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July 13, 2015 600 × 442 The Washington Post on Libraries and Ebooks

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Angie Simoneaux writes: “Lillian Lynette Mejia and Melanie Brevis have agreed to settle their lawsuit against Lafayette (La.) Consolidated Government (LCG) and former Library Board President Robert Judge. Mejia and Brevis filed suit after Brevis was physically removed from a library board meeting while trying to make a comment” that criticized board members for their willingness to segregate LGBTQ+ materials. The settlement includes payments of $12,500 to Mejia and Brevis from LCG and a prohibition of reading or enforcing rules limiting protected speech at board meetings, among other terms.

KATC-TV (Lafayette, La.), July 18; Jan. 10, 2023; Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette, La.), Jul. 18; Jan. 10, 2023
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Rachel Grover writes: “Sometimes being a librarian feels like balancing an endless number of plates on sticks while I’m pedaling a unicycle. Most of the time, I feel like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done and there is so much to remember and keep track of. Once I started using Google Sheets, I felt like a gigantic weight came off my chest. Here are five easy ways I use Google Sheets to keep my sanity throughout the school year.”

Knowledge Quest, July 18
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Amber Willenborg and Robert Detmering write: “This national qualitative study investigates academic librarians’ instructional experiences, views, and challenges regarding the widespread problem of misinformation. Findings from phenomenological interviews reveal a tension between librarians’ professional, moral, and civic obligations to address misinformation and the actual material conditions of information literacy instruction, which influence and often constrain librarians’ pedagogical and institutional roles. The authors call for greater professional reflection on current information literacy models that focus on achieving ambitious educational goals, but which may be unsuitable for addressing the larger social and political crisis of misinformation.”

C&RL News, Vol. 86, No. 4, July
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James Folta writes: “Last week a Silicon Valley startup announced a new kind of e-reader that you can wear on your face. Maybe it’s because I don’t often want to read while lying fully flat on my back with my arms at my side, but I don’t see a ton of utility for these book goggles. How do these new glasses stack up against all the other technology we already have to access text? Here is my definitive [and comedic] ranking of ways to get text into your brain,” from books and smartphones to refrigerator magnets and wax tablets.

Literary Hub, July 15
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Tony Phillips writes: “Copying data from an image into a Google Sheets file manually can be time-consuming and increases the chance of typos. Luckily, you can extract the information into your spreadsheet in just a few simple steps using the Optical Character Recognition tool in Google Drive. Here’s how.”

How-to Geek, July 9
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On July 18, ALA unveiled a new multi-year strategic plan aimed at strengthening libraries, growing the library workforce, driving innovation, and expanding community impact. The new plan is the result of a data-driven process conducted over several months in partnership with a strategic planning consultant. It was shaped by the insights of a Strategic Planning Task Force—a diverse group of member volunteers representing different sectors, roles, and perspectives from across the association. Key priorities include developing the library workforce pipeline, driving innovation and technology adoption, expanding advocacy efforts, and growing community programs.

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Member Relations Office, July 18
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Brandon Jarvis writes: “The Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission presented a report to members of the General Assembly July 14 about books that are being removed from school libraries across Virginia. The report found that some school divisions are misinterpreting a 2022 law to justify removing titles. The law requires schools to notify parents if their children’s instructional materials include sexually explicit content. It does not require districts to remove books when a parent withholds consent; instead, schools are expected to provide alternative, non-explicit materials for those students.”

Virginia Scope, July 14; Virginia Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission, July 14

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