Latest Library Links
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Daniel A. Gross writes: “The sudden shift to e-books had enormous practical and financial implications, not only for OverDrive but for public libraries across the country. Digital content gives publishers more power over prices, because it allows them to treat libraries differently than they treat other kinds of buyers. Last year, Denver Public Library increased its digital checkouts by more than 60%, to 2.3 million, and spent about a third of its collections budget on digital content, up from 20% the year before.”
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Do you have a burning question (about censorship) for New York Times–bestselling author and Banned Books Week Honorary Chair Jason Reynolds? If you’re a teen or an educator, a librarian, or a bookseller who works with teens, the Banned Books Week Coalition wants to include you in its Facebook Live event with Jason Reynolds at 1 p.m. Eastern on September 28. Send in your questions using this form, and they could be included in the conversation.
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Nina Metz writes: “Launched last week, the Black Film Archive is the brainchild of Maya Cade, who works as the audience development strategist at The Criterion Collection. But in her own time, she’s been developing a comprehensive register of more than 200 Black films made between 1915 and 1979 that are available to watch via streaming. It’s a labor intensive, impressive project and it is Cade’s response to a question she has been mulling for some time now: What does it mean to make Black film history accessible?”
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On September 1, the Public Library Association (PLA) issued its 2020 Public Library Technology Survey report, detailing how libraries are further extending their technology services and resources in the face of pandemic limitations. Survey data, captured for the first time, shows that more than half of public libraries report circulating technology (such as hotspots, laptops, and tablets) for patron use offsite. A similar percentage provided streaming public programs, such as storytimes and author events, in the previous 12 months, as well as diverse digital content, resources, and training.
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ALA President Patricia “Patty” M. Wong writes: “In our all-too-recent past, entire groups were denied access to the institutions we serve. That’s why during Library Card Sign-Up Month, celebrated each September, I am calling on all of us to recognize the errors of the past and commit to fighting for improved access for groups that may still be excluded, such as people experiencing homelessness and undocumented immigrants.”
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Phil Morehart writes: “Welcome to the 2021 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries that address user needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways. That this year’s slate features building projects completed during the pandemic makes them even more noteworthy. Despite libraries being temporarily closed or operating at reduced hours because of COVID-19 restrictions, beautiful new facilities and innovatively renovated spaces continued to open to the public over the past year and a half.”
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Marshall Gunnell writes: “With the recent boom in smart home technology, even our garage doors and light bulbs are connecting to the internet. And because of this, you may now need Wi-Fi coverage in parts of your home that previously didn’t need access. There are numerous products that aim to solve this pain point, but you’ll need to understand the differences between them to know which one to buy. We’ll detail the major differences between Wi-Fi extenders, Wi-Fi repeaters, Wi-Fi boosters, and Wi-Fi bridges.”
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School board members are largely unpaid volunteers, traditionally former educators and parents who step forward to shape school policy, choose a superintendent, and review the budget. But a growing number are resigning or questioning their willingness to serve as meetings have devolved into shouting contests between deeply political constituencies over how racial issues are taught, masks in schools, and COVID-19 vaccines and testing requirements.
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David Crotty writes: “A fun video below from the folks at Storied, looking at author-created ‘nonces’ (words created to be used once) and their path to neologism, and eventually to just becoming part of our daily vocabulary. A favorite from the video is freelancer, from Sir Walter Scott, described in the video as ‘a violent term for someone who designs corporate logos.’ What can you add to the list presented here?”
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Erin Overbey writes: “On a recent Tuesday, Bruce Janu, the head librarian at John Hersey High School, in Arlington Heights, Illinois, was rummaging through an old storage cabinet in his new office. Janu, a former history teacher and documentary filmmaker, became the librarian at the school in July. ‘On one of those shelves was this small plastic bag hidden way in the back,’ he said. ‘So I reached in and pulled out an original issue of The New Yorker from August 31, 1946, and it had a narrow white band around it, which read Hiroshima: This entire issue is devoted to the story of how an atomic bomb destroyed a city.’”
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Starting with a 1975 discovery at a New York antique story, Larry West began collecting photographs from some of the early African American photographers, including James P. Ball, Glenalvin Goodridge, and Augustus Washington. Now, his collection of 286 objects dating from the 1840s to about 1925, which includes daguerreotypes and other early types of photographic works, has been sold to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Stephanie Stebich, the museum’s director, calls it “a transformative collection for us.”
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Libraries and library workers interested in examining racism, bias, and inequity have a new tool to do so. The University Libraries at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has released the syllabus of its recent 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge focused on libraries and archives. The syllabus is the work of the University Libraries’ IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility) Council. It is part of the Library’s Reckoning Initiative, which commits to using equity, inclusion, and social justice as a lens for its work.
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