The Scoop

Book Clubs, the Census, and the Five Es

A roundup of programs at ARSL 2019
By Jamie Santoro | September 9, 2019
Update on Ebook Advocacy

ALA and others to address publishers at Digital Book World
By Alan S. Inouye | September 9, 2019
Building Community Connections at ARSL 2019

The power of storytelling and engaging millennials
By Jamie Santoro | September 6, 2019
Dewey Decibel Podcast: Beyond Our Borders

Episode 41 spotlights international library projects and multicultural authors
August 30, 2019
IFLA: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Awards, honors, and on to Dublin
By Robin Kear | August 29, 2019
IFLA: Global Library Love

Sharing research and stories in Athens
By Raymond Pun | August 29, 2019
IFLA: Providing Access without Connection

Tackling the global digital divide
By Raymond Pun | August 28, 2019
IFLA: Libraries, Data, and the Global Financial Crisis

Making sense of government information in challenging times
By Raymond Pun | August 28, 2019
IFLA: Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining

Global trends in access, discovery, and research
By Raymond Pun | August 26, 2019
IFLA: Smart Cities and Blockchain Development

How can libraries contribute?
By Robin Kear | August 26, 2019
IFLA: Dialogue for Change

The 85th World Library and Information Congress opens in Athens
By Robin Kear | August 26, 2019
Creating Accessibility within LGBTQ Collections

Examining cataloging and identity at SAA 2019
By Brooke Morris-Chott | August 8, 2019

Latest Library Links

14h

“A June 2025 statewide poll reveals Michigan voters increasingly oppose book bans and strongly support their local public libraries. The new poll follows a similar statewide survey on library issues conducted in March 2023, both commissioned by the Michigan Library Association. Results confirm a growing statewide resistance to censorship efforts targeting library collections and a significant increase in strong support for public libraries since 2023. Key findings show that 79 percent approve of Michigan libraries’ work (up from 71 percent in 2023), and 75 percent trust librarians’ collection decisions.”

Michigan Library Association, July 18
17h

Violet Fox writes: “I don’t know the right metaphor to make you understand how this much debt physically feels. Many of those working in academic libraries are working towards paying off their student debt through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Over the past year, the repayment plan I’m on, SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan, was blocked by a US appeals court.” Moving to a different repayment plan would nearly triple the monthly payment, Fox writes and federal developments may threaten PSLF eligibility altogether.”

ACRLog, July 24
1d

Bill Zeeble writes: “Texas’s Senate Bill 13 says districts can create a school library council that would be responsible for recommending which books can enter a school library and which need to be removed. Signed into law after the recent regular session, it goes into effect September 1. If a district doesn’t opt to form a council, parents can petition trustees to create one. It would take 10 percent of a district’s enrolled students—or 50 parents total, whichever is fewer—to force creation of a council.” Districts in Coppell, Grand Prairie, and Nacogdoches are among those forming school library councils already.

KERA-FM (Dallas), July 28; KUT-FM (Austin, Texas), June 5; KLTV-TV (Tyler, Texas), July 28
2d

“The 37th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony was held July 25 during San Diego Comic-Con. Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards were given out in 32 categories for works published in 2024. Topping the winners is Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan), which took home the trophies for Best Graphic Album–New, Best Publication for Teens, and Best Writer for Yang.”

San Diego Comic-Con, July 25
2d

Jill Replogle writes: “Last year, the virtual book club at the Huntington Beach (Calif.) Public Library voted to discuss the The Guncle during its May 2025 meeting. A month before the book club meeting, library staff were told to remove the book from the club’s discussion calendar, according to several sources. It’s one of several indications, they say, of what’s sometimes called ‘soft’ or ‘quiet’ censorship. The incident is an indication that the book battles in this conservative beach town are far from over—despite a special election in June in which voters rebuked the City Council’s conservative agenda for the library.”

LAist, July 21, June 11
3d

Lucy Podmore writes: “High School Voter Registration Week will be celebrated nationally this year the week of September 23–27, a date close enough to fit with our Freedom to Read Week [an alternative approach to Banned Books Week from October 5–11] activities. Where I live, it is state law that public high schools offer two opportunities for students to register to vote, so this opportunity helps me fulfill this requirement. We have always hosted voter registration drives on my campus, but this year I am providing an opportunity for my students to lead these drives.”

Knowledge Quest, July 24
3d

Daniel Pfeiffer writes: “It has been a brutal summer for artificial intelligence (AI) news and commentary. Though I have deep reservations about the trajectory we’re on, I do at least feel good about the work that librarians are undertaking in this field, such as organizing communities of practice, incorporating AI into information literacy instruction, and finding thoughtful uses of it. Such applications underscore that librarians have an important role in shepherding this technology, and we need more AI-literate librarians to enter these conversations and decisionmaking processes.” Pfeiffer recommends new reports and research to help librarians gain that literacy.

Choice 360: LibTech Insights, July 28, July 14, July 7, June 9