Latest Library Links
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Lisa Zhuang writes: “As a second-generation daughter of immigrants, I am often saddened by the stories that will be forever lost between my mother and me. Yet, as I grow as a reader and writer, I see the potential between the cracks: a chance to insert myself into my culture’s history. It is inevitable that myth will mutate with time. The right author will make the best of it. Below are eight works of fiction based on Asian folklore.”
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Kara Arundel writes: “A newly issued federal rule to ensure web content and mobile apps are accessible for people with disabilities will require public K–12 and higher education institutions to do a thorough inventory of their digital materials to make sure they are in compliance, accessibility experts said. The update to regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, published April 24 by the US Department of Justice, calls for all state and local governments to verify that their web content—including mobile apps and social media postings—is accessible for those with vision, hearing, cognitive and manual dexterity disabilities.”
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Andrew Albanese writes: “Amid a three-year nationwide surge in book bans, 2024 began on a hopeful note for freedom-to-read advocates, with legal victories in book-banning lawsuits in Iowa, Florida, and Texas. But after some early successes, several cases are poised to enter a critical next phase. As the wheels of justice grind on, Publishers Weekly rounded up the status of some of the more closely watched book-banning suits.”
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Tess Vrbin writes: “The Arkansas State Library Board on Friday voted down two motions to withhold state funding from public libraries that board member Jason Rapert put forth in his ongoing opposition to the presence of certain books on library shelves. Rapert reintroduced a motion he proposed at February’s board meeting to suspend funding for libraries suing the state [over the state’s 2023 obscenity law]. He also moved to withhold funds for ‘any library that allows unrestricted access to books or materials that contain sexually explicit, obscene or pornographic materials to minors,’” Both motions failed 6–1.
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Jennifer Matthews and Ane Turner Johnson write: “A focus on digital resources requires careful consideration of library policies by policymakers to ensure that they reflect the university’s public mission and ensure the success of all students. At Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, one such endeavor was to embark on this study to determine if our policies actually reflected the ways in which the student body used the library collection. Through a mixed-methods study, our team discovered that both continuing-generation and first-generation students primarily prefer print books for course materials.”
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “The limitations of generative artificial intelligence (AI) are myriad: They don’t provide citations, they are prone to hallucinations, there is no way to reproduce results, and there are major issues with copyright and user privacy. While retrieval augmented generation (RAG), a framework that creates an application for generative AI large language models, doesn’t solve all these problems, it begins to address the concerns of the academic community. At its core, RAG is the difference between generative AI for fun and generative AI as a legitimate research tool.”
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In Episode 95, Call Number highlights ways libraries are practicing and promoting sustainability. Segments in this episode include a visit to a monthly repair café at Chicago Public Library’s Sulzer Regional branch, a discussion of disaster plans with Dan Wilson, deputy director of Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and sustainability tips from members of ALA’s Sustainability Round Table.
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Nardos Haile writes: “John Oliver, during May 5’s edition of Last Week Tonight, highlighted that libraries are ‘in trouble because they’ve become another front in the ongoing culture war. Frankly doesn’t feel like a coincidence so much of this conversation concerns LGBTQ+ themes—as it seems this is the latest way to try and push that community out of public spaces, to send a message that their lives and stories aren’t welcome, and by extension, to tell anyone growing up questioning that the answers are off-limits to them,’ Oliver emphasized.” The episode is now freely available on YouTube.
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Brandy Sanchez writes: “Public librarianship often resides at the intersection of public service, education, and social work. It allows us to support the unique needs of community members through innovative services, enriching programs, and responsive collections. Yet it is this very contact with the public that puts library workers at risk of experiencing primary or vicarious trauma. Many libraries employ trauma-informed care, but it shouldn’t stop there. Library directors and managers can better support staffers by practicing trauma-informed supervision, when leaders nurture a healthy workplace culture and connect staffers with needed support and resources after a distressing incident with patrons or coworkers.”
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Megan Bennett writes: “Artist and activist Kathleen Hanna is most known as the lead singer of punk bands Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Julie Ruin. Hanna’s new memoir Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (Ecco, May) chronicles the challenges and triumphs of her life before, during, and after navigating the male-dominated genre during the 1990s, spurring the Riot Grrrl movement and paving the way for other women artists. American Libraries caught up with Hanna ahead of the book’s release to discuss her behind-the-scenes stories, return to touring, and love of libraries.”
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Dan Kois writes: “Kids in 3rd and 4th grade are beginning to stop reading for fun. It’s called the ‘Decline by 9,’ and it’s reaching a crisis point for publishers and educators. What’s causing the Decline by 9? It might be screens, but it’s not only screens. Indeed, several people I spoke to mentioned that middle-graders’ lack of phones created a marketing problem in an era when no one at any publishing house has any idea how to make a book a bestseller other than to hope it blows up on TikTok.
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Margaret Bates writes: “Conference season is upon us with ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition taking place in San Diego from June 27–July 2. Conferences can be intimidating for first-time attendees, especially large conferences like ALA. Here are some dos and don’ts, and some tips, for first (or second!) time attendees.” Among her advice: Take advantage of conference orientations, network at meet and greets and mixers, and don’t overlook the importance of sleep (and comfortable shoes).
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