It’s maddening that so few people outside the library profession—even those we work with—see what is going on. But unfortunately, it’s not surprising. These days, news events reported across too many platforms compete for our limited time and attention. As local news outlets diminish, so does reporting on community events like school or public library … Continue reading Let’s Get Loud
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism By Safiya Umoja Noble Understanding algorithms is crucial for library workers grappling with emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence chatbots and their effect on information access. This is one of the first major books to examine algorithms and how they may perpetuate biased representation, remaining on point … Continue reading Seize the Data
Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool User: Andrea Stark, director at Monroe (Maine) Community Library What is the Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool (DBF CAT)? How does it work? Diverse BookFinder is a comprehensive database of children’s picture books featuring characters who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. It is continually updated and includes books published … Continue reading Building Diverse Collections
Like this earlier period of our history, the rise in social media and the 24-hour news cycle has made our ability to distribute information or messages (including false or misleading ones) grow faster than we can manage socially or politically. My hope for our current era is that we quickly come up with ways to … Continue reading Literacy in a Post-Truth World
I looked out at the crowd and—understanding both the weight of the moment and where the conversation was taking place—I commented on the connection between attempted book banning today and the McCarthy-era attempts at cultural disenfranchisement. The rationale behind these attempts is the same: silencing people who are errantly believed to be aberrations. I said … Continue reading Reading for Our Lives
For me, this was on full view during my international travels representing ALA last year. When other library workers and I attended the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ World Library and Information Congress (IFLA WLIC) in Dublin, Ireland, in July, we heard from Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland who now … Continue reading A Global Impact
Sustainable living involves making changes in your everyday life to ensure that you leave the planet a better place after you’re gone. These changes can include recycling and reducing waste, of course, but also repairing rather than replacing. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain shortages, interest in sustainability and self-reliance topics … Continue reading Fix It Yourself
Many academic libraries have pivoted away from subject-based or discipline-based liaison models, which have traditionally relied on designated staffers to build relationships with faculty and act as points of contact for specific services. They are now switching to team-based models that prioritize functions like teaching, learning, research support, outreach, and collection strategies. The idea is … Continue reading Sustainable Service Models
Usually, very few respondents say they have relationship-building skills. When participants are asked to reflect on what they want to get better at, most list skills related to connecting with community members. For example, respondents have said they want to get better at being outgoing, be okay with asking for help, eliminate social anxiety, and … Continue reading Community over Comfort
Inspired Thinking: Big Ideas to Enrich Yourself and Your Community By Dorothy Stoltz, with Morgan Miller, Lisa Picker, Joseph Thompson, and Carrie Willson For libraries to remain relevant, the concept of inspired thinking is not only valuable but essential. Beginning with a hat tip to big thinkers like Plato and Shakespeare, this reflective volume outlines … Continue reading Leadership at Any Level
Having visited, worked or consulted for, and spoken at hundreds of libraries, I don’t believe there is any educational or public service institution that more ably facilitates personal growth and community access than libraries. Case in point: After a tip from Chaundra Johnson, Utah’s dynamic state librarian, I visited the J. Willard Marriott Library ProtoSpace … Continue reading Civic Imagination Stations
When talking about the fight for justice, fairness, and equity, the fruits of our labor are often not seen within a lifetime. We must trust that our efforts will lay the path for those who follow, so that their resistance builds communities of love and strength that we may never be able to witness or … Continue reading ‘Resistance Is Its Own Reward’
