Archives

Alexander, Otis

April 24, 2012

Otis Alexander leaves as director of the Gary (Ind.) Public Library System May 1.

Crouse, Lyn

April 12, 2012

Lyn Crouse began as director of Elyria (Ohio) Public Library System January 26.

Casserley, Sean

April 12, 2012

May 7 Sean Casserley begins as county librarian for Johnson County (Kans.) Library.

Holland, Dorothy Anne

April 11, 2012

Dorothy Anne Holland, 77, youth and adult services librarian at Elmwood Park (Ill.) Public Library, died April 4 from a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage after falling ill at work. Unbeknownst to her family, Holland has signed the back of her driver’s license allowing her organs to be donated upon her death. Her body was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago where … Continue reading Holland, Dorothy Anne →

Baker, Shirley

April 11, 2012

In June Shirley Baker retires as vice chancellor for scholarly resources and dean of university libraries at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Bookmobiles: A Proud History, a Promising Future

By John Amundsen | April 11, 2012

Bookmobiles have a proud history of service dating back to the late 1850s, when a horse-drawn collection of books began making the rounds in Cumbria, England. Here in the United States, the first bookmobile is widely attributed to Mary Lemist Titcomb, a librarian in Washington County, Maryland, who in 1905 posited “Would not a Library … Continue reading Bookmobiles: A Proud History, a Promising Future →

Fogarty, Nick

April 10, 2012

Nick Fogarty, deputy director of Northwest Georgia Regional Library in Dalton, retired in April.

Horrocks, Jane

April 9, 2012

Jane Horrocks retired as president and CEO of Richmond Hill Public Library in Ontario, Canada.

Heald, Gregory

April 9, 2012

The University of Northern Colorado Libraries in Greeley has named Gregory T. Heald coordinator of Library and Technology and Assessment.

Bumgardner, Sandy

April 9, 2012

March 30 Sandy Bumgardner retired as director of Upshur County (W.V.) Public Library

Herrera, Luis; Jefferson, Karen L.; Thorin, Suzanne E.

April 4, 2012

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate two librarians to the National Museum and Library Services Board: Luis Herrera, city librarian at San Francisco Public Library; and Suzanne E. Thorin, dean of libraries and university library at Syracuse (N.Y.) University. The President has also nominated Karen L. Jefferson, records manager at Atlanta University Center’s … Continue reading Herrera, Luis; Jefferson, Karen L.; Thorin, Suzanne E. →

Dawes, Trevor

April 4, 2012

Trevor Dawes, director, Circulation Services Division, Princeton (N.J.) University is the 2012 Distinguished Service Award recipient from the New Jersey Library Association’s College and University Section/Association of College and Research Libraries New Jersey Chapter.

Latest Library Links

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“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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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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

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