Public Library Association Archives | Page 5 of 6

Anti-opioid overdose Narcan Nasal Spray.

Company to Supply Free Narcan to Libraries

By Timothy Inklebarger | October 24, 2018

The drug maker announced the offer—which also includes distributing Narcan to 2,700 local YMCAs—at the White House, where President Trump signed legislation that aims to curb the opioid crisis. Emergent BioSolutions spokesman Thom Duddy says the company’s announcement is not directly related to the legislation, but the administration requested the company to participate in the … Continue reading Company to Supply Free Narcan to Libraries →

Staff members of Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library assist seniors at a YMCA DigiLit class designed to help bridge the digital knowledge divide.Photo: Everett Blackmon

Allied Against Inequity

By Andrew Amelinckx | September 4, 2018

In San Antonio, residents of affluent neighborhoods are four times more likely to have broadband access than residents of low-income neighborhoods. “There’s definitely a need in the community,” says Candelaria Mendoza, library services administrator at San Antonio Public Library (SAPL). “We understand it’s not just about having the internet but having internet that’s fast enough … Continue reading Allied Against Inequity →

Getting Blunt about Medical Marijuana

By Anne Ford | June 1, 2018

Hendzlik, a collection buyer for Anythink Libraries in Adams County, Colorado, helped lead a presentation on medical marijuana and libraries at the 2016 Public Library Association Conference in Denver. As part of the presentation, Hendzlik handed out rolling papers and oregano and taught attendees how to make their own joints—“just to take the fear out … Continue reading Getting Blunt about Medical Marijuana →

Tim Wu Tim Wu speaks at the Big Ideas session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on Saturday, March 24.

A Free and Public-Serving Internet

By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018

“When I was 8 years old, I won one of those bookmark contests,” he told the crowd at his Big Ideas session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. Wu still has the joke book he won for his prize-winning entry. “It was probably one of my proudest achievements of all … Continue reading A Free and Public-Serving Internet →

New Library Leaders: Lessons Learned

By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018

Alcantara-Antoine—who at first didn’t pursue director-level leadership because she thought she was too shy and “didn’t see many directors who looked like [her]”—was one of four panelists sharing candid experiences and advice at the Public Library Association Conference’s “Wonderful World of Being a First-Time Director” session on March 22. Panelists included current first-time directors at … Continue reading New Library Leaders: Lessons Learned →

Hasan Minhaj speaks at the Closing Session of the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia March 24.

Hasan Minhaj Plays an Away Game

By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018

“Do you want to perform in a Costco warehouse for a bunch of librarians while a volleyball tournament is going on behind you?” he observed his environs, poking fun at being the Closing Session speaker of the Public Library Association (PLA) Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. “This is going to be amazing,” he said … Continue reading Hasan Minhaj Plays an Away Game →

Careers over Jobs

By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018

“The skills for filling out a résumé and application become obsolete once someone gets a job,” said Levandowski, paraphrasing a quote she had read from Elisabeth Sanders-Park, author and president of WorkNet Solutions, a career consulting firm. “Helping a job seeker isn’t the end,” she said. “Workforce development can get people on a career path … Continue reading Careers over Jobs →

Elizabeth Sargent (left), associate director of customer experience at Houston Public Library, speaks about her experience using the WIC center at Stimley-Blue Ridge.

WIC, Wellness, and Libraries

By Amanda Davis | March 26, 2018

Staff members of Houston Public Library (HPL) discusses the WIC food and nutrition center in one of their branches in the session “What Having a WIC Center in Your Library Brings (Besides Crying Babies)” on March 22. Drew Alvey, manager of HPL’s Stimley-Blue Ridge branch, spoke of the WIC center project consisting of three overlapping … Continue reading WIC, Wellness, and Libraries →

Participants in the “Reflecting Community: The Importance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Library Staffing” workshop share best practices for incorporating EDI principles into library policy.

Staffing for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

By Amanda Davis | March 23, 2018

Public libraries are challenging themselves to provide relevant and necessary services to their ever-changing communities, and it is increasingly important for library staff to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. So, inspired by a 2016 report by the American Library Association (ALA) Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, a group of five … Continue reading Staffing for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion →

Cindy Thornley, director of the Horry County (S.C.) Memorial Library, talked about library road trips at the Public Library Association (PLA) Conference in Philadelphia on March 22.

Find Your Sister Library

By Terra Dankowski | March 23, 2018

The book in question was on heart health, and it helped a patron reclaim his life—so much so that he wanted to make a sizable donation to the Alexandria Library that would establish a travel fund for librarians. “I did not think it would happen,” said Thornley, who previously worked at Alexandria Library. “We didn’t … Continue reading Find Your Sister Library →

Author Elizabeth Gilbert speaks at the Big Ideas session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 22.

