirm a growing statewide resistance to censorship efforts targeting library collections and a significant increase in strong support for public libraries since 2023. Key findings show that 79 percent approve of Michigan libraries’ work (up from 71 percent in 2023), and 75 percent trust librarians’ collection decisions.”

Michigan Library Association, July 18
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Violet Fox writes: “I don’t know the right metaphor to make you understand how this much debt physically feels. Many of those working in academic libraries are working towards paying off their student debt through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Over the past year, the repayment plan I’m on, SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan, was blocked by a US appeals court.” Moving to a different repayment plan would nearly triple the monthly payment, Fox writes and federal developments may threaten PSLF eligibility altogether.”

ACRLog, July 24
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Bill Zeeble writes: “Texas’s Senate Bill 13 says districts can create a school library council that would be responsible for recommending which books can enter a school library and which need to be removed. Signed into law after the recent regular session, it goes into effect September 1. If a district doesn’t opt to form a council, parents can petition trustees to create one. It would take 10 percent of a district’s enrolled students—or 50 parents total, whichever is fewer—to force creation of a council.” Districts in Coppell, Grand Prairie, and Nacogdoches are among those forming school library councils already.

KERA-FM (Dallas), July 28; KUT-FM (Austin, Texas), June 5; KLTV-TV (Tyler, Texas), July 28
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“The 37th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony was held July 25 during San Diego Comic-Con. Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards were given out in 32 categories for works published in 2024. Topping the winners is Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan), which took home the trophies for Best Graphic Album–New, Best Publication for Teens, and Best Writer for Yang.”

San Diego Comic-Con, July 25
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Jill Replogle writes: “Last year, the virtual book club at the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Public Library voted to discuss the The Guncle during its May 2025 meeting. A month before the book club meeting, library staff were told to remove the book from the club’s discussion calendar, according to several sources. It’s one of several indications, they say, of what’s sometimes called ‘soft’ or ‘quiet’ censorship. The incident is an indication that the book battles in this conservative beach town are far from over—despite a special election in June in which voters rebuked the City Council’s conservative agenda for the library.”

LAist, July 21, June 11
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Lucy Podmore writes: “High School Voter Registration Week will be celebrated nationally this year the week of September 23–27, a date close enough to fit with our Freedom to Read Week [an alternative approach to Banned Books Week from October 5–11] activities. Where I live, it is state law that public high schools offer two opportunities for students to register to vote, so this opportunity helps me fulfill this requirement. We have always hosted voter registration drives on my campus, but this year I am providing an opportunity for my students to lead these drives.”

Knowledge Quest, July 24

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