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  • 1y

    Hand with illustrations of emails flying out of itCaroline Mimbs Nyce writes: “When it works, search is magical. Google Search, for all of its problems, can pull information from an infinitely growing web in just a second or two, maybe before you even finish typing in your query. But searching a comparatively tiny inbox of your own emails is functionally hit or miss. The frustration of searching your messages feels particularly silly considering that Google makes both the most popular search engine and one of the most popular email clients in the world. But our search woes do make perfect technical sense.”

    The Atlantic, Dec. 13

  • Latest Library Links

    • 2d

      Jen Miller social media accountsSerra Sowers writes: “Jen Miller, librarian at Northern Guilford Middle School in Greensboro, North Carolina, is turning the page on lost book fees thanks to donations from a community of book lovers. With the end of the school year just days away, it’s a race against time to get books back on the shelves and clear student debt. When her social media account went viral, she started the Book Return Game—using her platform to keep tally of overdue copies and mobilize followers to help her replace books that never came back. Since then, she’s surprised schools locally and across the country with books.”

      WXII-TV (Winston-Salem, N.C.), May 31

    • 2d

      Lineup of booksFelicity Dachel writes: “A Minnesota school district is doing away with a book ban, settling a lawsuit that argued the ban was unlawful. The suit was brought against St. Francis Area Schools by Education Minnesota on behalf of eight students, all of whom have parents working as teachers across St. Francis schools.” The settlement requires the district to replace a policy that required selections align with the now-defunct Moms For Library–affiliated website booklooks.org with one that guarantees the input of qualified media specialists and follows a 2024 Minnesota state law that prohibits libraries and schools from banning books.

      KARE-TV (Minneapolis), June 10; Words and Money, June 11; The Minnesota Daily, June 23, 2024

    • 2d

      AI on a microchipElissa Malespina writes: “In our seven-part series, we’ve explored AI’s role in personalized learning, assessments, research, libraries, and ethical considerations. Now, we focus on how educators and librarians can navigate the evolving AI landscape and ensure responsible integration. Librarians are essential in the AI-driven knowledge ecosystem, ensuring that students and patrons navigate AI-generated information critically and ethically.”

      The AI School Librarian, June 9

    • 2d

      Student studying in an academic libraryStephen Town writes: “Little research exists about how library leaders develop their ethical identity, how they manage their work to facilitate library excellence, and how they overcome the difficult and complex problems arising in the academic context. This study provides evidence and a unique perspective toward answering these questions, based on narratives from research library leaders demonstrating the deployment of a range of virtues to improve the character and performance of their libraries.”

      portal: Libraries and the Academy, vol. 25 no. 3, July

    • 3d

      Carla HaydenRobert Costa writes: “On May 8, Carla Hayden received an email, one she thought may have been fake. It began simply, ‘Carla,’ and stated: ‘On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately.’ Hayden said there had never been any issues between her and President Trump. Hayden’s firing is seen by many as part of a broader story.”

      CBS News Sunday Morning, June 8

    • 3d

      Student being aided by a teacher in a library.Chelsey Roos writes: “Families with students in special education may not get all the support they need from public libraries in the lead up to a new school year. Navigating the special education system is challenging. There are individualized education programs (IEPs), 504s, evaluations, and tons of documentation, and families new to the IEP system can find it especially overwhelming. But what if the library could build a program that connected parents and caregivers with the expert advice and support they needed before they begin another adventure through special education?”

      ALSC Blog, June 7

    • 3d

      RobotPeter Broadwell and Lindsay King write: “Facing a digital accessibility compliance deadline, we wondered whether and how AI tools could be implemented to generate alt text for existing online images within the Stanford Libraries’ digital exhibits. New large language models called ‘vision language’ models have a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between text and image. Could we bring vision language models’ understanding of the images together with existing metadata to create alt text that would be useful to patrons who need it?”

      Choice: LibTech Insights, June 9

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