Rethinking Relaxation

By Terra Dankowski | March 23, 2018

“Priorities, boundaries, mysticism,” said Gilbert. “This is the path I’m taking.” Gilbert, whose partner Rayya Elias died this year after a two-year battle with cancer, recounted how a deliberate approach to Elias’s illness and embracing the trauma helped her reframe what she wanted from her life. “It was extraordinary how galvanizing it was,” she said. … Continue reading Rethinking Relaxation →

Opening Session speaker Sally Yates addresses attendees at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 21, 2018.

Objective Truth Will Save Democracy

By Terra Dankowski | March 22, 2018

Yates, former deputy attorney general in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Obama administration and former acting attorney general, is perhaps best known for refusing to defend President Trump’s ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries and her testimony before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism about Russian interference in the 2016 … Continue reading Objective Truth Will Save Democracy →

Latest Library Links

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Jen Lennon writes: “The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America held its 61st annual Nebula Awards June 6, celebrating the best sci-fi and fantasy writing from 2025. The awards cover a broad swath of mediums, including literature, film, television, and games writing. Stephen Graham Jones took home the top prize for his novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.” The same day, Jones’s book also took the Superior Achievement in a Novel prize at the Bram Stoker Awards, presented by the Horror Writers Association to recognize outstanding horror writing.

Gizmodo, June 9; Nebula Awards, June 6; Bram Stoker Awards, June 7
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Najifa Farhat writes: “The US Department of Commerce reported in April that the current inflation rate is at a three-year high of 3.8%, up from March’s rate of 3.5%, and prompting many Americans to look for ways to reduce spending. As inflation continues to put pressure on household budgets, more Missourians are turning to public libraries for help with stretching their dollars. Librarians across Missouri say they are seeing increased demand for resources that help people save money, learn new skills, and access services they might otherwise pay for.”

KBIA-FM (Columbia, Mo.), June 9
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Kristen Johnson writes: “On June 5, Durham County (N.C.) Board of Commissioners ordered the immediate reversal of a decision that forced library staff to dismantle Pride Month displays. The initial order, sent by email from Durham County Public Library Director Dana Conners, required branches to take down all LGBTQ+ materials effective immediately June 4, citing federal action and executive orders that reject ‘illegal’ diversity, equity and inclusion actions in the workplace.” Supporters of the LGBTQ community gathered outside Durham’s main library June 5, including drag performer Stormie Daie, who read to children.

Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer, June 6; WRAL-TV (Raleigh), June 5
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Nina Heller writes: “House lawmakers passed a bill June 8 aimed at preventing future executive branch interference in some legislative branch agencies, a year after President Donald Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. It would allow House and Senate leaders to appoint the heads of both the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office, removing that power from the president. The president would get new appointment authority over the register of copyrights. Now the bill heads to the Senate, where it would need enough bipartisan support to overcome a filibuster.”

Roll Call, June 8
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Kyle K. Courtney writes: “On May 28, Mayor Muriel Bowser officially signed B26-0490, the Library Ebook Pricing Fairness Amendment Act of 2025. The bill is now being prepared for remittance to Congress for the standard review period.” Readers First observes that the bill includes a trigger clause and will come into effect once 10 states with a total population of at least 50 million have similar laws in place. Connecticut passed a bill last year and several other states are considering similar legislation, including Rhode Island, where a bill passed out of its Senate committee June 4.

Ebook Study Group, June 1; Readers First, June 5; Connecticut Mirror, May 15, 2025
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Hilary Craiglow writes: “The growing federal skepticism toward research infrastructure is forcing institutions to explain both their contributions and their costs. Libraries that cannot do so risk being sidelined in decisions that shape their future and the future of research. But they have an important tool at their disposal: cost transparency. Libraries are still often treated as general overhead, allocated using methodologies designed decades ago. Cost transparency doesn’t have to compromise library values. It can strengthen them.”

Katina, June 3
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Russell Michalak, Trevor A. Dawes, and Ava Wallace write: “Rather than advancing a single argument, the contributors present their perspectives in conversation, showing how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping discovery, access, and professional practice while also raising pressing ethical and equity concerns. The discussion is framed around three interlocking themes: innovation, equity, and responsibility. AI’s potential to transform discovery is real, but its impacts depend on how librarians choose to shape and guide its use.”

College & Research Libraries News, vol. 87, no. 6 (June)

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