Author Archive: Briana Shemroske

Five Things Public Libraries Should Know about Open Access

1. OA helps combat social media misinformation and bias. Social media is the most popular news source for American millennials, with more than 43% of TikTok users reporting daily news consumption from that app alone. Thanks to social algorithms, information is easier to find than ever before, and it often comes with the bias and … Continue reading Five Things Public Libraries Should Know about Open Access →

Setting the Record Straight: Panic and Pandemics

By Briana Shemroske | February 14, 2020

On February 13, Booklist compiled a list of resources for librarians looking for information on the coronavirus and other epidemics and pandemics. The full list is reprinted below. Adult Books ★ Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come by Richard Preston Preston, who first … Continue reading Setting the Record Straight: Panic and Pandemics →

Latest Library Links

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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, including law enforcement. 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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Megan Bennett writes: “The weather report at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition, held June 27–July 2 in San Diego, was all smiles. Here are some of the week’s picture-perfect moments.”

American Libraries column, July/August
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Melina Moe and Victoria Nebolsin write: “What object might visually meld a couple into lovers, individuals into a family? In the early twentieth century, the subjects often chose books. Reading takes many postures. Performances of reading, perhaps even more. These portrait postcards present readers hunched over a book in a bar, reclined in a hospital bed, and seated stiffly on a front porch. There are groups sharing a newspaper in the breakroom and young people with disregarded books on a picnic blanket. Some portraits suggest engrossed readers, while others show sitters who hold their book limply, like an unwanted package.”

The Public Domain Review, July 31
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David Nield writes: “We’ve been living with social media for a long time now—Facebook opened up to the public in 2006—and that means a lengthy trail of posts stretching back through the years. While this does let you take a nostalgic trip into the past with just a few clicks, it can also bring up some embarrassing and awkward memories. Whatever the reason, you can find and delete ancient social media posts without too much difficulty using the web or mobile apps.”

The Verge, Aug. 4

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