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Applying an informal and practical approach, Mona Kerby’s new second edition of An Introduction to Collection Development for School Librarians, published by AASL and ALA Editions, provides beginning librarians with the essential steps to effectively manage a vibrant school library collection. Kerby argues that building a quality collection is no longer enough and offers strategies to ensure that learners actively engage with the materials. Supported by the National School Library Standards and ALA/AASL/CAEP standards for university preparation programs, this resource introduces the key collection development components.

ALA Editions, June 19
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Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Library is hoping to cater to the bookworms who may not have access to materials. Its mobile library program, Library2Go, makes it easy for avid readers to borrow books and rent movies without ever leaving their homes. The service, once known as the Bookmobile, was recently revamped, making it accessible to everyone. “Our mission is to go to those who normally can’t get to the branch, whether it be physical needs, disabilities, or monetary,” said Deshaun Johnson, a Library2Go staffer. The service has expanded to provide wireless printing, provide library cards, and mobile hot spots.

WTVT-TV, Tampa, Fla., June 16
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Haroon Janjua writes: “The tribal district of Darra Adam Khel, located about 85 miles west of Islamabad, Pakistan, is best known for its sprawling weapons bazaar. But a local book lover, Raj Muhammad, hopes it becomes known as the home of the Darra Adam Khel Library. Located near a gun shop that his father built 12 years ago, the library opened in August 2018, and Muhammad considers it a labor of love as well as a message to the area and the wider world. Uninterested in his father’s firearms business, he opened the library to give people in the area better access to books and education.”

New York Times, June 18
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “Penguin Random House comprises the vast majority of ebooks published, and Macmillan and Hachette comprise nearly all the rest. These companies have recently revised their contracts with the public library. Libraries will now have to purchase ebooks that are only good for two-year contracts and then will have to devote the resources to see what books they want to buy again and which ones they do not. This is a far cry from the old policy which only had the library make a one-time purchase for every ebook they wanted. Publishers don’t want to devalue their front-list books and want people to buy them, instead of borrow them.”

Good e-Reader, June 19
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Scientists who study specific types of animals or plants can be challenged by the fact that species information is often limited to only one or two libraries in faraway places. The Biodiversity Heritage Library, headquartered in the Smithsonian Libraries in Washington, D.C., was formed in 2007 as a consortium of institutions dedicated to making taxonomic information openly available through its digital portal. Martin R. Kalfatovic, BHL’s program director, estimates that its 20 member libraries and 22 affiliates have scanned upwards of 147,000 titles, ranging from the 15th century to the present, with information on more than 180 million species.

American Libraries Bookend, June
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A committee has ruled that nine books challenged by the Florida Tea Party and Citizens Alliance should remain, at the very least, on high school library shelves in Ocala, Florida. The committee included three parents, one of whom was a School Advisory Council president. The committee also featured a secondary school librarian, a high school principal, a district curriculum administrator, and three high school staff members. Superintendent Heidi Maier believes that only two of those nine, Killing Mr. Griffin and Angela’s Ashes, should be allowed in middle school libraries.

Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner, June 18
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The Schenectady (N.Y.) City School District’s summer bookmobile made its debut June 15 at the 19th annual Juneteenth festival in the city’s Central Park. Kristina Graves, a Schenectady school librarian and media specialist, said the selection of books offered by the bookmobile fits in perfectly with the Juneteenth theme of celebrating cultural diversity. Some of the titles on display at the bookmobile spoke to the themes of racial and religious oppression and equality. Kerri Messler, K–12 English language arts and library coordinator for the district, said it’s important for the district to curate its book collection with selections acknowledging diversity.

Schenectady (N.Y.) Daily Gazette, June 15