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Allison Escoto writes: “Librarians are well known for being adaptable and innovative, even as the issues that arise in serving underserved populations within communities are ever-changing. These books provide insight and advice for working with those who have been shuffled to the sidelines and offer practical information for providing services and support.”...
American Libraries, Nov./Dec.
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The Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. In the five decades since its formation, the organization has become known for its scholarship, awards, and humanitarian efforts—and has grown to include nine chapters across North America and the Asia Pacific region. CALA President Vincci Kwong attributes the group’s longevity to the relationships members form with one another. “[In CALA,] people serve on committees, and we form a bond and stay together and still network after years and years,” she says....
American Libraries, Nov./Dec.
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George M. Johnson, bestselling author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, has been announced as a featured speaker at the
2024 LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience (LLX) in Baltimore, January 19–22.
Johnson will appear on the LLX Studio Stage January 21 at 1 p.m. All Boys Aren’t Blue was the second-most banned book in the US in 2022, according to data from ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. It was named to ALA’s Rainbow List and the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Teens’ Top 10 in 2021, and a dramatic reading of the book has been nominated for a 2023 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Special....
ALA Conference Services, Dec. 7
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ALA has published a new report intended to aid library professionals as they work to connect growing audiences to digital materials in their preferred formats. The new
Digital Public Library Ecosystem 2023 report offers a comprehensive overview of the current state and operations of digital book collection and circulation, particularly through public libraries. The report defines essential terms, introduces the relationships and roles of the many stakeholders, explains how digital licensing and circulation work, and provides context for why these matter....
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Dec. 6
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “As Amazon rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many shoppers and economists predicted the end of brick-and-mortar bookstores. After many years of the market evolving, Barnes & Noble has gotten through the transition and currently maintains a solid market share. The turnaround came in 2018, when the company’s board hired a new CEO, James Daunt, who pivoted the focus back to books and put the power to make decisions about the displays and book collection back into the hands of the local bookstore staff. Libraries can learn a lot from his successful approach.”...
Public Libraries Online, Dec. 7
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Jessica Fitzpatrick writes: “With the arrival of chilly temperatures and frosty breezes, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with a warm blanket, a hot cup of cocoa, and a captivating book. During the winter season, we’re drawn into a world of magic, mystery, and historical intrigue. As a result, one of my favorite things to do is guide teen readers to find their ideal cozy read to guide them through a winter wonderland of literature. To make your teen’s winter nights as enchanting as a snow-covered landscape, check out this curated list of the perfect cozy YA reads.”...
Knowledge Quest, Dec. 7
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Andrew Albanese writes: “A group of Democratic members of Congress this week introduced new federal legislation aimed at combating the surge of book banning in schools. Introduced on December 5 by US Representatives Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the
Fight Book Bans Act would offer school districts funding to defend against the ongoing surge in challenges to books and educational materials that has led to thousands of titles being pulled from school library bookshelves.”...
Publishers Weekly, Dec. 6
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Mitchell Clark writes: “I’m sure many of you have had the experience of cursing a slow-loading website and growing even more confused when a ‘speed test’ says that your internet should be able to play dozens of 4K Netflix streams at once. So what gives? A major factor is latency, or the amount of time it takes for your device to send data to a server and get data back. The good news is that there’s a plan to almost eliminate latency. It’s a new internet standard called L4S.”...
The Verge, Dec. 9
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Melissa Heikkilä writes: “Two and a half years after it was first introduced, European Union lawmakers have reached a deal over the AI Act. It will be the world’s first sweeping artificial intelligence (AI) law. The AI Act was conceived as a landmark bill that would mitigate harm in areas where using AI poses the biggest risk to fundamental rights, as well as banning uses that pose an ‘unacceptable risk.’ The AI Act is a major deal in that it will introduce important rules and enforcement mechanisms to a hugely influential sector that is currently a Wild West.”...
MIT Technology Review, Dec. 11
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Maddie Hanna writes: “As she was sworn in to another term on the Central Bucks (Pa.) School District board, Karen Smith placed her hand not on a Bible, but a stack of frequently banned books. Smith, who was chosen as the president of the new Democratic-led board December 4, wanted to make a symbolic gesture—setting a new tone after the former GOP-dominated board passed a policy prohibiting ‘sexualized content’ that led to bans of two books and paved the way for challenges of 60 others. Smith, like the other Democrats who were in the minority, had opposed that policy.”...
Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 5
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Corbin Davenport writes: “Microsoft Edge has many features that most people don’t care about, serving to only clutter and confuse, but they remain in the browser to help boost Microsoft’s search engine business or other services. If switching to another browser isn't an option, you can turn off most of Edge's annoyances to create an easier web browsing experience.” It’s possible to change the new tab page, turn off Copilot and the sidebar, deactivate extra services, and change the default search engine....
How-to Geek, Dec. 10
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Nick Norlen and Grant Barrett write: “To determine the 2023 Word of the Year, we gave ourselves a prompt: Using lexicography and data science, choose a single word that best represents, at this moment, AI’s many profound ramifications for the future of language and life. The Dictionary.com Word of the Year is ‘hallucinate.’” Merriam-Webster also took its
word of the year, “authentic,” from the technology world, while Collins Dictionary
simply selected “AI.” Oxford Languages picked
“rizz,” shortened slang for "charisma," and Australian publisher Macquarie opted for
“cozzie livs,” slang for “cost of living.”...
Dictionary.com, Dec. 12; Merriam-Webster, Nov. 27; Collins Dictionary, Nov. 1; Oxford University Press, Nov. 28; Macquarie Dictionary, Nov. 28
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