Thousands of school library books missing because of pandemic

Schools nationwide are struggling to recover unreturned library books, seven months after the coronavirus pandemic shut down buildings and displaced students. A Morris County (N.J.) schools superintendent recently issued a plea to parents after more than 1,100 school library books in his K–12 district went missing. In Osceola, Florida, school officials announced last month that they were seeking 37,801 overdue books worth an estimated $756,020. An AASL survey in September found that 54% of school districts were bracing for a collection loss of up to 10%.

NJ.com, Oct. 24

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Rebecca Kheel writes: “A dozen students at Defense Department grade schools across the globe are suing the department after books were removed from libraries, school yearbooks were allegedly censored, and class curriculums were sanitized to implement President Donald Trump’s anti-diversity and anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders. Alleging First Amendment violations, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit April 15 against the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Pentagon on behalf of 12 students in pre-K through 11th grade from six military families who attend schools on bases in Virginia, Kentucky, Italy and Japan. Trump administration book bans at Pentagon institutions have not been isolated to the DoDEA. The Naval Academy recently pulled nearly 400 books from its libraries, and the Associated Press reported that the libraries at West Point and the Air Force Academy have also been directed to review their collections for any books to remove.
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Marjorie Henderson and Taren Urquhart write: “Over the past few decades, the decline in bee populations worldwide from human activity and climate change has led to efforts to mitigate the threat. West Vancouver (B.C.) Memorial Library is making a beeline toward innovation with its unique Mason Bee House Lending Program. Since 2022, patrons have been able to support the health of the local ecosystem by borrowing colonies to care for at home.”

American Libraries Trend, Mar./Apr.
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Ada EZach Knippen writes: “In honor of National Library Week, teachers and staff [at Ada (Ohio) Exempted Village Schools] cooperated on a fun event for their students. Teachers volunteered to be a ‘Masked Reader’ and picked a book to read in their mask, and just like the show The Masked Singer, their voices were modified so the students couldn’t easily guess them. ‘I’ve heard kids of all ages, I’m saying kindergarten through 12th grade, who have just been chattering this week about the videos that they saw and guessing who they were,’ said District Librarian Chanda Smith.”

WLIO-TV (Lima, Ohio), Apr. 10
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “Are you the only person thinking about user experience (UX) at your library? Most libraries don’t have a whole team dedicated to UX, so you’re not alone, even if it feels like it! This post offers practical tips, moral support, and bite-sized UX wins for solo UX advocates trying to make change from within. When you’re flying solo, it’s all too easy to underestimate the amount of time, mental energy, and emotional labor that it may take to conduct just one study. So start small.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Apr. 14
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“Elton John’s monumental album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the original cast recording of Broadway’s Hamilton, and Microsoft’s reboot chime have been selected as some of the defining sounds of history and culture that will join the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. On April 9, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage. The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry this year bring the number of titles on the registry to 675.”

Library of Congress, Apr. 9
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“Due to continued challenges in accessing federal funding, the Maine State Library will temporarily close and reorganize its operations. This decision follows layoff notices issued this week to 13 employees whose positions are funded through a program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, DC. The library tentatively plans to reopen to the public on April 28. IMLS support accounts for approximately 30% of the library’s annual budget, and the 13 affected employees represent about 30% of its staff. Should access to federal funding be reinstated, the layoffs may be reversed.”

Maine State Library, Apr. 10
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Brittany Allen writes: “The American Academy of Poets launched National Poetry Month in 1996. Reviving a recent tradition, the fine minds at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (FSG) are celebrating the sonnet in style this spring. Every weekday this entire month, you can call the FSG Poetry Hotline (385-DIAL-FSG) and hear an FSG author read a poem, right into your personal ear.” For recommendations of poetry books, see lists from NCW Libraries in Washington; Utah State University; Canton (Mich.) Public Library; Boston Public Library; or St. Joe County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana.

Literary Hub, Apr. 1; NCW Libraries, Apr. 9; Utah State University, Apr. 7; Canton (Mich.) Public Library, Jan. 8; Boston Public Library; St. Joe County (South Bend, Ind.) Public Library, Apr. 10

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