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Mark Walsh writes: “How much ‘academic freedom’ do K–12 teachers actually have to teach what they want? How far does the First Amendment go in shielding them? And where would they stand in the face of new state laws taking aim at the use of critical race theory or the teaching of antiracist lessons? Measures introduced in at least 20 state legislatures to rein in teaching about race and other controversial and ‘divisive’ topics have thrust teachers into uncertainty over what they can discuss in the classroom and whether they would face discipline or other legal consequences if they overstep.”
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Jennifer Schuessler writes: “Harvey Fierstein may be a multiple Tony-winning performer and writer. But he is also the son of a librarian, who still sometimes heads to the reading room when he needs to do homework. Now, Fierstein has donated $2.5 million to create a new ‘theater lab’ at the library’s Lincoln Center campus, a dedicated educational space where students and the general public will be able to attend programs drawing on its vast holdings of photographs, scripts, recordings, set models, costumes, and other materials.”
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Nadine Kramarz writes: “I am beginning to believe that how we think about public library services as free directly impacts how public libraries don’t get funded. This idea that ‘public libraries are free’ sounds very enticing and makes a great soundbite, but it’s not true. Public libraries are paid for by their community in order to create services for said community. The reality is that tax dollars are spread thin and every government department has to struggle to get enough funds.”
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Americans see a variety of factors as important when it comes to deciding whether a news story is trustworthy or not, but their attitudes vary by party affiliation, demographic characteristics and news consumption habits, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Overall, broad majorities of US adults say it is at least somewhat important to consider each of five surveyed factors when determining whether a news story is trustworthy or not: the news organization that publishes it (88%); the sources cited in it (86%); their gut instinct about it (77%); the person, if any, who shared it with them (68%); and the specific journalist who reported it (66%).
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Associate Professor and digital archivist Erin Baucom writes: “Digital preservation is a relatively young field. And as a result, it lacks established pathways and processes. What’s more, guidance for practitioners has been purposefully written from a high-level perspective to allow for flexibility by different types and sizes of institutions. But to translate lofty digital preservation theory into on-the-ground practice, we need workflow documents to break down the necessary steps required to complete a task.”
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Terra Dankowski writes: “Nearly 150 years after it leveled 18,000 buildings and killed 300 people, the Great Chicago Fire (October 8–10, 1871) lives on—in the city’s tourist attractions, sports team names, and soon in a Chicago History Museum exhibit commemorating its anniversary this fall. ‘It’s just amazing how much the aftermath was documented,’ says Ellen Keith, director of the museum library. The library’s holdings include period maps and stereographs (an early form of three-dimensional photographs popular in the 19th century) depicting the burned areas of the city, transcripts of the 1871 fire department hearings, a 1997 mayoral resolution exonerating Mrs. O’Leary and her cow of blame for setting the blaze, and even sheet music for songs about the fire.”
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ALA members are invited to join Patricia “Patty” Wong at 1 p.m. Central on June 29 as she begins her term as the first Asian American to serve as president of ALA and shares her plans for leading the association through an exciting time of change. The virtual event is free and is part of the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, June 23–29.
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Emily Temple writes: “It’s June, the summer reading lists are out in full force, and so are our newly vaccinated knees (and chins), which can only mean that it’s that time of year again. This year, I read 38 lists, which recommended a grand total of 522 individual books. I have included those books recommended at least three times below, in descending order of frequency. So if you want to Read the Book That Everyone is Reading (or at least recommending) this summer, here’s where you should start.”
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Quanetta Batts and Ellen Knutson write: “Ethics and inclusion should be at the center of all your community engagement programs. Putting these ideas into practice can be challenging because of organizational inertia and a lack of appetite for risk. By carefully considering the potential impacts of your actions and plans, you will be on your way to providing truly ethical and inclusive engagement programs.”
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The Rhode Island Library Association presented its annual awards at the virtual RILA Annual Conference, June 3–4. The theme for the conference was “Well + Connected: Libraries and Healthy Communities,” and the recipients of this year’s awards exemplify the library community’s commitment to creating and supporting strong and healthy communities. See the full list of winners.
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OverDrive announced on June 9 that it is acquiring Kanopy, a leading video streaming service. Kanopy provides academic institutions and public libraries with a catalog of more than 30,000 curated films. It is used by millions of students and library patrons and is available on all major web, mobile, and TV platforms. The terms of the acquisition were not announced.
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Over the course of six months, cybersecurity researchers at Agari planted thousands of false credentials onto websites and forums popular for dumping stolen usernames and passwords. About half of of the accounts were accessed within 12 hours, 40% were accessed within six hours, and 20% were accessed within an hour.
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