Louis Sachar

July 6, 2015 600 × 800 Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar, author of Holes, at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

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27m

Misha Stone writes: “Post-election, #BookTok entered the political fray, and many media outlets took notice when popular accounts claimed that they were apolitical and that icky politics shouldn’t enter into reading spaces. More critically engaged #BookTok accounts and book influencers on a variety of other platforms pushed back on the notion that reading can or should be apolitical. While there are many reasons that people read, and readers’ advisors are charged to help readers meet those with stories that will entertain and engage them most, none of this is done in a neutral zone where politics do not exist.”

RA For All, Jan. 20; Mashable, Nov. 12; Fast Company, Nov. 13
3h

Gabriel Dorner writes: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries participating in the agency’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot Program January 16. The experimental program will provide government officials with ‘data about the most effective and coordinated way to address the growing cyber needs of schools and libraries,’ then-FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said. With limited funding, schools and libraries are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

Broadband Breakfast, Jan. 17; Federal Communications Commission, Jan. 16
18h

Morgan Matzen writes: “Four librarians and members of the South Dakota Library Association testified before the Senate Education Committee on Thursday about how cuts to the state library would devastate readers, especially in rural communities, and increase costs for local libraries. Gov. Kristi Noem has proposed reducing the state library’s general budget by more than $1 million, full-time employment by 12.5 positions and federal funding by more than $1.3 million.” Doland Community Library (DCL) Director Natasha Noethlich testified that DCL’s usage has grown from 250 people in 2018 to 6,000 last year thanks to state library resources and funding.

Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader, Jan. 16; Keloland.com, Jan. 17
22h

Rosie Newmark writes: “Since multiple wildfires erupted in Los Angeles on January 7, tens of thousands of residents have been displaced or remain on evacuation watch, as fire-fanning winds threaten to continue. Amid the disaster, library systems including Los Angeles County Library, Los Angeles City Public Library, and Altadena Library District, are spearheading efforts to help community members as well as library staff through fundraising and onsite support. ALA has also set up a relief effort through its ALA Disaster Relief Fund.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 22
23h

Gabriel Tynes writes: “An appeal of a lower court January 14 became an inquiry into the broader First Amendment question of whether an inmate’s limited access to reading materials amounted to a de facto ban on books, religious materials and newspapers. A three-judge Eighth Circuit panel heard arguments after officials from Washington County, Arkansas, sought qualified immunity from a lawsuit filed by an inmate who claims his constitutional rights were violated by the jail’s policy limiting access to certain reading materials to electronic tablets and kiosks.”

Courthouse News Service, Jan. 14
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Tara García Mathewson writes: “New data released this week by the DC-based Center for Democracy and Technology shows just how often [blocking of information in schools] happens nationwide. The nonprofit digital rights advocacy organization conducted its fifth annual nationally representative survey of middle and high school teachers and parents as well as high school students about a range of tech issues. About 70% of both teachers and students this year said web filters get in the way of students’ ability to complete their assignments.”

The Markup, Jan. 16; Center for Democracy and Technology, Jan. 15
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ALA filed an amicus brief affirming the importance of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund and the E-rate program that helps power broadband-enabled services and access through US public libraries and schools. More than half of all public libraries each year apply for E-rate funding. The brief is part of the record the Supreme Court will review in two consolidated cases (24-354 and 24-422) that will determine the future of vital funding for universal broadband access.

ALA Public Policy & Advocacy Office, Jan. 17

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