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January 28, 2023 970 × 647 Finding Your Allies

Tonya Ryals, director of MacDonald Public Library in New Baltimore, Michigan, speaks at “Building Strong Trustee Relationships during Book Challenges,” a January 28 session at the American Library Association’s 2023 LibLearnX conference in New Orleans.

Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Latest Library Links

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Ashley Belanger writes: “After US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google has a monopoly in two markets—general search services and general text advertising—everybody is wondering how Google might be forced to change its search business. Specifically, the judge ruled that Google’s exclusive deals with browser and device developers secured Google’s monopoly. These so-called default agreements funneled the majority of online searches to Google search engine result pages, where results could be found among text ads that have long generated the bulk of Google’s revenue.”

Ars Technica, Aug. 7; Aug. 5
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Jennifer Chen writes: “When news broke that Sweet Valley High creator Francine Pascal had died, fans took to social media to express how much her super popular series had meant to us. I spoke with several contemporary young adult authors and reminisced about the books, memorable characters, and how our own novels were inspired by Pascal’s California paradise.”

Publishers Weekly, Aug. 8; July 28
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Olivia Nordyke writes: “Dozens of previously banned book titles from the Mat-Su Borough School District in Palmer, Alaska, are being returned to school library shelves. After removing 56 books from library circulation, the school district came under fire for not reviewing the books prior to their removal. [On August 6], Judge Gleason of the US District Court of Alaska ordered the school district to return all but seven of the 56 titles before the start of the school year. The books will remain available in libraries until a final decision is reached at a trial set for April 2025.”

KTUU-TV (Anchorage, Alaska), Aug. 7; ACLU of Alaska, Aug. 7
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“First Amendment audits are a social movement made up of individuals interested in making videos of their encounters with public officials. If the encounter results in an actual or perceived violation of the auditor’s First Amendment or other protected rights, the video will likely be posted on social media and/or serve as the basis for a claim or suit. A First Amendment auditor’s goal is to provoke a response. Auditors believe that the movement promotes transparency and open government. They are testing if their constitutional rights will be upheld. Many post their videos online to make money from video views.”

Public CEO, Aug. 6
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Ron French writes: “Voters in Alpena County [Michigan] on August 6 approved a tax to keep its public library open, despite a campaign to defund it [and county commissioners’ efforts to fire library board members] over children and teen books with sexual themes. An operating millage, necessary to keep the library open, passed with 59% of the vote. The same day, 54% of residents in Dickinson County in the Upper Peninsula approved a millage to continue funding their local library, despite a campaign to defeat it because of children’s books some deemed inappropriate.”

Bridge Michigan, Aug. 7; July 23
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “Richmond, Virginia, has one of the highest eviction rates in the country. Richmond Public Library partnered with the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) to help renters who face potential eviction. During July and August, librarians and VPLC staff are available at the Main Library one morning, one afternoon, and one evening a week to assist renters who need help getting online, navigating resources on the internet, or printing forms to take to court.”

Public Libraries Online, Aug. 8
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Megan Bennett writes: “Max Greenfield knows that anxieties can keep our mind racing at night. Even the most far-fetched ones. The actor, best known for his roles on sitcoms New Girl and The Neighborhood, is also a children’s author. In his new title, Good Night Thoughts (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September), he hopes to help readers put their fears to bed. At the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition, American Libraries spoke with Greenfield about his own anxieties and how his friendship with the late actor Leslie Jordan inspired his latest work.”

American Libraries Trend, Aug. 12

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