Author Archive: Rachel Rosenberg

Ready for a Refresh

By Rachel Rosenberg | November 3, 2025

Advancing a Culture of Creativity in Libraries: Programming and Engagement By Megan Lotts As Lotts puts it, library workers must engage their communities and plan innovative spaces and services for the future “all the while assuming that the future will almost certainly come with a 10%–20% budget cut.” This volume helps employees develop and maintain … Continue reading Ready for a Refresh →

Championing Children and Teens

By Rachel Rosenberg | May 1, 2025

Using Literature to Support Children’s Mental Health Edited by Kim Becnel and Robin A. Moeller There has been a huge increase in young people reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety in the past two decades, and this collection of essays supports librarians who want to do something to help. It prescribes selection criteria, book recommendations, and … Continue reading Championing Children and Teens →

Improving Inclusivity

By Rachel Rosenberg | November 1, 2024

The Inclusive Organization: Real Solutions, Impactful Change, and Meaningful Diversity By Netta Jenkins Jenkins, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) executive, has worked with organizations of all sizes. Here she draws on her lived experiences and years of accumulated knowledge to suggest actionable ways that employees can improve their workplaces. The book shows readers how … Continue reading Improving Inclusivity →

Latest Library Links

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Sam Suber writes: “Libraries are swimming in data, but raw numbers rarely lead directly to good decisions. To move from a messy spreadsheet to a defensible strategy, you need a process to refine that raw material. In this post, we will walk through the entire data pipeline, which is the structured process of transforming raw data into decision-ready information. We will be using the example of a new video subscription where the vendor’s reporting server crashed in June, leaving a hole in your data. We are going to take that messy dataset and turn it into a solid prediction.”

Choice 360: LibTech Insights, Jan. 7
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The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration will stream on YouTube at 10 a.m. Central on January 15. The celebration commemorates King’s legacy and the connection between his work and libraries. This year’s theme is “Where Do We Go from Here?” and will feature a joint keynote from Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis, director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, and organizer and writer Noam Sandweiss-Back. Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian, will deliver the call to action.

ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, Jan. 13
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Jessica Brownley writes: “January can feel especially long. Short daylight hours, gray skies, and bitter cold make it harder to stay energized, even as our work continues at full speed. After the whirlwind of holiday programs, many librarians face a ‘winter slump,’ when both physical and emotional energy feel in short supply. But self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Small, intentional strategies can help you stay steady, healthy, and energized—even during the darkest months of the year.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 7
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Dan Montgomery writes: “By now, you’ve likely heard of ALA Forward, the initiative that has resulted from more than a year’s worth of conversations and focus groups among members, leaders, staff, and affiliated folks, and has set a course for reinvigorating ALA with a clearer strategic vision and a defined process to realize that vision. As I write this, still in my early weeks at the Association, I’ve been asked often about my own priorities for ALA. Well, my primary goal is this: to support us in achieving the vision outlined in the ALA Forward initiative. This includes ensuring ALA’s financial stability, fostering membership trust and growth, and bolstering advocacy.

American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
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Sallyann Price writes: “Every year, United for Libraries Virtual brings together trustees, foundation and Friends members, and those who work with them for a virtual conference to discuss the library advocacy landscape. It’s also a space to brainstorm practical solutions for rallying communities around key issues, such as intellectual freedom, equitable access, and sustainable business practices that contribute to a vibrant, sturdy future. Many sessions at the most recent event focused on cultivating the library advocate, from preparing trustees to lead and communicating impact to funders to shaping the public narrative about why the library matters.”

American Libraries feature, Jan./Feb.
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Caelin Ross writes: “Belonging is often described as a feeling—something we either experience or lack, as if it is found by chance rather than actively created. But belonging is built through care, attention, and the often-invisible work of those who make room for others. Moments of transition make that labor visible, inviting us to pause and give flowers thoughtfully while we can. This piece is a reflection on what it means to build belonging through librarianship, and on the communities and colleagues who make that work possible.”

ACRLog, Dec. 19
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Hana Lee Goldin writes: “Recently, a client sent me their ‘thoroughly researched’ white paper on workplace automation. It had 47 citations. Looked bulletproof. Every claim backed by a study, every statistic sourced to a journal. I was impressed for exactly three minutes. Of those 47 citations, 31 were what we call ‘hallucinations.’ Real academic citations are messy. Artificial intelligence (AI) citations are suspiciously convenient. They appear right when you need them, saying exactly what you need them to say. In library school, they taught us something called ‘citation chaining,’ but I’ve adapted it for the age of AI hallucinations.”

LLRX, Dec. 30

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