Blog | American Libraries Magazine

Referenda Roundup 2022: Final Report

How states performed on library ballot measures
By Bill Furbee | November 22, 2022
Referenda Roundup 2022: Initial Report

How states performed on library ballot measures
By Bill Furbee | November 9, 2022
When It Happens to You

Library workers and school administrators talk about getting caught in the crossfire of book challenges
By Claire Zulkey | November 1, 2022
Facing the Challenge

PLA webinar offers tips for protecting intellectual freedom in libraries
November 1, 2022
A Helping Hand

Librarians rally to support Ukraine
By Diana Panuncial and Sanhita SinhaRoy | November 1, 2022
Learning to Read Representation

Critical media literacy needs to be taught, not left to chance
By Jimmeka Anderson | November 1, 2022
Baa-maste!

Patrons herd together for goat yoga
By Bill Furbee | November 1, 2022
60 Seconds of Library Fame

Librarians use TikTok for programming and engagement—and go viral
By Taylor Hartz | November 1, 2022
Close-Knit Community

Program series showcases wool production and local heritage
By Dacy Shute | November 1, 2022
Newsmaker: Nina Totenberg

Heralded journalist on her friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the state of SCOTUS
By Lara Ewen | November 1, 2022
By the Numbers: Veterans

Stats related to programs and collections for and about veterans
By Terra Dankowski | November 1, 2022
Bookend: Friday Night Librarian
By Diana Panuncial | November 1, 2022

Latest Library Links

5d

Khamosh Pathak writes: “Canva started out as a humble, online-accessible graphics tool. But slowly, it has morphed into so much more. It’s closer now to a digital publishing suite, constantly evolving based on the needs of its users. Every couple of weeks, there are both new features and new use cases added. You can even use Canva to create websites for free. Canva is filled with many small, interesting features that all have a huge impact on usability, but aren’t found in the most obvious of places. Here are eight such hidden features you need to know about.”

Lifehacker, November 15
5d

Chris Stokel-Walker writes: “Almost from the time the first tweet was posted in 2006, Twitter has played an important role in world events. The platform has been used to record everything from the Arab Spring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It’s also captured our public conversations for years. But experts are worried that if Elon Musk tanks the company, these rich seams of media and conversation could be lost forever. Given his admission to employees in a November 10 call that Twitter could face bankruptcy, it’s a real and present risk.”

MIT Technology Review, November 11
6d

Bill Furbee writes: “Every year, voters from small towns and big cities alike decide on ballot measures that affect libraries. This year was no different—and as in past years, American Libraries and the Public Library Association have partnered to look at some of the wins and losses across the country. One alarming trend: Organized groups of politically driven voters who oppose libraries carrying materials written by, about, and for LBGTQ people are banding together to reject levies that fund libraries—and fighting to get referenda on the ballot that defunds libraries altogether.”

American Libraries feature, January/February 2023
6d

Tracy Shapley Towley writes: “I spent the first 40 years of my life as a wannabe crafter. Crafting looked cool, craft books looked cool, but for some reason I did not think it was for me. Then I turned 40 and this switch magically flipped in my brain. It started with lots of in-person classes. And then the pandemic hit. In-person classes were canceled right when I had an enormity of time on my hands. And that’s when I discovered the joy of craft books.”

Book Riot, November 25
6d

The Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table of ALA and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation are pleased to accept applications for the 2023 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries. Two $3,000 grants will provide support to libraries to expand their graphic novel collection, services, and programs, and a third will support initiation of a new graphic novel service or program. Grants also include a $1,000 travel stipend for a library representative to attend the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.
6d

The American Library Association has selected 46 members of its 2023 class of Emerging Leaders. The Emerging Leaders program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. Emerging Leaders will participate in a virtual daylong session during LibLearnX, six months of online learning and networking, and a poster session highlighting the results of their project planning work during the ALA 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago.

ALA, November 18
6d

Diana Panuncial writes: “When Jessica Fitzpatrick, librarian at Mayde Creek High School in Houston, first walked onto the school’s football field, she could sense the student-athletes’ confusion. “They were very hesitant,” she recalls. “The librarian doesn’t come to football practice.” Fitzpatrick had noticed that one student group seldom visited the library: athletes. She reached out to football coach J. Jensen and collaborated with him to create a book study program for his players, designed to help boost literacy, ignite a love of reading, and provide a space to decompress.”

American Libraries column, November/December