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EPA librarians and interns. Front, from left: Jane Bethel, Jessica Dixon, Lisa Becksford, Anna Loewenthal, Ebony McDonald, library director Susan Forbes. Back, from left: Catherine Field, Aurora Cobb, Jessica Yankowski, Eric Brownell, and Anthony Holderied.

Forty Years of Interns—UNC-Chapel Hill

By Bailey Brewer | June 19, 2015

“I had so little experience in libraries before I went to library school,” she says. “So I was especially keen to get some real-world experience.” Lucky for her, there was a library—the Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park (EPA-RTP) Library—that would offer Lamoureux an internship with that real-world experience she was craving. The internship, she … Continue reading Forty Years of Interns—UNC-Chapel Hill →

Empowering Libraries to Innovate

By Larra Clark | June 18, 2015

At the same time, ALA and libraries have been exploring additional options for empowering our users to discover and publish digital content, considering privacy and preservation concerns, and expanding the lens of focus to other forms of digital content. The most recent round of John S. and James L. Knight Foundation challenge grants intersects in … Continue reading Empowering Libraries to Innovate →

All Ears This Summer

By Jennifer Burek Pierce | June 17, 2015

The transformation of enthusiasm into expertise on the ways that audiobooks cultivate young people’s literacy skills is of keen interest to Sharon Grover. Grover, head of youth services at Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin, says audiobooks can help children and teens build and sustain vocabulary. Grover notes that this is especially important during summer … Continue reading All Ears This Summer →

Toward the Post-Privacy Library?

By Eric Hellman | June 16, 2015

Noticing this, a librarian calls up some local merchants and tells them that Alice might be pregnant. When Alice visits her local bookstore, the staff has some great suggestions about newborn care for her. The local drugstore sends her coupons for scent-free skin lotion. She reads What to Expect When You’re Expecting at the library, … Continue reading Toward the Post-Privacy Library? →

Future-Proof Your Project

By Meredith Farkas | June 15, 2015

It is easier to leave a project behind when you know there are people equipped and committed to supporting it. I’ve heard horror stories about libraries that have not been able to maintain technologies—from blogs and Facebook pages to mission-critical, homegrown software—after an employee left. It’s challenging to think of leaving as part of project … Continue reading Future-Proof Your Project →

Looking Back, Looking Forward

By Hilda K. Weisburg and Ruth Toor | June 12, 2015

With input from your principal, you must decide when to stop circulating material and whether or not to do an inventory. In addition, you need to handle issues relating to lost and overdue books, as well as end-of-year reports and final cleanup. Bringing the year to a close You customarily need an official date when … Continue reading Looking Back, Looking Forward →

The National Digital Platform for Libraries and Museums

By Maura Marx and Trevor Owens | June 11, 2015

In each of these situations, staffers work to solve local needs for their institutions’ communities and constituencies. These professionals are also contributing directly to regional and national efforts. The local work at each of these organizations is making use of and contributing to the national digital platform for libraries and museums. The national digital platform … Continue reading The National Digital Platform for Libraries and Museums →

Keeping up with continuing education

By Karen Muller | June 10, 2015

The 9th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, edited by Trina Magi with Martin Garnar for the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, has been completely recast from earlier editions. The policies and guidelines; essays on issues, principles, and law; and practical help all remain. Added are information on copyright, tips for responding to … Continue reading Keeping up with continuing education →

Transforming the Library Profession

By Hallie Rich and Sari Feldman | June 9, 2015

The good news for libraries is that investment in drivers of inclusive growth—public services such as schools, libraries, and telecommunications infrastructure—represents a critically important risk mitigation strategy. Education and knowledge are essential to successful communities, organizations, and economies, and they represent the future for the information profession if, of course, library professionals keep pace with … Continue reading Transforming the Library Profession →

Scott County (Ky.) conducted a simulation of an active shooter event in their library, producing a video. (Photo: Georgetown [Ky.] Police Department)

Libraries Invest in Active Shooter Training

By Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer | June 8, 2015

If guards are on duty at a library, they are typically not armed. In small communities, only one staff member may be working in the space. This is why, in addition to fire drills and emergency planning, libraries are beginning to offer training to react to an active shooter. As defined by the Department of … Continue reading Libraries Invest in Active Shooter Training →

ToshoCon, was presented by Salt Lake County (Utah) Library Services (SLCLS) in August 2014

