Archives

Why Recent Court Decisions Don’t Change the Rules on Filtering

By Theresa Chmara | July 24, 2012

Several libraries have been sued recently on the grounds that their internet filtering programs are unconstitutional, raising questions in the library community about whether the rules have changed about blocking software. The short answer is no. These fact-specific cases arise from the ruling in the 2003 decision in United States v. American Library Association, in … Continue reading Why Recent Court Decisions Don’t Change the Rules on Filtering →

Vendors Showcase Their Wares in Anaheim

By Marshall Breeding | July 16, 2012

Interested buyers found tech products that press beyond established boundaries as well as those that enable bread-and-butter library activities in the Anaheim Convention Center during the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. Products ranged from discovery services that aim to deliver access to the universe of library collections to new library management systems bringing together print, electronic, … Continue reading Vendors Showcase Their Wares in Anaheim →

New Research Finds Public Awareness Gap about Ebooks in Libraries

By Larra Clark | July 11, 2012

A new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project finds that 12% of readers of ebooks borrowed an ebook from their libraries in the past year, and a majority of respondents (62%) don’t know if their local library provides ebooks. Somewhat startlingly, even 58% of library card holders were unsure if … Continue reading New Research Finds Public Awareness Gap about Ebooks in Libraries →

Summer Reading Goes to School

The lazy days of summer are here—a time to relax, vacation, and sun by the pool. It’s also a time to catch up on all those good books you didn’t have time to read all year. For students, this season can be especially prime reading months. While public libraries have traditionally provided space for schoolchildren … Continue reading Summer Reading Goes to School →

Rethinking ALA

By Maureen Sullivan | July 5, 2012

A year ago, then–ALA President Molly Raphael called for “all of us to work together and build a better future for all library communities.” As president-elect I took these words to heart and made the commitment to continue the work of Molly’s presidency during my term. Our strategic plan, ALA 2015 (PDF file), is an … Continue reading Rethinking ALA →

Toronto Library Hosts a Comics Festival

By Robin Brenner | July 3, 2012

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) may not have the name recognition of multimedia geek extravaganzas like San Diego Comic-Con International, but to devoted attendees, TCAF has become the must-attend comics event of the year. Akin to small US conventions such as New York’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival and Bethesda, Maryland’s … Continue reading Toronto Library Hosts a Comics Festival →

Indies See Surge at BookExpo America

By Bill Ott | June 20, 2012

Long before the controversies that now bedevil the book publishing and bookselling industry—ebook polices and the many-tentacled presence of Amazon.com—appeared on the horizon, there was still concern about the lack of actual booksellers on the floor at the annual BookExpo America (BEA) trade show. The convention, many worried, had become a subsidiary-rights show, with interactions … Continue reading Indies See Surge at BookExpo America →

Latest Library Links

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Year-end “best of” lists are a common phenomenon, and many libraries have created lists of staff or patron picks of their favorite reads of the year. See staff picks from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Seattle Public Library, Kent (Mich.) District Library, Los Angeles Public Library, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Farmington (Conn.) Libraries, and King County (Wash.) Library System. Seattle Public Library and Kent (Mich.) District Library have also released lists of patron favorites

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Dec. 11; Seattle Public Library; Kent (Mich.) District Library, Nov. 20, Dec. 13; Los Angeles Public Library, Dec. 16; New York Public Library, Nov. 26; Chicago Public Library, Nov. 18; Farmington (Conn.) Libraries, Dec. 6; King County (Wash.) Library System; Seattle Times, Dec. 17
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The Library of Congress announced 25 additions to the National Film Registry December 17. The new selections date back nearly 130 years and include a diverse group of films, filmmakers, and Hollywood landmarks. The selections range from Annabelle Serpentine Dance, a silent film created to entice audiences at the dawn of cinema in 1895 to the 2010 film The Social Network. Films are selected for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance, and this year’s selections bring the number of films in the registry to 900.

Library of Congress, Dec. 17
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Douglas Soule writes: “To support some of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most prominent and controversial K–12 education laws, Florida has agreed to spend millions of dollars on a service it says is a tool for transparency. But free expression advocates warn it could be a vehicle for censorship. In a contract signed this September, the Florida Department of Education agreed to pay up to $15.6 million over four years to Maryland-based education technology company Trinity Education Group. The company has been tapped to develop a ‘statewide, centralized, easily accessible’ system for people to review and even object to instructional materials and library books in Florida school districts.”

Tallahassee Democrat, Dec. 12
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Olivia Olander and Jeremy Gorner write: “Starting this year, public libraries in Illinois had a choice: Adopt principles against book banning or give up state grants. [About 40] school districts, many of them in deeply conservative areas of south and central Illinois, appear to have taken the latter option. Administrators at some of those districts acknowledged being concerned about giving up any measure of control on what books are allowed on their schools’ library shelves. Some 700 school districts statewide have regularly applied for state library grant funding in the last two years.”

Chicago Tribune, Dec. 8
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Despina Gerasimidou and Maela Rakočević Uvodić write: “Displaced persons are scattered all over the world looking for the safest place for them and their families to settle and when they move to a new country are faced with legal, cultural, educational, and economic challenges, while in need of information, guidance, and support. The new IFLA Guidelines for Libraries Supporting Displaced Persons showcase how libraries can champion their core mission for universal and equitable access to information, ideas, and works of imagination, aiming at social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic well-being.”

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Dec. 16
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Rebecca Bryant writes: “In 2021, the University of Calgary Libraries in Alberta launched a multilingual reference chatbot by leveraging a commercial product that combines a large language model with retrieval-augmented generation technology. The chatbot is trained on the library’s own web content, including LibGuides and operating hours, and is accessed from the library’s website. Before launch, the implementation team estimated that the chatbot could answer 14%–24% of reference chat questions, but today the chatbot answers about 50% of all questions with a rating of at least 4/5.”

Hanging Together, Dec. 12
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Chase Ollis writes: “On December 16, ALA announced 10 recipients of the 2025 I Love My Librarian Award, nominated by library users for their expertise, dedication, and impact in their communities. Four academic librarians, three public librarians, and three school librarians were selected to receive the 2025 award. ALA received nearly 1,300 nominations from library users across the country. Nominations highlighted librarians’ outstanding service in expanding access to literacy and library services, outreach to their communities, and supporting the needs of the most vulnerable. Each honoree will receive a $5,000 cash prize and complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend ALA’s LibLearnX conference in Phoenix.”

AL: The Scoop, Dec. 17

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