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Emily Drabinski writes: “A few months into the gig [at Lucky magazine], I made a mistake. I printed the number of bargains for one luxury department store on a two-page photo spread featuring a different luxury department store. I was in so much trouble. Shortly after that, I decided that if I was going to get in trouble, I was going to get in trouble for something that mattered to me. I was going to get in trouble for working at a library.”...
American Libraries column, July/August
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Sallyann Price writes: “This summer marked a homecoming for the American Library Association, as thousands of library workers and advocates gathered in Chicago for the 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition. The unprecedented rise in book ban attempts at schools and libraries across the country in recent years was top of mind throughout the conference, imbuing a familiar topic with fresh urgency. Participants continued to explore crucial questions for libraries: What do inclusive, accessible services look like in challenging times? How can library workers harness new technology? And how can they lead libraries into the future?”...
American Libraries feature, July/August
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Marshall Breeding writes: “The Library Marketplace at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, which remains the world’s largest assemblage of products and services for libraries, provides a unique venue for attendees to connect with company representatives. From energetic demos and mascots to giveaways and games, vendors continue to invest in their exhibit hall spaces for the opportunity to interact with current and potential customers. While this wasn’t a year for breaking news—as mergers and acquisitions seem to be in a lull—vendors demonstrated the developments and incremental progress they have made on fresh and flagship products....
American Libraries feature, July/August
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ALA and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums applaud the Federal Communications Commission’s advancement of the “Improving the E-Rate Rules and Processes for Tribal Applicants” Order. The effort will make it easier for tribal libraries, as well as other small and rural libraries, to participate in the E-Rate program. The FCC, ATALM, and ALA will jointly hold a
webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern on August 10 to review updates to the E-Rate program for Tribal applicants and others interested in understanding the new guidelines....
ALA's Public Policy and Advocacy Office, July 20
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The ALA Disaster Relief Fund provides funds to libraries in the US and around the world that have been damaged or destroyed because of natural or man-made disasters. More than 20 Vermont libraries have
reported damage from historic flooding July 10–11, including
Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, which had eight feet of water in its basement and suffered
significant damage to books and building systems. ALA is collecting donations to support recovery efforts. To contribute, type “Vermont” in the tribute line at checkout....
ALA Disaster Relief Fund; Vermont Department of Libraries; WCAX-TV (South Burlington, Vt.), July 23
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Nicole A. Cooke writes: “The drive to challenge, ban, or censor books has not only changed the lives of librarians across the nation. It’s also changing the way librarians are now educated to enter the profession. What once, and still is, a curriculum that includes book selection, program planning, and serving diverse communities in the classroom, my faculty colleagues and I are now expanding to include discussions and resources on how students, once they become professional librarians, can physically, legally, and financially protect themselves and their organizations.”...
The Conversation, July 20
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Sarah Lamdan, Jason M. Schultz, Michael Weinberg, and Claire Woodcock write: “Something happened when we shifted to digital formats that created a loss of rights for readers. Pulling back the curtain on the evolution of ebooks offers some clarity to how the shift to digital left ownership behind in the analog world. Because of the predominance of the publisher-platform licensing model for the ebook marketplace, important questions exist as to the impact, if any, that digital library lending of books has on that market.”...
New York University Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy, July
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Jill Cowan writes: “Adrianne Peterson, who has run the [Rancho Peñasquitos branch of San Diego Public Library] since 2012, was taken aback when she read an email last month from two neighborhood residents. They informed her that they had gotten nearly all of the books in the Pride display checked out and would not return them unless the library permanently removed what they considered ‘inappropriate content.’ [But] stacks of Amazon boxes containing new copies of the books the protesters checked out started to arrive at the library after the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the protest.”...
The New York Times, July 22
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Digital Public Library of America has launched The Banned Book Club, which makes ebook versions of banned books available to readers in locations across the United States where those titles have been banned. Ebooks will be available free through the
Palace e-reader app. The Banned Book Club uses GPS-based geotargeting to provide access to books that have been banned in a specific area, which can be viewed at the
club website....
Digital Public Library of America, July 20
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Michal Halperin Ben Zvi writes: “More and more aspects of life are conducted on digital platforms. Therefore, digital platforms that are challenging to use for older people have a negative impact on their quality of life. It prevents them from accessing essential services and integrating equally into society. According to the inclusive design approach, one should take into account the needs of as many users as possible without stigmatizing or excluding a specific group by designing niche products. Usually, a service that meets the needs of people aged 65+ will serve other audiences as well.”...
Smashing Magazine, July 18
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The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards recognized outstanding comics, graphic novels, and related work at its awards ceremony July 21 during San Diego Comic-Con. Among the winners were Best Publication for Early Readers The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster! by Mo Willems, Best Comics-Related Book Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects by Benjamin L. Clark and Nat Gertler, and Best Humor Publication Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld....
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, July 21
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Thanks to highly anticipated movies that opened July 21, fashion doll Barbie and Manhattan Project leader J. Robert Oppenheimer are sharing a surprising cultural moment. In two blog posts, Neely Tucker highlighted the Library of Congress’s Geppi Collection, which includes a number of
Barbie dolls, comic books, and accessories, and the
more than 76,500 items related to Oppenheimer held by the Manuscript Division. He writes that the Oppenheimer collection is “a stunningly complete and intellectually dizzying collection” that includes more than 70 boxes of research files compiled by Martin J. Sherwin for the Pulitzer Prize–winning biography he wrote with Kai Bird....
Library of Congress, July 20–21
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