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  • 10m
    Boris Johnson cabinet meeting on Zoom

    Bruce Schneier writes: “Over the past few weeks, Zoom’s use has exploded since it became the video conferencing platform of choice in today’s COVID-19 world. (My own university, Harvard, uses it for all of its classes.) Over that same period, the company has been exposed for having both lousy privacy and lousy security. My goal here is to summarize all of the problems and talk about solutions and workarounds. In general, Zoom’s problems fall into three broad buckets: (1) bad privacy practices, (2) bad security practices, and (3) bad user configurations.”

    Schneier on Security, Apr. 3

  • Latest Library Links

    • 16h

      SHLB 2021 Policy RoadmapThe Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (of which ALA is a member) has issued a policy roadmap for 2021, laying out its mission of supplying internet access to an estimated 42 million unconnected people in the US. At the heart of the solution is reliance on “community anchor institutions” such as K–12 districts, colleges and universities, libraries, hospitals, health clinics, public housing communities, and houses of worship.

      Campus Technology, Jan. 26

    • 17h

      Reiss Hall, Dartmouth CollegeJoshua Kim, director of online programs and strategy at the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, writes: “What do you miss most about going to campus every day? What are you looking forward to most when everyone is vaccinated and campus operations shift to the new post-pandemic normal? Me? I’m looking forward to hanging out once again at the library.”

      Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 26

    • 17h

      ALA Virtual Midwinter logoALA’s 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual came to an end on January 25 with Closing Session Speaker and First Lady of the United States Jill Biden expressing her love for learning and libraries: “My message to you is to never forget what you’re doing matters.” ALA Council took several actions during its three Midwinter sessions, including passing resolutions condemning white supremacy and fascism, opposing facial recognition software in libraries, and supporting COVID-19 vaccines for library workers. See The Scoop for all American Libraries coverage of Midwinter Virtual.

      AL: The Scoop, Jan. 25

    • 18h

      The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.The Library of Congress is starting an initiative to expand its collection, encourage diversity among future librarians and archivists and make it easier for members of minority groups to explore the library’s digital archives. The program will be instituted over the next four years and is funded with a $15 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

      New York Times, Jan. 27

    • 18h

      Screenshot from NARA Trump Library pageAnthony Clark writes: “For months, as the end of Donald Trump’s term approached, historians and journalists have been playing a speculation game: What will Donald Trump’s presidential library be like? ‘A shrine to his ego,’ predicted a historian in the Washington Post. Others imagine a theme park, or a ‘full MAGA’ exercise in rebranding his presidency. One report said he’s trying to raise an astonishing $2 billion to build it. Here’s another, more likely possibility: There won’t be one.”

      Politico, Jan. 22

    • 18h

      Pearls Before Swine by Stephan PatsisJordan Smith writes: “This past week the comic strip syndicate Andrews McNeel pulled five strips of creator Stephan Pastis’s Pearls Before Swine comic, effectively removing it from 850 newspapers nationwide. A set of five replacement strips, also by Pastis, were run in their place. The strips were pulled because they dealt with a coup at the capital and would have appeared shortly after the attempted coup at our own Capitol Building. It may seem like censorship at first but, it is, in fact, an example of editorial discretion.”

      Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Jan. 22

    • 19h

      COVID-19 misinformationLucas Maxwell writes: “In the school library that I manage, I am trying to ensure students ages 11–19 are aware of the scourge that is ‘fake news.’ Don’t get me wrong, students are aware of it, but they aren’t necessarily tuned in to how dangerous it can be, especially in today’s fragmented media landscape.”

      Book Riot, Jan. 25

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