The Scoop

Reconciling Our Values

When intellectual freedom and social justice collide in libraries
By Sallyann Price | June 24, 2021
The Impossible Made Possible

David Copperfield discusses the power and history of magic at Annual
By Phil Morehart | June 24, 2021
The Power of Fairytales

Bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz on how stories can empower, inspire, and entertain
By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 24, 2021
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Why Content Matters

Reading Plus and Highlights partnership emphasizes windows and mirrors
By Amy Carlton | June 24, 2021
At the Center of America’s Story

Journalist and 1619 Project developer Nikole Hannah-Jones opens Annual
By Terra Dankowski | June 24, 2021

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The Man behind the Image

Actor Danny Trejo discusses his life, career, and outreach efforts at Annual
By Phil Morehart | June 23, 2021
Call Number Podcast: Getting Outdoors

Conversations celebrating the joys of being outside
June 22, 2021
11 Questions: Mary Davis Fournier

Meet the new executive director of the Public Library Association
June 16, 2021
Barack Obama to Close ALA’s Annual Conference
June 2, 2021
Clarivate to Acquire ProQuest

$5.3 billion deal expands academic library workflows
By Marshall Breeding | May 25, 2021
Call Number Podcast: Law Libraries

Conversations about the world of law librarianship
May 18, 2021
Recommended Reading: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Booklist’s guide to East Asian and East Asian American historical fiction
By Donna Seaman | May 17, 2021

Latest Library Links

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ALA invites all library users to nominate their favorite librarians for the I Love My Librarian Award. The national award recognizes librarians working in public, school, college, community college, or university libraries for their outstanding public service contributions. ALA member leaders will select 10 librarians from thousands of nominations, and each will receive $5,000 in recognition of their outstanding public service. The Association will honor award recipients at the I Love My Librarian Award ceremony on January 22, 2022 at LibLearnX in San Antonio, Texas. Winners also will receive complimentary LibLearnX registration as part of their award packages as well as a $750 travel stipend. Nominations are accepted online now through September 27.

ALA Communications and Marketing Office, June 23
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Christine Frascarelli writes: “Our July 2021 Uncorked Reading Challenge theme is books set on an island. I couldn’t think of a more perfect summer prompt. Of course, you could travel via a good book to gorgeous islands like Hawaii and Santorini. In one of my new favorites, Ariadne, get tipsy with Dionysus on Naxos. Or pick up a book set on an imaginary island, books based loosely on real destinations, or books set on larger island countries like Indonesia or Japan. In the process, let Jamaica Kincaid school you on conscious tourism. So, what are some of the best books set on islands to take you there?”

The Uncorked Librarian, June 13
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A pair of Christian parents in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, are suing the East Penn School District, claiming their children should be exempt from lessons concerning the Black Lives Matter movement. Macungie residents Maureen and Christopher Brophy say in their lawsuit that topics discussed in their children’s classrooms such as “systematic racism,” “white fragility,” “religion,” “white privilege,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “police brutality,” are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. They claim those topics are anti-Christian and discriminate against their religion. The lawsuit was filed June 14 in federal court.

Pittsburgh (Penn.) Post-Gazette, June 16
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AASL has released its annual list of Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning. The recognition honors electronic resources that provide enhanced learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their educator collaborators. These user-friendly tools are recognized for fostering the qualities of innovation/creativity, active participation, collaboration, exploration, and information/reference. The technology resources are also evaluated for their application of AASL’s “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.”

American Association of School Librarians, June 22
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Betsy Ladyzhets writes: “In the spring of 2020, the first versions of COVID-19 exposure notification systems were released to the public. These systems promised to slow the disease’s spread by providing automated warnings to people who came into contact with the virus. Now, over a year later, residents in more than 50 countries—including half of US states—can opt into these systems. But the big question remains: how well did this technology work?”

MIT Technology Review, June 16
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Zac Ginsburg writes: “Whether you’ll keep working from home or return to the office, the pandemic has shown us the importance of a safe, comfortable workspace. For many of us forced to do our jobs where we lived, that meant creating a makeshift station out of whatever space or supplies were available. After nine months of remote teaching, I had back and neck pain, chronic stomach aches, a high baseline of anxiety, and, worst of all, agony in my shoulder that woke me up at night.”

Wired, June 22
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In Episode 63, Call Number with American Libraries looks at outdoor-related activities with conversations about bugs (most notably the Brood X cicadas) with Ohio County (W.Va.) Public Library, this summer’s best beach reads with Booklist’s Senior Editor of Collection Management and Library Outreach Susan Maguire, and Delmont (Pa.) Public Library’s new outdoor learning center.

AL: The Scoop, June 22