|
Megan Bennett writes: “Max Greenfield knows that anxieties can keep our mind racing at night. Even the most far-fetched ones. The actor, best known for his roles on sitcoms New Girl and The Neighborhood, is also a children’s author. In his new title, Good Night Thoughts (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September), he hopes to help readers put their fears to bed. At the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition, American Libraries spoke with Greenfield about his own anxieties and how his friendship with the late actor Leslie Jordan inspired his latest work.”...
American Libraries Trend, Aug. 12
| |
|
Megan Bennett writes: “The weather report at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition, held June 27–July 2 in San Diego, was all smiles. Here are some of the week’s picture-perfect moments.”...
American Libraries column, July/August
| |
|
Catherine Hollerbach writes: “Richmond, Virginia, has one of the highest eviction rates in the country. Richmond Public Library partnered with the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) to help renters who face potential eviction. During July and August, librarians and VPLC staff are available at the Main Library one morning, one afternoon, and one evening a week to assist renters who need help getting online, navigating resources on the internet, or printing forms to take to court.”...
Public Libraries Online, Aug. 8
| |
|
Looking for a career change? Want to explore new skills? Needing support entering the job market? Skill Forward is here to help. In partnership with Verizon and edX, Skill Forward is a fully free program that offers hundreds of courses in areas such as coding, business, AI, and communications. With over 250 courses, Skill Forward has a course for you to learn and refine skills in your desired career.
Start your learning journey with Skill Forward today.
|
| |
|
|
|
Jaime Eastman writes: “As library professionals working with children, we often emphasize play. Last month, I wrote about defining our play space standards. This month, I’m tackling the next step: creating tools and resources to support staff in our play spaces. When you’re familiar with early literacy and child development concepts, play is intuitive. It’s part of what we do. For some staff, though, those connections aren’t as obvious. We wanted to create resources that not only meet staff where they are but also support our unique and changing communities. Here’s what we did.”...
ALSC Blog, Aug. 7
| |
|
Ron French writes: “Voters in Alpena County [Michigan] on August 6 approved a tax to keep its public library open, despite a campaign to defund it [and county commissioners’ efforts to fire library board members] over children and teen books with sexual themes. An operating millage, necessary to keep the library open, passed with 59% of the vote. Also August 6, 54% of residents in Dickinson County in the Upper Peninsula approved a millage to continue funding their local library, despite a campaign to defeat it because of children's books some deemed inappropriate.”...
Bridge Michigan, Aug. 7; July 23
| |
|
“First Amendment audits are a social movement made up of individuals interested in making videos of their encounters with public officials. If the encounter results in an actual or perceived violation of the auditor’s First Amendment or other protected rights, the video will likely be posted on social media and/or serve as the basis for a claim or suit. A First Amendment auditor’s goal is to provoke a response. Auditors believe that the movement promotes transparency and open government. They are testing if their constitutional rights will be upheld. Many post their videos online to make money from video views.”...
Public CEO, Aug. 6
| |
|
|
|
Olivia Nordyke writes: “Dozens of previously banned book titles from the Mat-Su Borough School District in Palmer, Alaska, are being returned to school library shelves. After
removing 56 books from library circulation, the school district came under fire for not reviewing the books prior to their removal. [On August 6], Judge Gleason of the US District Court of Alaska
ordered the school district to return all but seven of the 56 titles before the start of the school year. The books will remain available in libraries until a final decision is reached at a trial set for April 2025.”...
KTUU-TV (Anchorage, Alaska), Aug. 7; ACLU of Alaska, Aug. 7
| |
|
Ashley Belanger writes: “After US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that
Google has a monopoly in two
markets—general search services and general text advertising—everybody is wondering how Google might be forced to change its search business. Specifically, the judge ruled that Google’s exclusive deals with browser and device developers secured Google’s monopoly. These so-called default agreements funneled the majority of online searches to Google search engine result pages, where results could be found among text ads that have long generated the bulk of Google’s revenue.”...
Ars Technica, Aug. 7; Aug. 5
| |
|
Becky Spratford writes: “President Obama’s
annual list of his favorite books of the summer just dropped. I understand that sharing his list could be problematic at some libraries due to the partisan nature of American life. To that end, I suggest you do some searching and
find other summer lists. No matter how you do it, the middle of August is a great time to start the conversation with your patrons about what books they most enjoyed over the summer. Never underestimate how much people like being asked to share things they enjoyed.”...
RA For All, Aug. 13
| |
|
|
|
Kaitlin Miller writes: “A Wilson County [Tennessee] high school is warning teachers to skip classroom libraries and closed the school library over concerns surrounding a new state law. Under the law, any brief mention of sex, nudity, or excess violence can lead to a book ban. The Wilson County Director of Schools says they are temporarily closing the library at Green Hill High School in Mount Juliet to sort through books to make sure they get rid of the those that are required to be banned. What makes this law different than a previous law is the context of the material does not matter.”...
WZTV-TV (Nashville), Aug. 5
| |
|
Jake Peterson and Jeff Somers write: “From the moment ChatGPT introduced the world to generative AI in late 2022, it was apparent that you can no longer trust that something you’re reading was written by a human. You can ask an AI program like ChatGPT to write something—anything at all—and it will, in mere seconds. So
how
can you trust that what you’re reading came from the mind of a person, and not the product of an algorithm?” The six-part series also includes stories on identifying
chatbots and AI-generated
music,
speech,
video, and
pictures....
Lifehacker, Aug. 12
| |
|
Jennifer Chen writes: “When news broke that Sweet Valley High creator
Francine Pascal
had died, fans took to social media to express how much her super popular series had meant to us. I spoke with several contemporary young adult authors and reminisced about the books, memorable characters, and how our own novels were inspired by Pascal’s California paradise.”...
Publishers Weekly, Aug. 8; July 28
| | |
|
|
|
American Libraries Direct is a free electronic newsletter emailed every Wednesday to personal members of ALA.
Editor, AL Direct: Greg Landgraf
Direct ad inquiries to: Melissa Carr
Send news and feedback:
AL Direct
All links outside the ALA website are provided for informational purposes only. Questions about the content of any external site should be addressed to the administrator of that site. AL Direct FAQ.
American Libraries will not sell your email to outside parties, but your email may be shared with advertisers in this newsletter should you express interest in their products by clicking on their ads or content. If advertisers choose to communicate with you by email, they are obligated to provide you with an opportunity to opt-out from future emails in compliance with the CAN-SPAM act of 2003 and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation
of 2018. Read the ALA privacy policy.
To manage your American Libraries email preferences, click here.
To unsubscribe from all ALA emails, click here.
American Library Association | 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300 | Chicago, IL 60601
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg){kind=spacer}
