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May 14, 2024 150 × 101 Retrieval Automatic Generation as an AI research tool

Abstract illustration of a woman retrieving data

Latest Library Links

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Jenni Diaz Garcia updates the Christmas carol to reflect the first days of a new library job. She writes: “On the twelfth day at my library job, my library gave to me: Twelve minutes in a lunch line and one very honest thought. ‘Sometimes I get an idea, and it’s exciting and cool to me, but I am not the coolest person I know.’ The secret, I’m learning, is that librarianship isn’t about being the coolest person in the room. It’s about backing your ideas anyway, even when you feel like a slightly panicked baby duck running from one meeting to another.”

New Members Round Table Notes, Dec. 1
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Elizabeth Hutchinson writes: “I want to focus on the people who choose to become school librarians and why their mindset is one of the curriculum’s most undervalued assets. Most people assume school librarians are drawn to books. The deeper truth is that librarians tend to be wired in a way that schools desperately need and frequently overlook. They think differently. They notice what others skim past. They connect ideas that sit miles apart in the curriculum. And in a climate where students, teachers, and leaders are battling information overload, that mindset isn’t a luxury. It’s a strategic advantage.”

Engaging and Empowering School Libraries, Nov. 27
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Nick Potkalitsky writes: “We’re living through a profound shift in how text gets created. For the first time in history, our children will grow up in a world where much of what they read (homework help, explanations, stories, even ‘personal’ messages) might be generated by artificial intelligence (AI) rather than written by humans. Most AI literacy curricula focus on older students. By the time students reach high school, they’ve already spent years passively consuming AI-generated content without tools to evaluate it. The curriculum that follows teaches elementary students practical detective skills for the world they’re actually living in.

Educating AI, Nov. 30
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Jane Jiang writes: “All too often, the library is not fully included in conversations that guide student learning and academic support. When the library is treated as background infrastructure rather than as an active learning environment, the entire academic mission is weakened. Students lose access to research instruction. Faculty lose collaborators who can reinforce critical thinking and source evaluation. Institutions lose a key space where academic integrity, inclusion, and intellectual curiosity are nurtured, and the larger research community loses a vital foundation for sustaining these principles.”

The Scholarly Kitchen, Dec. 2
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Anthony Sinnott writes: “Despite the undeniable advantages of e-books, what at first glance seems like a demonstration of the decline of print, in fact shows a story of the persistence of print. Despite tech advancement, print books stubbornly persist on library shelves. This post explores five core reasons why physical books continue to hold a vital place in the digital library ecosystem.” Also read about the enduring appeal of printed children’s books and the importance of print for communities.

Librarianth, Nov. 28; Jane Friedman, Dec. 2; The Conversation, Nov. 25
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On December 3, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) issued this statement reinstating its terminated grants: “Upon further review, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has reinstated all federal grants. This action supersedes any prior notices which may have been received related to grant termination. Grantees should access the agency’s electronic grants management system for further information.”

Institute of Museum and Library Services, Dec. 3
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Lily Meyer writes: “Everyone from parents to publishers is susceptible to undervaluing board books. It’s easy to dismiss them, as they are intended for children not only too young to read, but too young to even follow a story. Can’t we just show a baby anything? We shouldn’t. Beginning in utero, one of the greatest benefits of shared reading is bonding, and the more engaged parents are in the book they’ve chosen, the greater its impact.”

Mother Jones, Nov. 26

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