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“Since 1987,
Library Card Sign-Up Month has highlighted the importance of having a library card. September is the time to celebrate the almighty card that unlocks worlds of possibilities. This year’s Library Card Sign-Up Month campaign features special ambassador Optimus Prime and other characters from the Transformers franchise, highlighting that there’s more than meets the eye at the library. Use Library Card Sign-Up Month as a way to highlight all that your library has to offer. Read on for some ideas shared by fellow library workers.”...
Programming Librarian, Aug. 15
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A wide range of funding opportunities are available for public libraries under the
2021 Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act to build digital literacy skills, support workforce development and economic advancement programs, offer telehealth support, and enable access to devices and broadband. A free September 4 webinar will provide essential information, examples of eligible projects, and practical tips to apply for funding opportunities.
Register for the webinar and review
additional resources for grant applicants. The grant application deadline is September 23. (ALA will host additional webinars about other funding opportunities, including a
webinar on applying for E-Rate funding on September 25.)...
Public Library Association; AL: The Scoop, Dec. 28, 2021; Public Policy and Advocacy Office
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced grants totaling $5.9 million for 173 awards through programs designed to support and improve essential library services of Native American, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Funded projects include the Makah Cultural and Research Center in Washington and its efforts to catalog and transcribe newspaper collections and develop Makah language collections and workshops, and Hawaii’s Kohe Mālamalama O Kanaloa—Protect Kahoʻolawe Fund’s work to preserve and digitize manuscripts of the late Noa Emmett Aluli, a Moloka’i doctor and cofounder of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana and the Aloha ʻĀina movement....
Institute of Museum and Library Services, Aug. 21
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Kathleen Hughes writes: “On Saturday, October 19, libraries and advocates nationwide are planning a Freedom to Read Community Day of Action with rallies at libraries, bookstores, places of worship, and other community hubs in towns big and small all across the nation. The goal is to demonstrate the broad support that exists in our communities for libraries and the freedom to read. Get more information about
holding a Freedom to Read rally at your library and
opt in to participate.” The event is organized by Unite Against Book Bans, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library....
Public Libraries Online, Aug. 26
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Trisha Parsons writes: “Battle of the Books is a nationwide reading program that gives kids the chance to participate in a competition that doesn’t involve sports equipment; all the kids need is dedicated time to read and study books. Students on Battle of the Books teams prepare to be asked questions about the content of the books in a competition style. Every year, our library district hosts the Battle of the Books program for grades 3–5. We partner with local schools to bring this fun, educational program to the students.”...
ALSC Blog, Aug. 24
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Nadia Lathan writes: “Oklahoma’s education board has revoked the license of a former teacher who drew national attention during
surging book-ban efforts across the US in 2022 when she covered part of her classroom bookshelf in red tape with the words ‘Books the state didn’t want you to read.’ The August 22 decision went against a judge who had advised the Oklahoma Board of Education not to revoke the license of Summer Boismier, who had also put in her high school classroom a QR code of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library’s (BPL) catalog of banned books.” Boismier now works at BPL....
Associated Press, Aug. 23; Nov. 6, 2022
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Francisco E. Jimenez writes: “It’s been a long time coming, but Sullivan City (Tex.) residents now have a library to call their own.
The new
library [which opened July 31] sits on over nine acres of land donated to the city by La Joya Independent School District (ISD) in 2018. Since taking office in 2021, Mayor Alma Salinas, a former librarian with La Joya ISD, has made it a priority to build a library in Sullivan City.” Similarly, the 462-year-old town of Port Royal, South Carolina,
opened its first public library, a branch of
Beaufort County Library, August 21....
MyRGV.com, Aug. 13; WSAV-TV (Savannah, Ga.), Aug. 23
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Ken Fountain writes: “After months of rancorous discussions, a split Fort Bend (Tex.) Independent School District board of trustees on August 26 approved revisions to the district’s policy on removal of books from school libraries that put the ultimate decision-making authority in the hands of the district’s superintendent. It removes a permanent reconsideration committee made up of district staff from the process of evaluating challenges to books. The 5–2 vote came after at least 16 members of the public, including teachers and librarians, parents, and former and current students, spoke against the changes. No members of the public spoke in favor.”...
Fort Bend Star, Aug. 27
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Anjuli Patil writes: “Halifax, Nova Scotia, Public Libraries staff are on strike after conciliation talks between the employer and their union ended over the weekend without an agreement. Negotiations had been ongoing since last October between Halifax Public Libraries and the union, which represents 340 employees. The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on August 26. [In addition to wage increases, union Vice-President Chad] Murphy said the union is also looking to address issues such as parental top-ups for adoptive parents, sick leave provisions and a safe working environment.”...
CBC News, Aug. 26
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Book challenges and restrictions in US public schools have increased dramatically since 2021. A
new research report by the Knight Foundation surveyed more than 4,500 people to explore public attitudes about restricting students’ access to books. The study found that two-thirds of Americans oppose book restriction efforts in public schools, and more than three-fourths are confident that their local public schools select appropriate books. While nearly a quarter of respondents were aware of efforts to restrict book access for students in their community, only 3% have participated in efforts to either maintain or restrict access....
Knight Foundation, Aug. 21
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Rachel Karten writes: “When the news was reported in June that
New York City public libraries would have their funding
restored after pushing back for months against budget cuts, many people credited the social media team and their strategic use of memes to talk about the proposed cuts and to let people know how they could help. I interviewed Victoria Reis, social media manager at New York Public Library, about why they leaned into this format during one of the most consequential moments in the library’s history.”...
Link in Bio, Aug. 22; CNN, June 28
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Isabella Cheng writes: “Grambling (La.) State University (GSU) held a ribbon cutting August 22 to celebrate its new Digital Library and Learning Commons.
According to GSU, the library is a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot facility where people can connect, create, and collaborate and features 150 computer stations, 17,000 square feet of study space, and multipurpose space for events, meetings, and seminars.” GSU states the $16.6 million facility is the first of its kind at a Historically Black College and University in the US, and the first in Louisiana....
KTAL-TV (Shreveport), Aug. 23; Grambling State University, Aug. 22
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