Latest Library Links
-
Marshall Breeding writes: “The library technology industry showed its maturity in 2024. Businesses have become increasingly stable and robust products delivered rich functionality. But decades of consolidation have created a narrower slate of competitors, resulting in a smaller number of products available for each type and size of library. The marketplace is seeing more specialized solutions but fewer options. Companies continue to tailor products to the diverging service needs and collections of public, academic, school, and special libraries. Library services platforms designed for academic libraries, for example, are not well suited for public libraries. This stratification further narrows customers’ choices.” -
“On May 1, ALA announced that the US District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as directed by a March 14 executive order. The temporary restraining order was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by ALA and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union representing library workers. ALA’s full statement regarding the court’s temporary restraining order reads as follows. -
Charlie Osborne writes: “As a professional photographer, I know that photo editing software is critical to my workflow to bring out the best in my images, whether to make changes to exposure and add bokeh [the aesthetic blurring of out-of-focus areas] or other creative effects. Adobe Lightroom is the gold standard for many photographers, but many alternative online photo editors are also excellent options. Among my favorites are Pixlr, Adobe Lightroom, and Canva. We have a great selection of options for you to test out, depending on your online photo editing needs.” -
Veronica Fu writes: “At first glance, libraries might appear to be unaffected by Trump’s tariffs. The official list of exempt items released by the White House includes [printed books]. But the reassurance this offers libraries is limited. For libraries that depend on international vendors to supply books, serials, and media, the ripple effects of Trump’s tariffs could include disrupted shipping routes, rising logistics costs, customs slowdowns, and a growing pile of administrative red tape. Above all, this is a moment in which libraries must lead with intention.” -
Jennifer Peterson writes: “In my time as a youth services librarian, I visited with thousands of school children each school year in the fall and spring months to promote books, reading, literacy, the library, and of course, summer reading! Here are my top five tips I can offer as you get ready to promote your summer reading program to students this spring.” -
Hannah Weinberg writes: “This week marks 100 days since President Trump’s January 20 inauguration. It has also been approximately 45 days since Trump signed the March 14 executive order that called for stripping the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) down to its ‘non-statutory and component functions.’ Censorship attempts persist, IMLS staffers have been placed on leave, previously granted IMLS funding has been canceled, and library staffers continue to make difficult decisions about how to best maintain services for their communities. Following is American Libraries’ update on the challenges libraries and librarians continue to fight under the Trump administration.” -
Elissa Malespina writes: “April 23, the White House released an executive order titled Advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education for American Youth. It’s a headline-worthy step toward prioritizing AI literacy in schools. The memo calls for coordinated federal action to provide students with ‘equitable and safe’ access to AI education. As someone deeply invested in teaching AI literacy to students and educators, I wanted to feel excited. But after reading it closely, I’m left with more questions—and concerns—than confidence. -
Deborah Walters writes: “The Freedom to Read Statement was created in a time when questions about censorship, morality, and free expression were at the forefront of people’s minds. Librarians, especially, were embroiled in a battle against would-be censors, who fought against Communists and the corruption of morals. Numerous cases were brought against public librarians in the early 1950s for failing to remove publications from the shelves deemed ‘inappropriate.’ After the Boston Post called for the removal of Communist newspapers and publications from the Boston Public Library, there was a push for a purposeful discussion on the defense of intellectual freedom.” -
Maddie Hanna writes: “The Radnor school board voted April 22 to restore three books that were removed in February from Radnor (Pa.) High School’s library, after impassioned pleas from community members to reject censorship and support LGBTQ students. The board voted 6–0, with three members abstaining, to return Gender Queer, Fun Home, and Blankets to the high school library. The vote reversed decisions by an ad hoc committee appointed by the district’s superintendent that determined the books—all graphic novels, with some sexual depictions—were not age appropriate.” -
Jack Dura writes: “North Dakota’s Republican governor Kelly Armstrong on April 23 vetoed bills to further restrict sexual content in libraries and to create a private school voucher program, rejecting two measures that have seen widespread support by GOP governors in other states. The library bill would have expanded North Dakota’s 2023 prohibition on ‘explicit sexual material’ in public libraries to school districts, and require those entities to have policies for relocating such material ‘to an area in the library not easily accessible to minors.’” The Senate’s attempt to override the veto failed on April 25.Associated Press, Apr. 23; KFYR-TV (Bismarck, N.D.), Apr. 26
-
Since early April, numerous libraries and library organizations have received notices that their federal grant awards—such as those from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—have been terminated. ALA is responding to these politically motivated attacks on library funding with public advocacy and litigation. In addition, ALA has encouraged grantees who receive a termination notice to consider several suggestions.
-
Anne Ford writes: “Adele Puccio, director of Maurice M. Pine Free Public Library in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, comes by her wedding dress obsession honestly. ‘When I was a kid, my great-aunt was the buyer at [famous New York bridal boutique] Kleinfeld’s, so I used to go over and look at all the dresses,” she says. “Other people were buying Seventeen; I was buying Brides.’ Decades later, Puccio’s passion now manifests itself in a rotating collection of vintage and modern bridal gowns, which she stores in her library office and loans to any bride who asks.”
All links outside americanlibrariesmagazine.org are provided for informational purposes only. Questions about the content of any external site should be addressed to the administrator of that site.