Latest Library Links
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Cass Balzer writes: “On a leisurely Saturday afternoon, guests draped in Regency-era fashion—lightweight muslin and chiffon, adorned with delicate lace and ribbons—converge in an airy hall to indulge in a spread of tea, elaborate pastries, cakes crowned with sugared berries, and delicate canapés. But this isn’t 19th-century London. It’s the 21st century, these guests are gathered at Collier County (Fla.) Public Library. Amid a resurgent interest in TV period dramas, public libraries are hosting Regency- and Victorian-era-themed programs featuring book discussions, trivia, crafts, and, of course, tea.”
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Kate Brunner writes: “Who cares for the young children in your community? Depending on where in the US you live, anywhere from one-quarter to two-thirds of children ages 6 and under may be looked after by family, friends, and neighbors as opposed to formal caregivers, such as day cares. To better serve these caregivers, Colorado State Library founded its Growing Readers Together (GRT) program in 2016. By mobilizing public libraries, GRT aims to equip caregivers with resources and skills so they can confidently engage in early literacy activities with those in their care.”
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Emily Udell writes: “Social workers who connect patrons to needed physical and emotional care. Quiet rooms for rest and relaxation. Robotic pets that purr away patrons’ anxieties. And grief groups to support patrons over the holidays. Over the past decade, mental health support in libraries has grown more inventive, specific, and widespread. Institutions continue to innovate while meeting community needs, piloting targeted tools, dedicating roles and spaces to well-being, and investing in specialty programming and services for both patrons and staff. American Libraries spoke with workers from four libraries that are pioneering mental health practices in the field.”
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Andrea Olson writes: “A former library board member has been convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds and sentenced to prison. Amanda Baker, former board member and treasurer of Clark County (Idaho) Library, was charged in August with felony grand theft after she admitted to stealing about $50,000. However, after further investigation, that number was discovered to be over $200,000.” Baker negotiated a plea agreement in March, and was sentenced June 26 to between 15 months and 10 years in prison. She will also make full restitution of $226,384.59 over 10 years.”
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Climate change is one of the biggest challenges to library communities, and a partnership between ALA and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative addresses that challenge. A working group, comprising leaders from many ALA sectors working on sustainability, has created resources for library workers, including the National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries and an implementation guide. Sustainability was reconfirmed as an ALA core value in January 2024, and the working group is developing resources to accelerate the work.
ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, July 1
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “A decade ago, user experience practitioners were regularly creating something called personas, detailed, fictional user profiles intended to represent the characteristics and needs of real users. It was a widely accepted convention, including in libraries, and it purported to help center the design process on people. But recently, personas have fallen out of favor. Rather than creating a bio and choosing a name and a photo, UX practitioners now often leave out these details and create realistic archetypes. These focus on needs, goals, behaviors, and tasks.”
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Andrew Lapin writes: “The superintendent of Mission Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas recently agreed within minutes to a conservative group’s demands to remove 676 books, including some seminal texts about the Holocaust and antisemitism. Conservative activists, led by a local pastor and outspoken Israel advocate, pushed the district, Mission CISD, to excise books mostly about gender, sexuality and race. Five minutes after receiving the demands, [Superindendent Carol] Perez agreed to them.” [Perez has since separated from the district, apparently over a contract dispute and not connected to the book removals.]
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 26; Progress Times, June 13, May 28
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Dani Carmack and Jessica Quarles write: “Are staffers at your university aware of the library’s services? At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott in Arizona, we discovered that many faculty members were hesitant to enter what they perceived as student-only library spaces. This made us realize: We weren’t marketing our resources and services to a core population, a group that is essential to helping us advocate for the library on campus and beyond. But first, staffers had to understand what we offered.”
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) introduced a new website with specialized tools and resources designed for library and museum professionals to engage diverse communities in developing critical information literacy skills June 27 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. InformationLiteracy.gov is one product of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which directed IMLS to explore ways to improve information literacy within communities. It focuses on disseminating training and technical assistance resources for professionals in libraries, museums, zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens, arboretums, nature and science centers, archives, and other community-serving institutions.
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Ed Finkel writes: “Last year, when states were introducing a raft of legislation that would effectively take books off the shelves, librarians at Harris County (Tex.) Public Library (HCPL) knew they wanted to take a stand. Texas House Bill 900, which would have restricted materials in school libraries and required vendors to assign book ratings based on so-called appropriateness before selling them to schools, had been signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June. On September 19, the same day H.B. 900 was temporarily blocked [in US District Court], Harris County Commissioners Court passed a resolution declaring HCPL a book sanctuary.”
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Mark Prussin writes: “Funding for New York City libraries is being fully restored in the 2025 fiscal year budget. That means libraries will return to being open seven days a week. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Thursday that $58.3 million will be restored to the three city public library systems, along with $53 million to cultural institutions.” The libraries, and other city agencies, had their budgets cut in November 2023, which the city blamed on costs related to housing and feeding asylum seekers.
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Jennifer Schuessler writes: “Today, figures like [Arturo Alfonso] Schomburg and the historian and activist W.E.B. Du Bois (another collector and compiler of Black books) are hailed as the founders of the 20th-century Black intellectual tradition. But increasingly, scholars are also uncovering the important role of the women who often ran the libraries [such as New York Public Library’s 135th Street Branch, now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture], where they built collections and—just as important—communities of readers. Many were among the first Black women to attend library school.”
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