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ALA and the League of Women Voters have published
A Guide to Civic Collaboration, a joint resource to inspire and support year-round civic programming in libraries.
Published as a companion piece to the
Election Collaboration Toolkit, A Guide to Civic Collaboration celebrates the joint efforts by local libraries and Leagues to ensure that their communities have the information, tools, and access necessary to participate fully in civic life.
The new resource is available to all library and League supporters and shines a spotlight on the local work, highlighting best practices and resources for community adaptation....
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Aug.
18
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On August 19, the Public Library Association launched a suite of
outcome measurement resources developed as part of the Project Outcome toolkit. The new webpages culminate a decade of work dedicated to sharing the impact of public library services and programs via simple surveys and a streamlined process designed to measure and analyze patron outcomes. The “Utilizing Outcome Measurement to Improve Library Services” webinar on August 28 will guide participants through the templates and tools....
Public Library Association, Aug.
19
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ALA invites proposals for 60-minute education programs and poster sessions at the
2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition, to be held June 25–29 in Chicago. The Annual Conference explores critical issues affecting libraries and their communities through an array of innovative programs, professional development opportunities, timely research, strategic initiatives, and best practices.
The 2026 conference will also recognize ALA’s sesquicentennial with programs that commemorate ALA’s impact. The
news release includes links to submission guides, video walkthroughs, evaluation rubrics, and submission sites for both types of proposals.
Proposals are due September 22....
ALA Conference Services, Aug.
18
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Rachel Grover writes: “In
my last post, I shared five easy ways Google Sheets keeps me organized throughout the year.
Today, I’m diving into five more complex, yet indispensable, uses that form the crux of my daily organization.
While they might involve a few more technical steps and advanced features, I use these documents to free up my mental energy for teaching, ordering, or readers’ advisory.” Applications include organizing book displays, picture book inventory, and managing annual tasks....
Knowledge Quest, Aug.
13, July 18
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Jeffrey S. Solochek writes: “US Judge Carlos Mendoza ruled against state efforts to restrict school books and materials that ‘describe sexual conduct,’ saying the standard was too broad and vague.
The 2023 law has led to the removal of thousands of books from school libraries.
The
50-page order, which is likely to be appealed, takes issue with several aspects of the government’s arguments,” including the ideas that curating library materials is government speech and that references to sexual conduct make a work “pornography.”...
Tampa Bay Times, Aug.
14
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Tracy Bergstrom writes: “A year ago, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, we began assessing the state of scholarly monograph publishing in the humanities and social sciences.
We are delighted to announce the publication of our findings.
The report considers the areas of alignment and disconnect between the library and publisher communities on academic monograph publishing.
While the two communities have come together on a variety of important initiatives, including new models for open access publications, they are facing different challenges and do not necessarily share the same priorities.”...
Ithaka S+R, Aug. 13
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“When a controversial new education policy makes headlines, it’s easy to assume it appeared overnight.
In reality, new laws go through a multi-step process before they become rules enforced in classrooms and libraries.
Understanding this process is critical for parents, educators, students, and community advocates who want to protect public education and fight censorship.
The good news? At nearly every step, you have the opportunity to participate, speak up, and make a difference.
This article walks you through how state laws are made and implemented and how you can use public comment periods to influence what happens in your schools.”...
Freedom to Read Project, Aug.
7
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Frank Strong writes: “We’re getting lots of reports of bad things going down in Texas as students return to classrooms after our lawmakers passed antibook laws like Senate Bills (SB) 12, 13, and 412. But then a new trend emerged.
It started with the superintendent of College Station Independent School District (ISD),
Tim Harkrider, who said SB 13 ‘was written to create discord in communities and take rights away from librarians and others.’ Then the entire board of Spring ISD decided not to adopt a new library acquisition policy in its regular August meeting.”...
Anger & Clarity, Aug. 18; WTAW-AM (College Station, Texas), Aug. 12
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Amanda Rogers et al. write “Academic publishing stands at a critical juncture where accessibility has become more than just a compliance requirement.
It’s an ethical imperative—and an opportunity for innovation.
While open access has revolutionized how research reaches readers, true accessibility encompasses a broader spectrum of considerations that institutions, publishers, and service providers must address to create genuinely inclusive scholarly communication.
The statistics paint a sobering picture of the current state of accessibility in academic publishing.
Only 2.4% of PDFs demonstrate full compliance with accessibility criteria, highlighting a significant gap in making research truly accessible.”...
The Scholarly Kitchen, Aug.
19
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Naomi S. Baron writes: “A perfect storm is brewing for reading.
Artificial intelligence (AI) arrived as both kids and adults were already spending less time reading books than they did in the not-so-distant past. As a linguist, I study how technology influences the ways people read, write, and think.
This includes the impact of AI, which is dramatically changing how people engage with books or other kinds of writing, whether it’s assigned, used for research, or read for pleasure.
I worry that AI is accelerating an ongoing shift in the value people place on reading as a human endeavor.”...
The Conversation, Aug.
13
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Molly Templeton writes: “On August 16, the 2025 Hugo Awards were presented at Seattle Worldcon, the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention.
The awards were voted on by members of the 2024 and 2025 World Science Fiction Conventions.” The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett was named Best Novel, Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse received the award for Best Series, and Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way, written by Ryan North with art by Chris Fenoglio, won the award for Best Graphic Story or Comic.
See the
full list of winners, with the administrator's report and statistics....
Reactor, Aug. 18; Seattle Worldcon, Aug.
16
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James Austin writes: “GenCon, one of the longest-running and best-attended tabletop-gaming conventions in North America, is an overwhelming storm of cardboard-and-dice-based entertainment. What has drawn me there every August for the past four years is the chance to get an early look at—and to play—the games that Wirecutter will be covering in the coming year.
Although we don’t have time to go over every new game we saw at the convention this year, here are five that we’re most excited to test.”...
New York Times Wirecutter, Aug.
19
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