September/October 2022

Features & Trends

Photo of Fulton County (Georgia) Library System's Central Library in Atlanta

2022 Library Design Showcase

By Sallyann Price

Environmentally sound Fulton County (Ga.) Library System, Central Library in Atlanta The interior design of the renovated downtown Central Library prioritizes accessibility, flexibility, and transparency, with large windows, multipurpose collaboration spaces, and a two-story atrium wrapping around a central staircase. The building, which is LEED Gold–certified, also emphasizes sustainability. By renovating instead of building entirely … Continue reading 2022 Library Design Showcase →

2022 ALA/AIA Library Building Awards

The following libraries are winners of the 2022 Library Building Awards, sponsored by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures (a division of the American Library Association) and the American Institute of Architects. The awards recognize the best in library architecture and design and are open to any architect licensed in the United States. Projects may be located … Continue reading 2022 ALA/AIA Library Building Awards →

2022 ALA Award Winners

Winners were honored at a ceremony and reception held June 26 at ALA’s 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. This selection represents only some of those recognized in 2022; for a complete list, visit ala.org/awardsgrants. Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award Lessa Kanani‘opua Pelayo-Lozada Pelayo-Lozada, who now serves as ALA president, has … Continue reading 2022 ALA Award Winners →

Columnists

Latest Library Links

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Tania Otero Martinez writes: “Since a shocking plunge in math and reading scores on the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, educators, administrators, and policymakers have grappled with how to address learning challenges following the pandemic. One factor that has largely escaped notice, however, is the role school libraries and librarians play in academic performance. School libraries are too often treated as a luxury rather than an essential part of the public education system with a proven impact on learning. It is time to turn around years of disinvestment in school libraries and librarians.”

Center for American Progress, Apr. 18
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Cynthia Hudson Vitale writes: “The Association of Research Libraries has issued a set of Research Libraries Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI technologies, and in particular, generative AI, have significant potential to improve access to information and advance openness in research outputs. AI also has the potential to disrupt information landscapes and the communities that research libraries support and serve. The increasing availability of AI models sparks many possibilities and raises several ethical, professional, and legal considerations. These principles will serve as a foundational framework for the ethical and transparent use of AI and reflect the values we hold in research libraries.”

Association of Research Libraries, Apr. 25
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Orlando Mayorquín writes: “Less than two weeks after a Pennsylvania school board unanimously voted to cancel a gay author’s anti-bullying speech at a middle school, the board voted Wednesday night to reverse its decision and reinstate the event amid pressure from parents, students and administrators. The 5-to-4 vote by the Cumberland Valley School District’s board came in front of scores of community members who packed a high school auditorium and, for several hours, chastised the board for having canceled the event featuring the actor and author Maulik Pancholy over what they said were homophobic concerns.”

New York Times, Apr. 24
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Kim Kardashian may have been the headline guest on the April 23 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but the highlight of the show was a World Book Day segment about antilibrarian bills. Kimmel said “There are at least a hundred bills in various red states, three of which have become law already, threatening librarians with prison for the crime of lending books.” He then turned the segment over to real-life librarians to clarify that they give out library cards and offer storytimes rather than “grooming” children or spreading Satanism and meth. One of the featured librarians concluded the segment by declaring “You can have To Kill a Mockingbird when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!”

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Apr. 23
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Lauren Feiner writes: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3–2 to restore net neutrality rules, reversing a repeal ushered through during the Trump administration. Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers should not be able to discriminate against different kinds of content by blocking or throttling connection speeds or offering paid prioritization for different internet traffic.” The new rules are similar to those originally adopted in 2015 and repealed in 2017, but also include language preventing network slicing, in which internet service providers prioritize certain traffic by using 5G technology to create virtual subnetworks that prioritize certain subscribers who pay for a premium subscription.

The Verge, Apr. 25; Gizmodo, Apr. 25
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“A new Taylor Swift album is always a big event on the internet, including fans carefully reading into every line for hidden meaning—a little like close reading poetry. But while Swifties have celebrated Taylor Swift’s lyricism from the beginning, no album invites comparisons to literature quite like The Tortured Poets Department, if just for the title. Already, outlets have been putting together reading lists to pair with each song on the album. Here are just a few to get you started.”

Book Riot, Apr. 22
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Chris Hoffman writes: “When I was younger, I was told ‘never use your real name on the internet.’ But the world has changed, and I don’t follow that advice anymore. Likewise, there’s a lot of well-meaning online security advice that has outlasted its usefulness. There’s a core of truth to each one of the security practices I criticize below, but you shouldn’t blindly follow these old tips. At best, you’ll be wasting your time. At worst, you’ll be putting yourself more at risk. Read on to learn more about the five outdated security practices you shouldn’t use anymore.”

PC World, Apr. 17