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American Libraries’ annual roundup looks back at the news that affected libraries and the library profession in 2024. State laws intended to prevent book bans, the Internet Archive’s copyright lawsuit, artificial intelligence, cyberattacks targeting several library systems, and ALA’s newly revised Core Values are among the most significant issues and events identified by AL editors in the past twelve months....
American Libraries feature, Jan./Feb.
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In
Episode 99, the Call Number team presents exclusive clips from conversations with authors we interviewed this past year, including Hanif Abdurraqib, Kwame Alexander,
Connie Chung, Kate DiCamillo,
Max Greenfield,
Vashti Harrison, Maggie Nichols, and
Jesús Trejo. They each talked to us about the role that books, libraries, and library workers have played in their lives....
AL: The Scoop, Dec. 18
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Cindy Hohl writes: “A tradition of many Native American tribes is to observe the
winter count—a visual record that depicts the important events of the year. An elder acts as a historian, chosen by the people to act as the recorder of the year’s activities as they select the top memory that will tell the story of their people. We as library workers may also recall the many special memories experienced by our staff members and patrons. What favorite memory—personal or professional—would you add to the list?”...
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
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The US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas declared
Arkansas Act 372 unconstitutional December 23 in an opinion indicating that the law is overbroad and void for vagueness. The law would have subjected librarians and bookstore owners to criminal prosecution for making materials available on library and bookstore shelves that could be deemed harmful to younger minors, and mandated a procedure in public libraries whereby individuals may challenge books based on “appropriateness” (an undefined term). The ruling came in
response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition that included Arkansas libraries, ALA’s Freedom to Read Foundation, authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and readers. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin
said he will appeal the ruling....
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Dec. 23; Associated Press, Dec. 23
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Katherine Knox writes: “Linked data is a system of organizing information with the goal of making it easier to share and find new information, something very appealing to libraries. But methodologies for cataloging library materials are very slow to change. Converting libraries to a linked data system is complicated. Catalogers typically don’t have the capacity, authority, or software to test out new cataloging methods. Not all integrated library service discovery platforms used by public libraries have incorporated linked data into their search results. Nevertheless, libraries around the world are converting to linked data, especially archival repositories.”...
Public Libraries Online, Jan. 6
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “So you want to hear from real people who use your library! There are many user research methods to choose from. Interviews let you get at the why and the how, not just the what. You could easily use surveys to ask a large number of your users which library services they use. But only an interview can tell you why your patrons seem to use virtual references services often but never the in-person information desk.”...
Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Jan. 6
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Chris Perez writes: “The Louisiana Supreme Court is
allowing a defamation lawsuit filed by
Amanda Jones, a Livingston Parish librarian accused of promoting pornography and ‘erotic contents’ to children, to be reheard, saying she has a right to have the ‘very specific allegations’ hurled against her two years ago proven in court by her accusers after the case was tossed out due to a late appeal. Jones sued Citizens for a New Louisiana, the group that brought the allegations forth, in 2022. Jones says she was attacked after speaking up at a public meeting about library censorship that year.”...
Law & Crime, Dec. 30; American Libraries feature, Sept./Oct. 2023
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Becky Spratford writes: “I have a goal I think all of us need to consider adding to our 2025 to-do lists. We are terrible at communicating what we do and why we are important. People outside the library world do not understand how important our work is. I want you to start speaking out about how great we are before people try to attack you. I want you to do it in 2025 but then keep doing it, on a regular basis going forward.”...
RA for All, Dec. 23
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Annmarie Timmins writes: “Gov. Chris Sununu withdrew his choice for state librarian over concerns about the nominee’s public opposition to book censorship. In arguing against library restrictions, nominee Mindy Atwood was advocating a mainstream position held by many in her field, including the New Hampshire Library Association and American Library Association. The governor’s reversal demonstrates just how perilously divisive that stance has become for some conservative and religious groups. [Incoming Governor] Kelly Ayotte is likely to face similar pressures to choose someone who can earn the support of the Republican-led Executive Council.”...
New Hampshire Public Radio, Dec. 17
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Andy Peters writes: “A recent trend in mixed-use developments is to center the project on a distinctive property to provide a sense of character and place, be it a sports stadium or a historic structure. One Texas town is taking a different page from that book. In the growing Austin suburb of Cedar Park, city leaders and their private development partner chose a new library as its central focus. Other cities are considering whether to make a library a central point in redevelopment efforts.”...
CoStar News, Dec. 31
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Bianca Schweighofer and Julia Bartlewski write: “The transition to open access has increased the visibility of scholarly work, but understanding and managing publication costs remains complex. Shifting from subscription-based to fee-based or institution-financed models fundamentally changes processes, financial flows, and the roles of stakeholders. Additionally, the lack of cost transparency from publishers poses significant challenges for institutions and researchers, who often face hidden or unclear fees, making budgeting and financial planning more complicated. Our project,
openCost, addresses this issue head-on.”...
Katina, Dec. 18
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Clare Starkey, Haley Lykins, and Kelli Hansen write: “In the spring of 2024, Special Collections at the University of Missouri [in Columbia] hosted a series of field trips for every sixth grader in the local public school district, more than 1,300 students. This workshop gave students a chance to experience ancient writing technologies from across Africa and Asia while interacting with primary sources, to complement the school curriculum on ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. This post will cover the advantages and pitfalls of hands-on teaching on a large scale, and strategies to make the most of a shoestring budget and a small staff.”...
TPS Collective, Jan. 2
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