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Diana Panuncial writes: “San Diego’s famously sunny reputation may rest on its oceanside climate, but ‘America’s Finest City’ has more to offer than beaches and breezes. As the former stomping ground of Theodor Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss; see our
By the Numbers) and Raymond Chandler—and the place where speculative-fiction stars Kim Stanley Robinson and Cindy Pon got their start—it’s only fitting that this literary city host ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will be held June 27–July 2 at the San Diego Convention Center.”...
American Libraries feature, June
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Emily Drabinski writes: “My year as ALA president has been organized around the two principles that animated my campaign for this democratically member-elected position: collective power and public good. I believe that building the former produces and expands the latter. When ordinary people like you and me stand with each other on behalf of things that matter—public investments in libraries, the right to read for people of all ages, fair and equitable distribution of resources to everyone in our communities—we can win the world.”...
American Libraries column, June
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All ALA members are invited to attend the ALA Virtual Membership Meeting at 12 p.m. Eastern on June 18. This meeting serves as a platform for ALA members to come together and engage in discussions around significant issues impacting libraries and librarianship; to collectively advocate for causes we believe in; and to introduce Resolutions, Memorials, or Tributes (submission
guidelines and instructions are available). Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear updates directly from ALA leaders. To receive voting credentials for the meeting,
you must register by June 13....
ALA Membership, June 4
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Nicole Hennig writes: “What questions are library users asking about generative AI and how can we be prepared to answer them? To help with that, we’ve drafted sample questions and answers about ChatGPT and similar tools. Over the last two weeks, we looked at both
technical and
ethical questions students might ask and possible responses you might give them. This final part of the series offers responses to their practical questions about using AI at your institution. As always, make sure these answers align with your campus policies.”...
Choice 360 LibTech Insights May 20, May 27, June 3
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Douglas Soule writes: “Florida is moving forward with a
revised training program for local public school officials in charge of policing library and classroom bookshelves, including changes to language that free speech advocates said misrepresented state law and led to unnecessary book removals. That move responds to concerns prompted by the Florida Department of Education’s
October memorandum instructing school leaders to remove any book that contained ‘sexual conduct.’” The
Florida Freedom to
Read Project noted that “while the language still encourages erring on the side of censorship, what passed corrects erroneous interpretations of the law in previously issued guidance.”...
Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat, June 3; Florida Freedom to Read Project Twitter, May 30
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Ewa Wojciechowska writes: “For many families, the start of summer brings to fruition feelings of joy, rest, warmth, and exploration, but for many others it also brings to the forefront unique insecurities and unsureness. Children who were being fed at school every day may now have limited access to nutritious meals. Children who were engaged in learning are now left to their own devices, and guided education is put on hold for numerous weeks. How can we provide library services that help reduce the number of families being left behind? The answer is: not alone.”...
ALSC Blog, June 2
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Brittany Wong writes: “If you check out a book from the library, are you hurting an author’s bottom line? Should you feel guilty if you’re a dedicated library-goer rather than a book purchaser? Many authors―lifelong users of libraries themselves, in many cases―welcome library checkouts of their books. Publishing houses, who have much to gain from individual purchases, are considerably more conflicted about libraries, especially when it comes to ebooks. However, ‘What research has been done shows that libraries are one of the best unofficial marketing and promotion arms of book publishers,’ said publishing industry reporter Jane Friedman.”...
Huffington Post, May 30
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Jennifer Harbster writes: “The last time Periodical Cicadas Brood XIX (13 year) and Brood XIII (17 year) emerged at the same time was in 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president of the US. Usually only one brood will emerge at the same time, but some years, like 2024, two different broods will co-emerge. The Science Section of the Library of Congress has created ‘Periodical Cicadas: A Resource Guide’ to celebrate the double emergence of periodical cicadas this summer.”...
Library of Congress: Inside Adams, June 3
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Evan Apfelbaum and Eileen Suh write: “Many organizations have struggled to increase racial diversity. Previous research on impression management in organizations suggests that disclosing negative information can be costly to an organization’s reputation, but our research suggests that being transparent about companies’ struggles to increase diversity may actually enhance their reputation. Such transparency signals the genuineness and strength of their commitment, which is elusive in this arena. But the presumption of best intentions has an expiration date. In the long run, an organization’s reputation regarding diversity will hinge on its ability to actually deliver on its goals.”...
Harvard Business Review, June 3
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David Nield writes: “When web browsers first began to support apps and interactivity, the functionality was basic and slow—but now online apps can do almost as much as desktop apps can, and, more importantly, these online tools are free. So, if you’ve got a quick computing job that needs doing, you can open up a web browser to get it done—there’s no need to pay for a Windows or macOS utility to download and install. Here are some of our free favorites when it comes to tasks you can quickly do inside a browser tab.”...
Gizmodo, June 3
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Adriana Herrera writes: “Pride Month has arrived, and I am here with all of the queer joy and all of the happily-ever-afters you can handle. This list has got it all: found family, boys in love, girls kissing, nonbinary folks swooning, trans lives getting their lives, and everything in between. If there is one thing romance does better than any other genre is give us big feelings, and when it comes to queer pride, in this genre we go big with the happily-ever-afters.”...
Goodreads, May 30
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