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Rebecca Lomax writes: “Attendees expressed their views on a range of topics—and each in their unique way—at the ALA 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition, held June 26–30 in Philadelphia.” Enjoy some of our favorite photos from the gathering, including reading challenged books in the Big Chair, fantastic fashions, collaborative zine-making, and creative button production....
American Libraries feature, July/Aug.
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Sarah Medeiros writes: “It’s important that public library workers are given opportunities to develop their own skills—so they can better help patrons do the same.
The Public Library Association (PLA) enlisted the help of the
2025 cohort of ALA’s Emerging Leaders, who did a
deep dive into PLA’s career development offerings for members and the public.
Public Libraries Online caught up with the three Emerging Leaders PLA sponsored for the program to explore any surprises they found while working on the project and how it was its own rewarding career development experience for each of them.”...
Public Libraries Online, July 30
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ALA has added the
All Nations LibGuide to the
ALA Library Resource page. The guide highlights the impact of Indigenous librarianship and the importance of serving the library and information needs of Indigenous and Native peoples.
Users will find a collection of resources that are primarily Indigenous-centric, with information on equitable access to information, literacy, welcoming spaces, and sustainability for future generations of library staff and patrons.
The All Nations LibGuide was one of 2024–2025 ALA President Cindy Hohl’s
presidential initiatives....
ALA, Aug. 4
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ALA’s Nominating Committee is seeking nominees for the positions of ALA president-elect and councilor-at-large in the 2026 spring election. The president-elect will serve a three-year term as president-elect in 2026–2027, president in 2027–2028, and immediate past president in 2028–2029. The committee will select no fewer than 18 candidates for the 12 at-large council seats. Councilors-at-large will serve three-year terms beginning after the 2026 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2029 Annual Conference. For more information or to nominate a candidate, visit the ALA Election website. The nomination deadline is September 15....
ALA Governance Office, Aug.
4
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Neda Ulaby writes: “Summer for thousands of people in Ann Arbor, Michigan, means scavenging for hidden codes around the city and voraciously reading books to collect points.
It's part of an
enormously popular game that's been a triumph for the public library that runs it.
‘This summer, we have 16,000 active players and more than half of them are adults,’ says Library Director Eli Neiburger.
Not bad for a library that serves about 150,000 people. It's such a local sensation, one
couple even got married while playing what's known in town as ‘The Summer Game.’” (See also American Libraries’
report on the early days of the Summer Game from 2011.)...
NPR, Aug. 4; MLive, July 5; American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec. 2011
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Mathew Schumer writes: “Workers across the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore voted overwhelmingly on August 1 to ratify the first union contract in the library’s 142-year history. According to a
statement from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents workers at the libraries, Pratt Workers United negotiated with the system’s management for about two years before reaching the agreement.
The contract covers more than 300 full-time and part-time workers across the library’s 22 locations and secures them a $1,000 bonus, as well as health and safety protections and protections against workplace discrimination.”...
Baltimore Sun, Aug. 2; AFSCME Maryland Council 3, Aug. 1
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Sarah Ladd writes: “When children are unnecessarily removed from their homes, experts say the separation puts them at risk of chronic mental and physical ailments.
With that in mind, four Kentucky libraries are launching programs to keep families together, well resourced, and educated—aided by $200,000 in grant money from the national nonprofit Youth Villages.
Libraries in Jackson, Johnson, Marshall and Spencer counties received around $45,000 each for a variety of programs to help parents meet their children’s needs.”...
Kentucky Lantern, Aug.
4
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Nick Tanzi writes: “Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the publishing industry—and libraries are beginning to notice the impact on our collections.
AI-generated books are flooding the marketplace, and AI audiobook narration is increasingly prevalent.
Given how central our collections are to the library’s mission, these industry developments demand our attention.
A
2024 piece from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books notes the overall lack of policy governing AI-generated content within library collections.
In considering a policy response to generative AI, we should ask ourselves several questions.”...
The Digital Librarian, Aug.
5; Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Oct.
21, 2024
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Kyle Davidson writes: “Members of the Lapeer (Mich.) District Library Board agreed to move its regular meeting time from 5:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month at
its July 17 meeting. The move has been viewed by some as a way to prevent community members from fighting against a rash of book challenges that began in 2023 and following the election of several members with conservative ideologies, who have come to hold a majority of seats on the nonpartisan board.
Some of those members have ties to the book challenges in question.”...
Michigan Advance, July 28; Fight4theFirstLapeer, July 18
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Craig Shapiro writes: “Walk into a library and you’ll feel it right away.
It’s quiet but alive. People are reading, learning, applying for jobs, finding shelter, escaping for a moment into a story.
No one’s selling anything. Yet the value being created is enormous.
Libraries are not businesses.
But they offer a model that many companies would do well to study.
What if long-term success is more about building environments where people feel inspired, curious, and connected? That’s what libraries do. And that’s what the best organizations of any kind are learning to do, too.”...
Fast Company, Aug. 5
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Adaeze Uche writes: “Staring at gray grids all day? Same here—until I learned a one-step visual hack for Excel.
It’s fast, doesn’t need fancy add-ons, and instantly makes data clearer and more fun to work with.
Data bars, tucked inside Conditional Formatting in Excel, turn your numbers into horizontal bars right inside their cells, making it easier to spot highs, lows, and patterns.
And unlike separate charts, data bars scale automatically as your data changes.
Even with just a default setup, data bars immediately give your sheet a visual makeover.
But you’re not limited to the basics.”...
MakeUseOf, Aug. 3
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Millie Ramm writes: “If you haven’t dipped into Korean literature yet, you are seriously missing out.
Korean authors are producing some of the most original, moving, and mind-bending fiction out there right now.
Luckily for us, a growing number of these gems are being translated into English, so now there’s zero excuse not to dive in.
Whether you’re new to K-lit or already deep into your obsession, these incredible Korean reads deserve a place on your shelf or in your shopping cart!”...
1000 Libraries, Aug. 4
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