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The Craighead County Jonesboro (Ark.) Public Library recently received both negative and positive feedback over its Pride Month display. The library’s director, David Eckert, said the response came as a shock. This month’s display includes several books in the children and teen’s section addressing sexuality and LGBTQ+ pride. One user posted on Facebook: “I’m having some righteous anger here. This is a public library, and this isn’t acceptable for children to many. Be warned.”
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Shoshana Wodinsky writes: “After two years of investigations and a 30-hour debating session on the House floor, the US House Judiciary Committee voted on June 24 to pass a sweeping six-bill package collectively meant to reign in Big Tech’s massive market power. Here’s what you need to know about each of the bills, so you can follow along.”
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On June 25 Google announced it will show people warnings about the reliability of search results when they look up breaking news or other “rapidly evolving” topics, as the tech giant combats criticism for its role in spreading misinformation. The notices will tell users when there may not be enough authoritative information online yet about a developing issue. “It looks like these results are changing quickly,” says the prompt, which is displayed above search results. “If the topic is new, it can sometimes take time for results to be added by reliable sources.”
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New York Public Library announced June 17 that Catherine Lacey has won the 21st annual Young Lions Fiction Award for her book Pew, a foreboding fable about sex and gender. The Young Lions Fiction Award of $10,000 is given each year to an American writer age 35 or younger for either a novel or a collection of short stories.
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Pride Month book displays drew questions and concern from the Lafayette (La.) Parish Library Board of Control’s vice president, Hilda Edmond, who on June 21 asked to go into closed session before voting to hire a new library director. Edmond was appointed to the library board by Mayor-President Josh Guillory and works for Lafayette Consolidated Government. Guillory has refused an LGBTQ+ group’s request to proclaim June as Pride Month.
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David Kidd writes: “It’s moving day at America’s first Carnegie library, perched on the side of a hill in Braddock, Pennsylvania. A team of young librarians shuttles in and out with arms full, filling the back of a pickup truck parked just outside. Inside, the bookshelves are bare, with cardboard boxes stacked everywhere. Once the old library has been cleared of its contents, work can begin on a $15 million comprehensive restoration and modernization, scheduled to begin this summer.”
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Beginning in 1744, John Newbery published about 100 storybooks for children, plus magazines and “ABC” books, becoming the leading children’s publisher of his time. More than 175 years later, when editor Frederic Melcher suggested that the American Library Association create an annual award “for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children,” he asked that it be named for Newbery, an Englishman who never set foot in America. The Newbery Medal turns 100 next year.
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Anoka County (Minn.) is being accused of censorship after a memo to library staff prohibited public messaging around Pride or Black Lives Matter in June. Anoka County Library communications manager Erin Straszewski sent the memo to employees May 26 regarding public messaging options and displays. “County guidance is that we will not have public messaging around Pride and Black Lives Matter month,” Straszewski’s memo said. “If you would like to do a display celebrating diversity in our community in honor of one or both of these themes, you may do so through a lens celebrating diversity on a broader spectrum.”
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Jamia Williams writes: “Before I started looking into onboarding practices, I knew that I was like many people thinking that onboarding was similar to orientation, but it is not. Onboarding is a continuous process of bringing a person into the culture of your institution. Unfortunately, some academic libraries do not have an onboarding process.”
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Jason Guriel writes: “Browsing couldn’t be done with the flick of a thumb. It plunged you into your entire body and set the body afoot, sometimes for hours, with no smartphone to check—and no easy way for others to check in. Browsing forced you to reckon with physical media, to wander among aisles and stacks that didn’t presume to know your preferences and weren’t so insidiously jostling for your attention. You could pause, eye a spine, and tip some strange compact sliver of the world toward you.”
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Philip Bates writes: “Marvel and DC have gained a lot of new fans with their increased cinematic presence, meaning a boost to the comic book industry. Unfortunately, visiting your local comic book store can prove expensive. Single issues typically cost $3.99, with milestone issues and variants costing even more. Thankfully, you can save some money by using these sites to read comics online for free. No matter what kind of comics you’re into, you should find them on these best sites for free comics.”
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ALA invites all library users to nominate their favorite librarians for the I Love My Librarian Award. The national award recognizes librarians working in public, school, college, community college, or university libraries for their outstanding public service contributions. ALA member leaders will select 10 librarians from thousands of nominations, and each will receive $5,000 in recognition of their outstanding public service. The Association will honor award recipients at the I Love My Librarian Award ceremony on January 22, 2022 at LibLearnX in San Antonio, Texas. Winners also will receive complimentary LibLearnX registration as part of their award packages as well as a $750 travel stipend. Nominations are accepted online now through September 27.
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