June 2024

Features & Trends

2024 Annual Conference Preview

By Diana Panuncial

Annual promises an array of educational programs, speakers and authors, unique exhibitors, awards and celebrations, and networking opportunities. Making a return appearance from LibLearnX in January, a selection of Timely Topics—categories of sessions pertaining to current, critical issues in the profession—will be featured: artificial intelligence (AI), health and wellness, intellectual freedom, justice-involved services, and strategic … Continue reading 2024 Annual Conference Preview →

A table with a spread of different seafood dishes

A Taste of San Diego

By Maribeth Mellin

Seafood takes top billing at many spots, along with the region’s exceptional produce. Chefs put a SoCal twist on everything from sushi to Wagyu steaks, with inspired global flourishes everywhere. Mexican dishes and influences pop up in all sorts of menus, thanks to our proximity to the busiest land border crossing in the US. San … Continue reading A Taste of San Diego →

Seeking Sanctuary

By Ed Finkel

Texas House Bill 900, which would have restricted materials in school libraries and required vendors to assign book ratings based on so-called appropriateness before selling them to schools, had just been signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June and was set to go into effect September 1, 2023. (On September 19, the bill was temporarily blocked … Continue reading Seeking Sanctuary →

Working for Well-Being
By Emily Udell
Shaking Up Science
By Greg Landgraf
Sip, Sip, Hooray
By Cass Balzer
A Greener Way to Read
By Amy K. Alapati and Maranda Schoppert and Sean Riley
Newsmaker: Dave Eggers
By Donna Seaman
By the Numbers: Literary San Diego
By Megan Bennett
Bookend: From A to Zoo
By Megan Bennett

Columnists

United for Success
By Emily Drabinski
Citational Justice
By Sheila Craft-Morgan
Campus Connections
By Dani Carmack and Jessica Quarles
Inclusive Early Literacy
By Kate Brunner
Prioritizing Trans Privacy
By Mel Baldwin
Instruction Junction
By Reanna Esmail

Latest Library Links

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Jennifer Schuessler writes: “Today, figures like [Arturo Alfonso] Schomburg and the historian and activist W.E.B. Du Bois (another collector and compiler of Black books) are hailed as the founders of the 20th-century Black intellectual tradition. But increasingly, scholars are also uncovering the important role of the women who often ran the libraries [such as New York Public Library’s 135^th Street Branch, now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture], where they built collections and—just as important—communities of readers. Many were among the first Black women to attend library school.”

New York Times, June 19
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Ruby Helyer writes: “Despite being expensive and having difficult-to-cancel long-term subscription plans, Adobe has monopolized the creative design industry. I curated the perfect list of free alternatives to all of Adobe’s major creative software apps, so you can pursue your creativity without paying a penny.” Included in the list are alternatives to Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, Premiere Pro, InDesign, Adobe Express, and Acrobat.

MakeUseOf, June 21
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Meghan Phillips writes: “In recent discussions at conferences and within local networks, a recurring topic has been the restructuring of library departments. Whether you are a middle manager or the person being managed, it is difficult to transition. In a large system, different departments can have vastly different managers and managing styles. In my experience, I was the one being moved to a new department. Although the major aspects of my job and job description remained the same, it was impossible for my working style not to change. Here are some tips that I found useful.”

Public Libraries Online, June 19
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“The Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is aware that Midwest Tape/Hoopla plans to offer an audience or content filtering system to librarians and library workers. OIF has reached out to Midwest Tape to discuss our concerns about the proposal. While we appreciate that Midwest Tape has clarified that the Universal Content Ratings System is not intended to apply additional public-facing ratings to library materials and will not be public or available to library users, we have ongoing concerns about utilizing ratings and categories that resemble morality-based labels and filtering systems.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, June 24; Book Riot, June 20
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Matthew Weirick Johnson writes: “In the past four decades, we’ve come a long way in recognizing the prevalence of burnout among librarians. However, library leaders need to activate this recognition to develop meaningful solutions. As we move past proving that librarians are burning out, we need to consider causes and responses, looking beyond individual actions and self-care. We need to examine the professional, organizational, and occupational causes of burnout, including those that are unique to librarianship, libraries, and library workers, and determine practical approaches for library workers and leaders to identify and ameliorate them.”

Association of College and Research Libraries Keeping Up With…, June
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Claire Savage writes: “Idaho librarian June Meissner was closing up for the day at the downtown Boise Public Library when a man approached her asking for help. As an information services librarian, answering patrons’ questions is part of Meissner’s day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job. But when the man got close enough, ‘he took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,’ said Meissner, a transgender woman. ‘I blocked it, and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.’”

Associated Press, June 22
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Philip Kennicott writes: “The Great Hall of the Folger Shakespeare Library [in Washington, DC] used to be a dark space, its tall windows covered to prevent damage to the rare books and documents on display there. Today, the light floods in, illuminating the Great Hall’s intricate wood paneling, the ornate plaster ceiling and the two curious seals—an eagle for the US and the coat of arms of Elizabeth I—above the doors. After a more than four-year renovation and expansion, the Folger is a building transformed, better able to serve its core mission of scholarship, but with greatly expanded public access.”

Washington Post, June 21

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