meeting rooms Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Photo of Librarian's Library columnist Andy Gooding-Call

Standing Up for Intellectual Freedom

By Andy Gooding-Call | June 1, 2022

The Library’s Legal Answers for Meeting Rooms and Displays By Mary Minow, Tomas A. Lipinski, and Gretchen McCord Intellectual freedom in public libraries encompasses more than books. This handy guide, written by a trio of lawyer-librarians, covers these concerns in a direct, plainspoken manner. Using a Q&A format, the authors present succinct legal information for … Continue reading Standing Up for Intellectual Freedom →

Graphic: Letters of the Law with Mary Minow

Can Our Library Change Its Meeting Room Rules?

By Mary Minow | February 23, 2021

Our online column Letters of the Law explores a wide range of legal issues that arise in libraries, with the help of a pair of leading authorities: Mary Minow, a librarian who became a lawyer; and Tomas A. Lipinski, a lawyer who became a librarian. Together they have authored four books on the subject, including … Continue reading Can Our Library Change Its Meeting Room Rules? →

Resisting Hate with Speech

By Phil Morehart | June 24, 2020

“You are really heroes and heroines on the front lines of making freedom of speech and freedom of thought a reality for everybody all over the country,” she said. Protecting free speech and thought, even if it goes against one’s personal beliefs or morality, should be a prime concern for librarians, Strossen said. The session … Continue reading Resisting Hate with Speech →

When Speech Isn’t Free

By Meredith Farkas | May 1, 2020

I take issue with the notion that libraries are ensuring all voices are heard when they let hate groups speak. Hate speech considered in a vacuum might look merely offensive, but when viewed in a historical context, that speech is inextricably linked with physical violence. Young men marching with torches and chanting “Jews will not … Continue reading When Speech Isn’t Free →

Letters of the Law with Tomas A. Lipinski

Is My Library Liable for Fake News?

By Tomas A. Lipinski | December 13, 2019

Our online column Letters of the Law explores a wide range of legal issues that arise in libraries, with the help of a pair of leading authorities: Mary Minow, a librarian who became a lawyer, and Tomas A. Lipinski, a lawyer who became a librarian. Together they have authored four books on the subject, including … Continue reading Is My Library Liable for Fake News? →

2018 Year in Review

By the editors of American Libraries | January 2, 2019

Michelle Obama at Annual At the Annual Conference of the American Library Association (ALA) in New Orleans, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden conversed before an overflow crowd of 8,000. Obama spoke about her family, her career, and writing her memoir—and about getting her first library card at age 4. … Continue reading 2018 Year in Review →

When Values Collide

By Meredith Farkas | November 1, 2018

Another core value is intellectual freedom, and we have a long and proud history of supporting it in the face of censorship. Because we attempt to represent a diversity of perspectives in our collections, displays, and programming, most libraries contain material that some patrons might find offensive. But what if a perspective repudiates the dignity … Continue reading When Values Collide →

ALA Council Rescinds “Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of The Library Bill of Rights”

August 16, 2018

The motion to rescind the 2018 version was approved. Ninety of the 179 councilors were required to vote. Seventy-five percent of those voting were needed to approve the measure. A total of 146 voted on this question, representing 82% of eligible voters. The final tally: 140 voted to rescind, four voted not to rescind, and … Continue reading ALA Council Rescinds “Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of The Library Bill of Rights” →

OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment

July 10, 2018

“Recent updates to Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights does not establish any new right to conduct hate speech in libraries. ALA does not endorse hate groups and does not seek to normalize hate speech,” said LaRue. “The interpretation reflects the current legal climate libraries face when providing the public with … Continue reading OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment →

Council III: Memorials, Tributes, Resolutions

By Amy Carlton | June 26, 2018

Memorials were read for Herbert Biblo (M#7), Heather Lanier (M#8), John Byrum (M#9), Mary Lynette Larsgaard (M#10), Bernard (Bernie) A. Margolis (M#11), deg farrelly (M#12), Krista McKenzie (M#13), and Stephanie Squicciarini (M#14). Tributes were offered to honor the 50th ALA anniversary of Lois Ann Gregory-Wood (T#4), to mark the retirement of Pat May (T#5), and … Continue reading Council III: Memorials, Tributes, Resolutions →

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Nimisha Bhat writes: “I’m always telling prospective library school students that the best part of my job is learning something new every day. Every time I have a research consultation with a student, they teach me something new while I determine the best way to connect them with the information they need. This is something I have been trying to remind myself of since I started a new tenure-track library position earlier this year. Like many librarians, what I lack in theoretical learning I’ve made up for in experiential learning as a practitioner.”

ACRLog, Nov. 27
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All known surviving pages of the rough draft of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species have been published online by the National University of Singapore (NUS). On the 164th anniversary of its publication, NUS published three recently rediscovered pages from Darwin’s draft. The draft pages make it possible to see in detail how Darwin originally composed and revised many of his arguments and expressions. The drafts also contain many sentences that didn’t make the final cut, offering fascinating insights into Darwin’s thinking as he composed the book that quite literally changed the world.

National University of Singapore, Nov. 24
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Stephen Shedletzky writes: “When people are afraid that something bad will happen to them because of their decision to speak up, in most cases, they won’t do it. And can we really blame them? This is, seemingly, leadership’s failure to foster the type of culture that encourages and rewards people for speaking up. So, how do you foster a speak-up culture? It starts with resisting the urge to manipulate employees—and ends with making it safe and worthwhile for them to share their truth.”

Greater Good, Nov. 13
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Lisa Bintrim writes: “The number of program challenges reported to ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has grown over the past 10 years from one or none each year to a peak of 69 challenges in 2019. Recognizing the need to prepare library staff for opposition to programs, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) tasked the School-Age Programs and Services (SAPS) committee with creating a toolbox focused on program challenges. On behalf of the SAPS committee, I’m excited to share the result of our work from the 2022–2023 term: The ALSC Toolkit for Program Challenges.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 25
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ALA has selected 50 participants for its 2024 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The EL program allows library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. ELs will take part in a virtual day-long session during the 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore this January and work for six months, culminating in a poster session at ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego where they will highlight results of their project planning work.

ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Nov. 27
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Stephi Smith writes: “Celia Hamilton wanted to identify further with her Chinese heritage. Her adoptive parents are not Chinese, and she says this left her feeling like she missed out on some aspects of her cultural background. To connect with that part of her identity, Hamilton crafted a traditional garment—inspired by the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e—as one of three teens selected for Carmel Clay (Ind.) Public Library (CCPL)’s teen artists-in-residence program. CCPL is one of a handful of libraries across the US that have created teen artist-in-residence programs with a goal of bolstering youth interest in the arts.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
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Carrie Russell writes: “Why do librarians and teachers—the very professionals who specialize in information literacy, equitable access to information, and the advancement of learning—have so many anxieties and misconceptions about copyright? Many of us harbor an unfounded fear of copyright litigation. ‘Better safe than sorry’ is a frequent assertion. But that attitude can keep users and creators of copyright-protected content from engaging in personal and educational activities that are unlikely to infringe copyright law. That excess caution is, consequently, contrary to the values of librarianship, teaching, and the goals of copyright.”

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