intellectual freedom Archives | Page 13 of 30

Mikes Fail, Lights Flash, but Stone and Kuznick Forge Ahead

By Phil Morehart | July 2, 2013

Oliver Stone, the Academy Award–winning writer and director of Platoon, Wall Street, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, and other films, and Peter Kuznick, professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and the author of countless books on science and politics, nuclear history, and Cold … Continue reading Mikes Fail, Lights Flash, but Stone and Kuznick Forge Ahead →

Remembering Ray Bradbury

By Phil Morehart | July 2, 2013

Ray Bradbury’s influence on literature, film, television, art, library advocacy, and more is unparalleled. The late author was one of our great thinkers: curious, unflappable, and passionate about truth, literacy, and open access of information. “Book on Fire: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Fahrenheit 451,” a panel discussion sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee, celebrated … Continue reading Remembering Ray Bradbury →

Whistleblower Issues Dominate Council III Session

By Laurie D. Borman | July 2, 2013

After extended debate, the ALA Council voted to substitute the resolution in support of whistleblower Edward Snowden (CD#39) that passed in Council I on Monday, with a resolution on the need for reforms for the intelligence community to support privacy, open government, government transparency, and accountability (CD#20.4 and CD#19.2) developed by the Committee on Legislation … Continue reading Whistleblower Issues Dominate Council III Session →

Alice Walker: The Library Has Been a “Haven”

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | July 2, 2013

“That is the sound that I would like to go around to all the people who are standing, especially our sister down in Texas,” she said to applause, referring to Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, who recently filibustered for 11 hours to temporarily block a controversial anti-abortion bill in the state. Women must control our … Continue reading Alice Walker: The Library Has Been a “Haven” →

Peter Arnett and the Preservation of the AP Archives

George M. Eberhart | July 1, 2013

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Peter Arnett was the keynote speaker at ProQuest’s annual customer appreciation breakfast on Monday, and with good reason. Arnett, who had covered the Vietnam War for the Associated Press from 1962 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, was single-handedly responsible for preserving the entire archive of unpublished stories and service messages … Continue reading Peter Arnett and the Preservation of the AP Archives →

Council I Supports Whistleblower Edward Snowden

By Laurie D. Borman | June 30, 2013

Update: On Tuesday of Annual Conference, Council III substituted the resolution on Snowden mentioned below for another resolution on the need for reforms for the intelligence community to support privacy, open government, government transparency, and accountability. See the Council III report. A special video presentation by President Barack Obama encouraging librarians to help disseminate information … Continue reading Council I Supports Whistleblower Edward Snowden →

Ebooks in 2013

By Clifford A. Lynch | June 24, 2013

Sadly, ebooks have not only failed to deliver on much of their promise, they have become a vast lost opportunity. They are becoming a weapon capable of considerable social damage; a Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll … Continue reading Ebooks in 2013 →

Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries

By Barbara Jones | May 21, 2013

Along with calls for ammunition and assault-weapon restrictions, as well as heightened school security nationwide, came renewed concerns about violent videogames. The Obama administration directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January to study the causes of gun violence, including the effects of violence in videogames, the media, and social media on real-life … Continue reading Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries →

A Year in the Life of Librotraficante

By Phil Morehart | May 14, 2013

Librotraficante has had a rollercoaster year. Led by Houston-based author and activist Tony Diaz, the organization (whose name means “book smuggler” in Spanish) formed last year in response to Arizona House Bill 2281 (PDF file), which outlaws teaching courses in Arizona public schools that promote the overthrow of the United States government, foster racial and … Continue reading A Year in the Life of Librotraficante →

ALA: Hachette Book Group Marks Real Progress in Library E-Lending

May 1, 2013

The American Library Association (ALA) welcomed today’s announcement from Hachette Book Group that it will begin offering its full catalog of ebooks immediately for lending in US public and school libraries. ALA President Maureen Sullivan today released the following statement: “I applaud Hachette Book Group’s decision to broaden its offerings to public and school libraries. … Continue reading ALA: Hachette Book Group Marks Real Progress in Library E-Lending →

