Latest Library Links
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The News Literacy Project has created an online quiz to help users assess their ability to discern between deceptive misinformation and accurate, fact-based information supported by strong evidence. The quiz features tweets, memes, and videos of current news events with cues about how to evaluate them before clicking that “share” button.
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About a quarter of all US adults (26%) surveyed say they get news on YouTube, according to a new report from Pew Research Center. The study found that Americans are as likely to watch independent channels on the platform as they are to watch established news organizations; videos from independent news producers are more likely to cover subjects negatively and discuss conspiracy theories.
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The editors at EpicReads write: “We still have a long way to go to increase Latinx representation in YA, but we’re still so in love with the books we’ve read so far. We love to see that there are more Latinx writers sharing their stories , and we can continue to support that by buying, reading, and amplifying books written by Latinx authors. If you’re looking to do just that, we have some suggestions for you.”
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Teen services librarian Amanda Borgia writes: “Terminology is always growing and changing and libraries are no exception. Some use tween to describe 10–12 years, those in-between adolescents and the teenage years. Others use it to describe middle schoolers (typically 6th–8th graders aged 11–14). For some libraries the question arises, should we have a separate collection for tweens? Where should this section be located? Should tweens have their own area?”
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Ellen Rosen writes: “Many companies and public institutions were unprepared for the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. There was one notable, perhaps even surprising, exception: the nation’s public libraries. Librarians across the country foresee institutions that will blend the physical with the digital, increasing their emphasis on their critical community role by offering free Wi-Fi and social services as well as a place where physical books and DVDs coexist with ebooks and online platforms.”
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Many states have increased the opportunities for voters to cast their ballots by mail this year as an alternative to gathering at a polling place during a pandemic. But in an environment where some politicians are trying to raise doubts about the security of voting by mail and the ability of the United States Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots, many libraries are using their unimpeachable reputations to offer stability as ballot drop-off sites.
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ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has been documenting attempts to ban books in libraries and schools since 1990. For Banned Books Week, OIF compiled this list of the most banned and challenged books from 2010–2019 by reviewing both the public and confidential censorship reports it received. This list draws attention to literary censorship but only provides a snapshot of book challenges. OIF estimates about 82–97% of challenges remain unreported.
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Ron Charles writes: “Banned Books Week is a curious thing to observe in the United States. After all, books are rarely banned in this nation devoted to freedom of expression. But certain titles are effectively disappeared when they’re removed from public libraries and school shelves at the urging of offended individuals and frightened administrators. Every September, I look over the new list and sigh, ‘How could anyone object to these great looking books?’ This year, instead of just sighing, I read all the books. The experience introduced me to some great new titles and, by implication, the anxieties of too many censorial Americans.”
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A rare edition of Shakespeare’s last play has been found in the library of Real Colegio de Escoceses in Salamanca, Spain. The Two Noble Kinsmen, written by Shakespeare with John Fletcher, was found by a researcher investigating the work of the Scots economist Adam Smith. The 1634 printing could be the oldest Shakespearean work in the country.
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This year has been rough—wildfires, a global pandemic, a government in crisis. But the Unicode Consortium has approved several new emoji possibly influenced by the chaos of 2020 to help express disorientation, confusion, exhaustion, and passion. Starting next year, look for “face with spiral eyes,” “face exhaling,” “face in clouds,” or “heart on fire.”
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Gillian Harvey writes: “Libraries, whose free resources can be a lifeline for both readers and the wider community, have been quietly adapting to a changing world—improving and expanding their offering, introducing more online access, and continuing to provide an invaluable service. This behind-the-scenes diligence meant that during the pandemic, libraries were able to prove themselves to be more resilient, future-proof and adaptable than many of us may have realized. In fact, the coronavirus crisis has enabled many libraries to truly prove their worth.”
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The Library of Congress’s new AI tool lets users search through 16 million historical US newspaper pages for images that help explain the stories of the past. The Newspaper Navigator shows how seminal events and characters, such as wars and presidents, have been depicted in the press.
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