ALA, divisions oppose widespread censorship efforts

On November 29, the Executive Board of ALA and the boards of directors for ALA’s eight divisions issued a joint statement regarding the increase in book challenges and removals from libraries and schools around the US. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom is actively involved in providing confidential legal guidance and strategic support to libraries and library professionals in communities across the country impacted by the recent surge in book challenges. Since June 1, OIF has tracked 155 unique censorship incidents and provided direct support and consultation in 120 of those cases. A clearinghouse of resources is available on ALA’s Fight Censorship page.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 29

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Samantha Kretschmer writes: “A staff survey conducted by administration at my library two years ago pointed to a general feeling of discontent amongst staff The administration formed a Staff Advisory committee, which I was tasked with chairing. The point of this committee was to promote understanding and cooperation between the various branches and departments of the library; to promote productive cooperation between staff, management, and administration; to provide a place for a constructive exchange of ideas; to serve as a channel for staff questions, comments, and concerns; and to help create a community amongst staff.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 28
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James Folta writes: “Authors Against Book Bans (AABB), a coalition of writers and creative workers who ‘stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read,’ released an open letter on social media November 25 demanding publishers prepare for the incoming Trump administration. The AABB conducted open forums with authors, and compiled their concerns and demands for the coming years. The letter outlines collective worries about the Trump administration and its threats, and how authors hope the corporations they work with will counter those coming dangers.”

Literary Hub, Nov. 26
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Rose Horowitch writes: “An alarming phenomenon has sprung up over the past few years: Many students are arriving at college unprepared to read entire books. The problem does not appear to be that ‘kids these days’ are incurious or uninterested in reading. Instead, young people might be responding to a cultural message: Books just aren’t that important. The professors I spoke with didn’t think their students were lazy. They saw that their students’ schedules are crowded with activities that are less about personal development and more relevant to future employment.”

The Atlantic, Nov. 29
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Mia Blixt-Shehan writes: “The ALA Core Metadata Standards Committee has developed a rubric to help information professionals evaluate metadata schemas in order to select one that would best fit the needs of a given project. The first official version of the Metadata Schema Assessment Framework is now available via the ALA Institutional Repository. The Committee identified several criteria that can be used to evaluate metadata schemas, and the rubric also contains levels for assessing the extent that a given schema meets each criterion.”

Core News, Nov. 27
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Lorin M. Flores writes: “The ongoing need to rapidly acquire knowledge and skills related to new technologies and developments in the library field has been a preoccupation of library workers and administrators for years. Keeping current may seem impossible, given time and budget constraints. But microlearning in the form of short online courses, or microcourses, can be an efficient and effective strategy to fulfill professional development needs. Microlearning involves condensing instructional content into bite-sized chunks of information for maximum cognitive impact. Ideally, each course should range from five to 10 minutes to make the information graspable and maximize engagement.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Alison Marcotte writes: “Author-illustrator Vashti Harrison made history this year as the first Black woman to win the Caldecott Medal, which has been awarded since 1938, for her picture book Big. It tells the story of a big girl in a world that celebrates small, tracing her journey to self-love and showing the power of words to both hurt and heal. Harrison also received 2024 Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Honor awards. American Libraries spoke with Harrison about the response from readers nationwide, life after winning the Caldecott, and how the publishing world can continue to elevate untold stories.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
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Jessamyn West writes: “My drop-in time work used to be a lot of teaching basic skills. Then for a time it was teaching people about software, [and then] social media, then mobile phones. Lately the major thing I do is something I call ‘How do I connect this to that?’ Each of these things is not just a ‘read the help pages’ situation because it involves multiple interrelated systems. Understanding how these things work together is the main skill that’s required to help people troubleshoot. Here are a few concepts that are useful.”

Librarian.net, Nov. 23

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