robertseal

March 27, 2015 300 × 254 ARCL 2015 Conference Focused on Community

Robert A. Seal, Academic/Research Librarian of the Year

Latest Library Links

20m

Claire Woodcock writes: “As prices for streaming subscriptions continue to soar, people are turning to the unexpected last stronghold of physical media: the public library. Films and TV shows on streaming also become more vulnerable when companies merge. Some streaming platforms just outright remove their own intellectual property from their catalogs if the content is no longer deemed financially viable, well-performing, or is no longer a strategic priority. The data-driven recommendation systems streaming platforms use tend to favor newer, more easily categorized content, and are starting to warp our perceptions of what classic media exists and matters.”

404 Media, Dec. 3
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Annaliese Melvin writes: “As librarians, it is essential to highlight individuals with disabilities in our programs and our collections. However, it is also necessary to critically evaluate titles that are in your collection or that you are considering adding to the collection to ensure that they portray people with disabilities in an appropriate manner. Here is a list of ideas for evaluating books from several different sources and further resources for deeper research.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 6
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Steve Tetreault writes: “There are a growing number of reasons to be concerned about Google’s products and services. But many schools are Google schools, with Gmail and Google Drive accounts for everyone. So you, like I, might be stuck with Google for a while. A friend was recently trying to access some items in her state library organization account from her school Chromebook. She was having all kinds of difficulty, and I realized she didn’t know about Chrome Profiles. The Chrome browser, and most Chromebooks, allow you to log in to multiple Google accounts at once and toggle between them.”

Knowledge Quest, Dec. 8
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Jan Wolfe writes: “On December 8, the US Supreme Court opted not to hear an appeal by a group of residents of Llano County, Texas, of a judicial decision allowing local officials to remove 17 books that these officials deemed objectionable from public libraries. The justices let stand the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision allowing the removal of books, including ones dealing with themes of race and LGBT identity, from its public library system. The decision applies to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, but does not set a nationwide legal precedent.”

Reuters, Dec. 8; United Press International, May 24
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ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) announced in April its second cohort of classic titles—games that are more than 10 years old—to be included in the Classics Hall of Fame for its Platinum Play Award (the “Platy”). GameRT’s Awards Committee chose these titles based on their historical and ongoing excellence for library use, whether in collections or programs. Board games, card games, videogames, tabletop games, and games in other formats are eligible. 2025 inductees include Car Wars, Ticket to Ride, Zork, ESPN Fantasy Sports, Madden NFL, and Uno.

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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ALA celebrated the December 3 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announcement that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants, including those to libraries and library organizations across the country. The grant reinstatements come as a direct result of a November 21 federal court decision in a lawsuit brought against President Trump by 21 states. Citing the benefits of IMLS-funded research, ALA President Sam Helmick said, “Restoration of these grants is a massive win for libraries of all kinds in all states. We are breathing a sigh of relief, but the fight is not finished.”

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Dec. 3; Nov. 21
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Award-winning librarian, author, and new host of the children’s program Reading Rainbow Mychal Threets will serve as honorary chair of ALA’s 2026 National Library Week, a weeklong celebration of the important role libraries and library workers play in schools and communities across the US. The 68th annual event, to be held April 19-25, will have the theme “Find Your Joy,” an invitation for people of all backgrounds to explore and discover what sparks joy in them at the library. National Library Week posters and bookmarks and a new READ poster featuring Threets are available for purchase in the ALA Store.

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Dec. 4

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