We are the majority: A report from ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Summit

Nikole Hannah-Jones, holding the microphone as keynote speaker Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “More than 120 anti-censorship advocates convened September 17 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., for a daylong Intellectual Freedom Summit. The event, organized by ALA, aimed to strengthen partnerships and sharpen strategy in the battle against book challenges. The last ALA Intellectual Freedom Summit was held in 1953 and produced the Freedom to Read Statement.” This year’s event featured an opening keynote by 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, and speakers, panels, and breakout sessions addressing specific censorship campaigns and general strategies for fighting censorship. Also read the American Association of School Librarians’ recap.

AL: The Scoop, Sept. 19; Knowledge Quest, Sept. 23

Latest Library Links

3h

Nick Tanzi writes: “When libraries encounter an emerging technology, we seek to identify both the threats and opportunities for our organizations. Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a significant communication challenge for libraries, requiring engagement with multiple audiences.” This post discusses the information about AI that libraries should be communicating to their staff, users, and vendors.

The Digital Librarian, Dec. 4
8h

Mike Masnick writes: “Companies that used to provide real value are now focused on extracting more value from users. There was a time when many people felt more fulfilled after using new innovations that helped them do new things. We’ve replaced that with engagement metrics, growth hacks, and AI slop. The tech industry spent the last decade optimizing for shareholder value and calling it innovation. A group of us decided to articulate what the alternative actually looks like. We’re calling it the Resonant Computing Manifesto, and it’s an attempt to reclaim what innovation should mean.”

Techdirt, Dec. 5
1d

Claire Woodcock writes: “As prices for streaming subscriptions continue to soar, people are turning to the unexpected last stronghold of physical media: the public library. Films and TV shows on streaming also become more vulnerable when companies merge. Some streaming platforms just outright remove their own intellectual property from their catalogs if the content is no longer deemed financially viable, well-performing, or is no longer a strategic priority. The data-driven recommendation systems streaming platforms use tend to favor newer, more easily categorized content, and are starting to warp our perceptions of what classic media exists and matters.”

404 Media, Dec. 3
1d

Annaliese Melvin writes: “As librarians, it is essential to highlight individuals with disabilities in our programs and our collections. However, it is also necessary to critically evaluate titles that are in your collection or that you are considering adding to the collection to ensure that they portray people with disabilities in an appropriate manner. Here is a list of ideas for evaluating books from several different sources and further resources for deeper research.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 6
2d

Steve Tetreault writes: “There are a growing number of reasons to be concerned about Google’s products and services. But many schools are Google schools, with Gmail and Google Drive accounts for everyone. So you, like I, might be stuck with Google for a while. A friend was recently trying to access some items in her state library organization account from her school Chromebook. She was having all kinds of difficulty, and I realized she didn’t know about Chrome Profiles. The Chrome browser, and most Chromebooks, allow you to log in to multiple Google accounts at once and toggle between them.”

Knowledge Quest, Dec. 8
2d

Jan Wolfe writes: “On December 8, the US Supreme Court opted not to hear an appeal by a group of residents of Llano County, Texas, of a judicial decision allowing local officials to remove 17 books that these officials deemed objectionable from public libraries. The justices let stand the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision allowing the removal of books, including ones dealing with themes of race and LGBT identity, from its public library system. The decision applies to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, but does not set a nationwide legal precedent.”

Reuters, Dec. 8; United Press International, May 24
2d

ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) announced in April its second cohort of classic titles—games that are more than 10 years old—to be included in the Classics Hall of Fame for its Platinum Play Award (the “Platy”). GameRT’s Awards Committee chose these titles based on their historical and ongoing excellence for library use, whether in collections or programs. Board games, card games, videogames, tabletop games, and games in other formats are eligible. 2025 inductees include Car Wars, Ticket to Ride, Zork, ESPN Fantasy Sports, Madden NFL, and Uno.

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.

View more Latest Library Links