Please don't microwave library books | American Libraries Magazine

Image of burned RFID tag inside a microwaved book from Kent District Library in Comstock Park, Michigan.

People are getting creative when it comes to staying safe from COVID-19, and it has prompted at least one Michigan library to issue a public warning: Stop microwaving books. A damaged book was returned to Kent District Library in Comstock Park, Michigan, after the metal RFID tag burned in a microwave and left a hole in the book’s cover. The library wants its users to know that all materials are quarantined for 72 hours, so patrons do not need to take any further sterilization steps.

Detroit Free Press, June 23

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Maryland’s Public Libraries Electronic Literary Product Licenses Access Law goes into effect on January 1, helping to maintain equal access for readers in the state and setting a precedent nationwide. The legislation requires publishers who offer electronic literary products to the public to also offer a license to public libraries at “reasonable” terms that would allow access for library users.

TheBayNet, Aug. 1
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Neil J. Rubenking writes: “It’s easy to notice that you’re too loud on the phone in public, less easy to realize that your settings let any schmo read your social media posts. And yet, protecting your privacy on social media is important, in more ways than you may realize. Perhaps you already know this. Perhaps you keep your privacy settings tuned and never overshare on social media. How about your friends? If they’re careless about their own privacy, their heedlessness can slop over and affect you.”

PC Mag, Aug. 3
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Emily Austin writes: “The experiences of women through the ages have many common threads, but the heroines in different ages are all indelibly marked by their times. Esther from The Bell Jar, for instance, is a product of the “silent generation” and her struggles would be hard to imagine in any other age. Millennial heroines have echoes of Esther’s story and other characters born before them; however, they also embody their own distinct experiences. They span from serial killer apologists to office drones trying to survive a plague, pregnant pizza delivery girls and atheist, lesbian church receptionists.”

The Guardian (UK), Aug. 4
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Eric Schoon writes: “Documentaries are a great way to learn more about the world, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay a premium to watch them. Many YouTubers out there are producing high-quality documentaries that only cost your time and maybe watching an ad or two. Like every other genre of YouTube content, there’s a lot of variety in the documentary space. Regardless of whether you’re into geopolitics or video games, chances are someone has made a video on it. We focused on channels that regularly produce high-quality and distinct documentaries and found some terrific ones to share.”

ReviewGeek, July 31
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Jennifer Harlan writes: “When the days get longer and the mercury begins to rise, the books appear. Sunscreen-dappled paperbacks are tucked into beach bags and backpacks, sprinkled across picnic tables and dropped into the crooks of hammocks. Like their siblings the summer blockbuster and the song of the summer, they come: The season of summer reading has arrived.”

New York Times, July 31
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Adrienne Westenfeld writes: “According to the nonprofit Romance Writers of America, 18% of romance fiction readers are men. Fully one-third of erotic audiobooks are downloaded by guys, another report says. In a billion-dollar industry comprising 23% of the adult fiction market, that’s a lot of dudes. Overall, romance is the second-most-popular genre in American fiction, below only thrillers, yet there’s still archaic stigma about romance novels and the people who read them, rooted in sexism and snobbery. I’m here to tell you that romance novels are for guys—in fact, they’re for anyone who wants to live a more emotionally rich life.”

Esquire, July 27
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Esther Lo writes: “An older transgender woman incarcerated in a West Coast prison wanted to learn how to put on makeup. A simple Google search could have given her 6,440,000 results. But behind bars, she had no access to any of that. With extremely limited and expensive access to the internet, she wrote to librarians through the ‘Reference by Mail’ program. The library receives roughly 300 to 400 handwritten letters a month from people who are incarcerated of various backgrounds requesting all kinds of information.”

KTVU-TV (Oakland, Calif.), July 29

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