ALA President Commends Simon & Schuster’s Entry into Library Ebook Market

April 15, 2013

“We are pleased Simon & Schuster has recognized the vital roles of libraries in supporting reading in all its formats by announcing a library e-lending pilot in New York City,” ALA President Maureen Sullivan said today in response to the publishing house’s announcement. “As we celebrate the 55th annual National Library Week, it is a … Continue reading ALA President Commends Simon & Schuster’s Entry into Library Ebook Market →

Apple Didn’t Censor Comic After All

By Christopher Harris | April 11, 2013

The kerfuffle spread quite fast across tech and library blogs; Apple was censoring a comic because of some minor sexual content. “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp–sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s Saga #12 from being sold through any iOS apps,” wrote author Brian Vaughan on April 9. Only this turned out … Continue reading Apple Didn’t Censor Comic After All →

Latest Library Links

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Angela Hursh writes: “Libraries have great stories to tell. But getting the media to listen isn’t always easy. Here are the top 10 practical tips that Leslie Marinelli, communications manager at Forsyth County (Ga.) Public Library; Ray Holley, communications manager at Sonoma County (Calif.) Library; and I shared [at a recent online panel] for getting your library into the news.”

Super Library Marketing, June 30
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Pranay Parab writes: “I’ve mostly been really happy with my M1 MacBook Air, which I’ve been using for nearly three years now. However, I regret not going for the variant with 16GB of RAM. The newer laptop still occasionally slows down when I open too many browser tabs. Luckily, I did some troubleshooting and fixed the problem, and I’m here to share what I’ve learned with you. So, if Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari or other browsers are slowing down on your computer, try some of these tips to nip that problem in the bud.”

Lifehacker, June 26
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Victoria Cox writes: “LaRue County (Ky.) Board of Education heard both criticism and praise last week when members were asked to remove 14 books from the high school library. Although the vote was split, the board ultimately refused to ban the books, citing the need to uphold the constitutional rights of students” by a 4–1 vote. Books the board considered include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

LaRue County (Ky.) Herald News, June 25
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Jennifer A. Keach, Jenne M. Klotz, and Galen J. Talis write: “Library leaders at all levels are well-placed to create opportunities for joy in their organizations and to model how to do so with nuance and balance. Toward that end, we explored the multidisciplinary literature and compiled an annotated bibliography for leaders who wish to support joy within groups, organizational change agents who want to create equitable conditions for joy in the workplace, and readers seeking to develop their personal practice of joy. We provide a guide exploring five themes: defining joy, finding individual joy, work and organizational joy, empowering change with joy, and joy-adjacent emotions.”

Library Leadership and Management, June 30
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David Vickers Loertscher and Michelle Young write: “This tutorial introduces school librarians to the use of data visualization tools for documenting and communicating their impact on teaching and learning. By leveraging accessible platforms like Google Forms and Google Sheets, the authors demonstrate how librarians can build dashboards and real-time visual reports to showcase co-teaching, instructional collaboration, and student engagement. The tutorial features real-world examples, highlights common data sources already available to librarians, and argues that dynamic visual storytelling is a powerful alternative to traditional library statistics.”

Learning Hub, June 25
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “It wasn’t until seven years into my career as a user experience librarian that I realized I’d been accidentally excluding a sizable segment of users from my user research. Interviews, surveys, and usability studies favor people who are gifted at oral and written communication. What about people who are more gifted at visual communication? In the context of user research, this participatory design invites participants to design their own response to a given prompt.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, June 30
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Stories from communities nationwide come to life on ALA’s new Show Up for Our Libraries interactive site map. The stories illustrate the real-life consequences of potential funding cuts to rural, research, city, state, and university library programs and, in turn, to the hundreds of millions of library users across the country. Services such as summer reading programs, telehealth resources, interlibrary loan, and ebooks have all been affected. ALA collected the stories in conversation with patrons, library professionals, and advocates across the country to better understand the impact of federal funding cuts since the President’s executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 25

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