Author Archive: Maribeth Mellin

A table with a spread of different seafood dishes

A Taste of San Diego

By Maribeth Mellin | June 3, 2024

Seafood takes top billing at many spots, along with the region’s exceptional produce. Chefs put a SoCal twist on everything from sushi to Wagyu steaks, with inspired global flourishes everywhere. Mexican dishes and influences pop up in all sorts of menus, thanks to our proximity to the busiest land border crossing in the US. San … Continue reading A Taste of San Diego →

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Matthew Weirick Johnson writes: “In the past four decades, we’ve come a long way in recognizing the prevalence of burnout among librarians. However, library leaders need to activate this recognition to develop meaningful solutions. As we move past proving that librarians are burning out, we need to consider causes and responses, looking beyond individual actions and self-care. We need to examine the professional, organizational, and occupational causes of burnout, including those that are unique to librarianship, libraries, and library workers, and determine practical approaches for library workers and leaders to identify and ameliorate them.”

Association of College and Research Libraries Keeping Up With…, June
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Claire Savage writes: “Idaho librarian June Meissner was closing up for the day at the downtown Boise Public Library when a man approached her asking for help. As an information services librarian, answering patrons’ questions is part of Meissner’s day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job. But when the man got close enough, ‘he took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,’ said Meissner, a transgender woman. ‘I blocked it, and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.’”

Associated Press, June 22
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Philip Kennicott writes: “The Great Hall of the Folger Shakespeare Library [in Washington, DC] used to be a dark space, its tall windows covered to prevent damage to the rare books and documents on display there. Today, the light floods in, illuminating the Great Hall’s intricate wood paneling, the ornate plaster ceiling and the two curious seals—an eagle for the US and the coat of arms of Elizabeth I—above the doors. After a more than four-year renovation and expansion, the Folger is a building transformed, better able to serve its core mission of scholarship, but with greatly expanded public access.”

Washington Post, June 21
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Isabelle Marak writes: “A new K–12 book regulation policy took effect across South Carolina on Tuesday. This means that, for the first time, a state agency can rule on what instructional materials can be used inside a classroom.” Parents can file up to five challenges at a time and, if a district opts to keep materials, the parent can appeal to the state Board of Education. The board’s decision will then apply to all K–12 schools in the state.

WYFF-TV (Greenville, South Carolina), June 25; Popular Information, June 24
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Megan Bennett writes: “Kelley Woolley remembers visiting San Diego Zoo and its Safari Park as a kid. The big cats, giraffes, and koalas were often her first stops. She recalls watching elephants do tricks and riding the now-closed monorail, which offered great views of the tiger habitat. Today, she oversees the library and archive for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the nonprofit that runs the zoo and park. Her workplace is one of a handful of zoo libraries across the US that employs a full-time librarian.”

American Libraries column, June
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Jennie Rose Halperin writes: “In October 2023, Library Futures gathered a dozen library experts and practitioners to create principles for library ownership of digital books. These principles are meant to establish a foundation of trust between publishers and libraries so that publishers can sell digital books to libraries and libraries can build permanent digital collections. Library ownership is key to an equitable digital future. We continue to believe that authors should write books, publishers should publish them, and libraries should purchase, preserve, and share them. We believe these principles can guide libraries and publishers as we continue our work in the digital age.”

Library Futures, June 12
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Carmen Nesbitt writes: “Before school begins this fall, Utah officials will send a list of books to all public schools, ordering their ‘disposal.’ Under a new law that takes effect July 1, a book can be removed from all schools across the state if at least three school districts (or at least two school districts and five charter schools) determine it amounts to ‘objective sensitive material.’ Until now, a statewide ‘objective’ sensitive material standard has never existed, but June 7, the state school board solidified that process.”

Salt Lake Tribune, June 11

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