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Terra Dankowski writes: “Hollywood has no shortage of polymaths, but Geena Davis might be in a category of her own.
She has won Academy Awards for both acting and advocacy, founded the groundbreaking nonprofit Geena Davis Institute, written the memoir Dying of Politeness (2022), and even contended for a spot on the US Olympic archery team.
But one thing she hasn’t done until now: write and illustrate a children’s book. She talked to American Libraries about her new book, striving for equitable representation in media, and the roles for which she’s most often recognized.”...
American Libraries Trend, July/Aug.
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Stacy Gilbert writes: “I am now in year nine as a school librarian.
I have served in two different schools in two different districts under four different principals with vast differences in leadership styles and visions for the library.
I have also had the privilege to work alongside some truly remarkable librarians and with some absolutely amazing students.
Here are 10 tips I have learned from all of these invaluable resources that can help you keep your sanity this school year, whether it is your first or your ninety-ninth.”...
Knowledge Quest, Aug.
11
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Crissandra George writes: “Just like any major transition, a system migration comes with its fair share of challenges.
Not every detail will be able to be considered, negotiating among priorities will happen, some desirable features will need to be on the back burner, and complex issues will need to be resolved to ensure minimal risk of data loss.
There were many things that I had explicitly prepared for with the utmost detail that were quickly derailed, and unexpected twists and turns that I could not have predicted.
I hope my experience and these insights will help others.”...
Choice 360: LibTech Insights, Aug.
11
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Jessica Tarnowski writes: “We’ve all been there. You spend weeks planning what feels like the perfect children’s program. You prepare thoughtful activities, gather materials, and add creative touches.
Then… only a handful of kids show up.
It can feel disappointing and frustrating.
But low attendance is something every youth services librarian faces at some point.
Instead of letting those moments get us down, what if we saw them as chances to rethink what success really means?”...
ALSC Blog, Aug. 8
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Amanda Moss Struckmeyer writes: “Many libraries and librarians aim to provide materials and resources to support sustainability.
For some, this is part of a district or municipality-wide effort; others are prompted by patron interest, current events, or cooperation with other community organizations.
Sustainability is a broad, often daunting field that encompasses so much and evolves so quickly.
We may doubt our ability to offer high-quality programming focused on sustainability, or we may simply not know where to start.
Below are a few tips to help on the sustainability programming journey.”...
Programming Librarian, Aug.
8
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Highlights from the ALA Executive Board meeting at the 2025 ALA Annual Conference have been posted in ALA Connect. Board actions include several recommendations for revisions of ALA Policies related to the organization of the Association, updates on the ALA budget and finances, notes about the ALA Forward organizational assessment of internal operations, and a report on Annual Conference attendance....
ALA Connect, Aug. 5
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Chloe Veltman writes: “Boston Public Library (BPL) is launching a project this summer with OpenAI and Harvard Law School to make its trove of historically significant government documents more accessible to the public.
BPL plans to digitize 5,000 documents by the end of the year.
Researchers at the Harvard Law School Library's Institutional Data Initiative are training new artificial intelligence (AI) models to help libraries enhance the searchability of their collections.
AI companies help fund these efforts, and in return get to train their large language models on high-quality materials that are out of copyright.”...
NPR: Morning Edition, Aug.
11
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Hiba Ahmad writes: “Francis Howell School District in O'Fallon, Missouri, paid a conservative consultant thousands of dollars in fees for services that were not approved by the Board of Education nor by the district, according to documents obtained by St.
Louis Public Radio. The consultant, Jordan Adams of JC Adams Consulting, was contacted by board member Jane Puszkar.
Adams offers services to review K–12 curriculum and materials for age-appropriate content.” An April
email from then–District Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos to Adams said the district would pay the invoice but that the work had not been authorized and no further work was approved....
St. Louis Public Radio, Aug.
1
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Daniel E. Feinberg and Sarah Moukhliss write: “Historically, the role of online learning librarians (OLLs) has been ambiguously defined within the literature.
This paper, authored by two OLL colleagues at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, aims to clarify the roles and perspectives of an OLL and a STEM OLL, thereby contributing to the clarity of their profession and the existing literature.
The authors also explore key attributes that new professionals can develop to succeed in this dynamic role, addressing common questions posed by colleagues and faculty.”...
Journal of Creative Library Practice, Aug.
6
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Steven Walker writes: “Beanstack, an online reading platform used by school districts to comply with Florida book laws, is now under fire by state Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, who accused it without providing specifics of trying to ‘push an ideology’ and ‘subvert parental rights’” in
a letter to districts sent July 23. An Orlando Sentinel
editorial observed that the education department is paying $15.6 million to Trinity Education Group, which paid more than $40,000 to a lobbying firm with close ties to Gov.
Ron DeSantis, to develop a new platform....
Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, Aug. 3, Aug. 8
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Roland Freist writes: “Despite ever-improving junk mail filters and more sophisticated defense measures, phishing is still one of the biggest threats to cyber security and attacks are becoming increasingly difficult to recognize.
Criminals are using large language models to formulate their emails, which results in largely error-free texts with correct grammar and understandable sentence structure.
As hackers become more advanced, you’ll need to learn new methods to detect them and stay one step ahead of the game.
Below we’ll share a few ways you can catch them in the act.”...
PC World, Aug. 7
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Jacob Holmes writes: “Alabama libraries have been at the center of attention over the past few years, but due to controversy over books on the shelves and not in celebration of the services they provide.
Jennifer Butler Keeton is setting out to change that with the launch of
My Alabama Library, shining light on the efforts of libraries across the state.
She hopes to build more community support for libraries by highlighting real-life personal success stories through interviews, articles, and videos.” Librarians and library users in the state are encouraged to
share their stories....
Alabama Political Reporter, Aug.
11
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