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

8h

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Writers Guild Initiative are hosting a unique series of writer’s workshops that help participants use writing to reflect on experiences, share insights, identify a path forward, and make their voices heard. The workshops will pair 25 librarians with professional film and television writers. All librarians are invited to apply by December 16. Participants will be randomly selected for the four-session online series taking place from February 1 through March 8, 2025.

Office for Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 20
11h

Cass Balzer writes: “What would you do to keep your child clean, dry, and healthy? Skip meals? Miss bill payments? Take on an extra job? For nearly half of US families with young children, the answer is: All of the above and more. A National Diaper Bank Network study found that in 2023, an unprecedented 47% of families with young children nationwide struggled to afford diapers. In response, libraries have stepped up to distribute these critical supplies. Though they can be challenging to fund and coordinate, these programs are immensely popular and—for many communities—vital.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
15h

Ana Ndumu writes: “For more than a century, American libraries of all types have helped immigrants integrate, worked with municipalities to cultivate welcoming communities, and supported laws to shape our immigration system. With immigrants making up 13.8% of our population, the US is more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse than ever before. But for many library workers, staying abreast of the fraught immigration policy landscape is challenging. Laws shift rapidly, with initiatives introduced or eliminated according to political agendas. Here are additional resources library workers can use to educate themselves or network with others administering to immigrant communities.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Michael Kan writes: “Are you still using ‘chocolate,’ ‘naruto,’ or ‘monkey’ for your passwords? You really need to stop. All three are among the most commonly used passwords, putting your accounts at risk of hacking, according to new data from NordPass. The password manager’s sixth annual list of the top 200 most commonly used passwords is pulled from a 2.5TB dataset of stolen logins taken from various sources.” ZDNet offers tips for creating stronger passwords and improved security measures.

PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
4d

John Sharp writes: “Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama, and there is no mistaking their conservative bona fides. But according to early statistics about library card applications, their libraries appear to be bucking a trend embraced by conservative-leaning groups and the Alabama GOP: Their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries. More than 60% of parents at Fairhope Public Library and Athens-Limestone County Public Library have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.”

AL.com, Nov. 17
4d

Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
5d

Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19

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