Panelist Juan Rubio speaks at "AI and Libraries: A Discussion on the Future," a January 21 session at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore

Using AI Responsibly

January 21, 2024

He had double checked all of its recommendations except for one specific restaurant in Kyoto. “When we arrived, there was a laundromat where the restaurant was,” he said. In fact, after some research he discovered that there never was a restaurant there at all. Navigating misinformation and weighing ethical and privacy issues in artificial intelligence … Continue reading Using AI Responsibly


Robbie Barber, teacher-librarian at Tucker (Ga.) High School shared some of the ways she engages students in digital image literacy at the 2023 American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.

That Light Looks Weird

June 26, 2023

Robbie Barber, teacher-librarian at Tucker (Ga.) High School, shared some of the ways she engages students in digital image literacy in her session “Picture This! The Literacy of Digital Images” at the American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 26. “The more knowledge and experience people have, the better they … Continue reading That Light Looks Weird



Mending Broken Links

Mending Broken Links

November 1, 2022

Like most labor performed in technical services, the work required to maintain e-resources and resolve access issues is largely veiled. We hope that highlighting the breadth and depth of e-resource access issues will help nontechnical services staffers better understand them. We also hope library administrators will reconsider what support—especially staffing—needs to be allocated to maintaining … Continue reading Mending Broken Links


Special Report: Toward an Equitable Digital Future

March 1, 2022

Even as lockdowns have eased and most schools and libraries have reopened, the availability of reliable broadband, devices, and digital literacy training remains critical—whether for schoolwork, employment, public services, telehealth visits, social connections, or civic participation. And this need will grow exponentially as technology infrastructure continues to evolve. Library workers have been working to address … Continue reading Special Report: Toward an Equitable Digital Future


Moving the Needle

March 1, 2022

1: Look around The first step is to take inventory of what digital programs, services, resources, and staffing already exist in your library and identify gaps and opportunities, says Larra Clark, deputy director of PLA and ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office. “That’s the number one thing—where are you today? No matter who you are, … Continue reading Moving the Needle


During the pandemic, Long Beach (Calif.) Public Library launched Tech To-Go, a Chromebook and hotspot lending service, while Digital Durham (in North Carolina) created fliers in English and Spanish that explain the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.

Getting There Together

March 1, 2022

“During the pandemic, the number of place-based digital inclusion coalitions has more than tripled,” says Angela Siefer, director of the nonprofit National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), a community of digital inclusion practitioners and policymakers. “The sudden awareness of digital inequities and the need for coordinated solutions caused folks to come together, [and] libraries are often … Continue reading Getting There Together


Image of ALA President Patricia "Patty" M. Wong

We Must Lead on Digital Equity

March 1, 2022

A Public Library Association study released in September 2021 provides a current picture of how libraries serve as digital equity hubs. The study found that more than 88% of all public libraries offer formal or informal digital literacy programming, more than one-third (36.7%) have dedicated digital literacy and technology programs and training staff, and more than … Continue reading We Must Lead on Digital Equity


Youth Matters, by Molly June Roquet

Rethinking Digital Literacy

March 1, 2022

But instead of helping students understand these phenomena, digital literacy curricula tend to focus on individual behavior and responsibilities: Do protect your private information. Don’t cyberbully your classmates. Do use citations. These lessons often aim to correct perceived misbehavior or build academic skills but do little to raise students’ awareness of the complex social issues … Continue reading Rethinking Digital Literacy


Photo of Dispatches author Carson Block

Diagnose and Fix

November 1, 2021

The Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit is a free, open source learning, diagnostic, and advocacy resource funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The kit’s Creative Commons license allows users to remix, adapt, and build on the work, making it a powerful starting point for training in library organizations. The toolkit’s aim is to … Continue reading Diagnose and Fix


Dispatches by Heather Moorefield-Lang

Digital Legacy Planning

September 1, 2020

The themes of afterlife and legacy have become prominent in popular media over the past few years, but the lifecycle of our digital footprint is less understood. The Digital Legacy Association, a British organization that hosts annual conferences on the topic, defines digital legacy as the digital information left behind when a person dies. How … Continue reading Digital Legacy Planning


Digital Badges

May 1, 2019

In education Digital badges encourage students to cultivate and showcase granular skills beyond their report cards and prepare them for the workplace. In Teaching with Digital Badges: Best Practices for Libraries (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), contributing author Amanda Rose Fuller details a workforce-readiness digital badge initiative developed at Aurora (Colo.) Public Schools. This program, designed … Continue reading Digital Badges