Making Geeks

By Carrie Rogers-Whitehead | June 5, 2015

This scene from the second annual teen anime convention, known as ToshoCon, was presented by Salt Lake County (Utah) Library Services (SLCLS) in August 2014. And it’s just one example of libraries holding similar events around the country, filling a gap, providing a service, and having fun. As Cassidy Ward, an adult moderator at ToshoCon … Continue reading Making Geeks →

Click, Click, Read

By James English and Micah May | June 4, 2015

Then, before reading, what if users had to navigate a complex registration process that could take well over an hour and create user accounts with the for-profit providers, who then try to sell them books while they browse for something to borrow? While some libraries have outsourced library services to private contractors, this approach has … Continue reading Click, Click, Read →

Latest Library Links

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Lexi Kadis writes: “I was in a state of perpetual déjà vu throughout the spring 2026 semester. Just a year ago, I was on the academic librarian job market—revising CVs, writing cover letters, interviewing—and now, I was helping six MLIS graduate students navigate the job search process. I have learned that supporting MLIS students on the job market takes a great deal of time, energy, and emotional labor, and I wanted to share my experiences and perspective on how to provide effective and sustainable mentorship to MLIS students.”

ACRLog, June 11
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Greta Heng, Patricia Lampron, and Myung-Ja Han write: “While generative artificial intelligence (AI) shows some potential as a supplementary tool, it is not capable of replacing catalogers. Metadata creation is not merely a task of transcription or extracting information from a cover page; it requires critical judgment, subject expertise, and contextual understanding that current generative AI models are not capable of replicating. The inability of these tools to consistently follow detailed cataloging rules, validate authority data, or apply complex subject headings highlights their limitations and immaturity in the library domain. Responsible integration of AI into cataloging workflows must acknowledge these shortcomings and guard against overreliance.”

Information Technology and Libraries, vol. 45, no. 2, June 15
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Joey Wender writes: “On June 4, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a draft proposal that should alarm schools and libraries around the country. Tucked inside a long document is a direct question: Should the E-Rate program be ‘limited or sunset’? When E-Rate began in the late 1990s, most schools and libraries had little or no internet access. Today, nearly every school in the country has a high-speed connection. The FCC points to that success and suggests the job is finished. The reality is the opposite. That connectivity exists because E-Rate supports it year after year.”

American Libraries Online, June 16, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society Digital Beat, June 11
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Earlier this year, Sarah Lamdan was promoted to executive director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) after joining the Association in 2024 as OIF deputy director. Prior to joining ALA, Lamdan was a librarian and law professor at City University of New York School of Law, where her research focused on information access, privacy, and other legal issues related to librarianship. She is author of two books, most recently Data Cartels, which looks at privacy and access as they relate to data analytics companies and platforms. Lamdan answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

AL: The Scoop, June 16
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Alejandro Marquez writes: “When I graduated from library school, I wanted to become an administrator. I envisioned myself leading teams, shaping the direction of the organization I joined, and advocating for the people and projects I believed in. However, I encountered persistent constraints around budgets and time, faced overwhelming workloads, and, most significantly, was confronted with the ongoing need to support and mentor struggling colleagues. A significant number of talented and dedicated library workers are saying ‘no’ to traditional managerial roles. This essay will explore the factors driving this trend.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, June 9
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Elizabeth Szkirpan writes: “Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming ubiquitous. Its integration is not just limited to our personal technology but now also includes library resources. Meanwhile, vendors are constantly introducing new tools or integrations into existing products, and we must measure emerging AI platforms against our library’s tried-and-true resources to gauge which ones truly bring a new perspective or added value to our collections. To cut through the noise, I’ve narrowed down my queries for vendors to five questions to better understand how a new AI tool might enhance my library’s user experience.”

American Libraries feature, Summer
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Donna Seaman writes: “Megha Majumdar lit up the book world in 2020 with her first novel, A Burning, a galvanizing tale of social media and tyranny. It became a bestseller, was named best book of the year by many publications, and was a finalist for ALA’s Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Her gripping second novel, A Guardian and a Thief, is set in a near-future Kolkata besieged by the ever-worsening climate crisis. It received this year’s Carnegie Medal, which will be presented to Majumdar on June 27 at ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.”

American Libraries Trend, Summer

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