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Rosie Newmark writes: “ALA employees voted overwhelmingly to approve the formation of ALA Workers United, a new union representing staff at the 150-year-old association. The final vote count, tallied on May 27, was 77–4, with 81 out of 87 votes counted. (Six votes were challenged.) The National Labor Relations Board will now certify the union, a process that may take approximately 10 days, allowing workers to begin collective bargaining.
The
union effort followed months of internal reorganization at ALA.
In a
March open letter announcing the campaign, employees cited increased workloads, benefit reductions, salary disparities, low morale, and a lack of transparent decision-making as reasons for unionizing.”...
AL: The Scoop, May 27; American Libraries Online, Apr.
29
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Anne Ford writes: “Like many ALA staffers, librarian and archivist Colleen Barbus remembers the Association’s previous headquarters.
‘The stacks led you into a couple of little rabbit warrens,’ she says. The rabbit-warren days are over.
Since ALA headquarters moved in 2020 to its present location at Chicago’s 225 North Michigan Avenue, Barbus has presided over a completely reimagined in-house library. Visitors step off the elevator to find a large, open, bright area that’s home to not only the office’s main reception desk but also row upon row of low book-filled shelves.”...
American Libraries feature, May
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As community demand continues to ramp up, organizations representing the vast majority of North American public libraries, including ALA’s Public Library Association, released a
joint statement May 26 calling for change in licensing for digital content.
The explosion in usage is straining public library budgets and dragging down wait lists for readers in ways that are not sustainable.
While libraries are able to purchase physical books and lend them indefinitely, digital content is typically licensed to libraries for a limited time, restricts checkouts, or both....
Public Library Association, May 26
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Steve Tetreault writes: “I am fortunate enough to get to talk to school librarians from all over.
I’ve noticed during many of these conversations that, as passionate as school librarians are about doing what they do, they also frequently refer to what they, personally, do as nothing special.
Each and every time, this hurts my heart, because nothing could be further from the truth.
Having any kind of school library program provides resources and access for which students and staff would otherwise go wanting.
And I have met very few school librarians who are just bare-minimum kinds of folks!”...
Knowledge Quest, May 20
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“Everyone’s path to academic libraries is a little different.
One common refrain that’s come up among this year’s ACRLog First-Year Academic Librarians is what we’ve learned from our past jobs—which could be anything from previous careers, library jobs that we had during grad school, and non-library jobs—that we use in our work today in academic libraries.
Today, three of us are sharing some thoughts and suggestions about what we learned from previous jobs.”...
ACRLog, May 19
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Jennifer A. Peterson, Michelle Soderlind, and Chey Westphal write: “The Indian Trails Library Giving Garden began in 2009 and is active thanks to a dedicated team of staff and volunteers from the Wheeling (Ill.) Garden Club. The programs are truly intergenerational and community focused with young children, caregivers, and adults of all ages participating in planting, weeding, pruning, and picking the fruits and vegetables.
When children attend these programs, not only are they harvesting food for the food pantry, but they are also making a direct impact on their community.”...
ALSC Blog, May 23
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ALA will hold its 2026 Virtual Membership Meeting June 17 at 3:30 p.m. Central. The Membership Meeting serves as a crucial platform for ALA members to actively engage in discussions surrounding key issues impacting libraries and librarianship. It's also an opportunity for members to ask questions of ALA leadership (submit questions by June 15) or advocate for important causes by introducing resolutions, memorials, and tributes (see
submission guidelines). Members must register by June 14 to receive voting credentials....
ALA Membership, May 19
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Winston Reed writes: “Libraries across Lafourche Parish could shut down next year unless another source of funding is secured after voters rejected two property tax renewals during the May 16 election, according to Library Director Laura Sanders.
The failed millage renewals account for more than 90% of the Lafourche Parish (La.) Public Library system’s budget. Sanders said the system plans to ask voters to reconsider the measures during an election in December.
In Lafayette Parish, voters also
rejected a property tax renewal that provides roughly $9 million annually for the public library system, about 65% of its operating budget.”...
WWL-TV (New Orleans), May 22; KPEL-FM (Lafayette), May 17
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Kealin McCabe writes: “One of the major issues that students encounter in their first year of university is the difference in academic expectations.
Academic libraries and librarians are well positioned to address the transition through outreach initiatives that enhance university recruitment while preparing future students for academic life.
An example is the
high school outreach program at the University of Northern British Columbia’s library in Prince George, which introduces students to the research process through the acquisition of information literacy skills—skills that are necessary in the workplace as well as for success at university.”...
Times Higher Education, May 18
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“Digital preservation exists to safeguard knowledge for the future.
But as the volume of digital content continues to grow, so too does the need to better understand the environmental impact of the systems, storage, infrastructure, and workflows that support long-term preservation. That is why the release of the new
Carbon Footprint Toolkit by the Digital Preservation Coalition marks an important moment for the digital preservation community.
The toolkit has been designed to help organizations undertaking digital preservation understand, measure, and reduce the carbon footprint of their activities in a practical and proportionate way.”...
CLOCKSS, May 20
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Quintis Pinder writes: “While there is increasing recognition of the importance of diversity in higher education, Black men in librarianship often encounter significant structural barriers when it comes to advancing their careers, gaining representation, and stepping into leadership roles.
It is hoped that this literature review will help academic libraries understand the unique and complex challenges faced by Black male librarians, while also promoting the implementation of intentional policies, mentorship programs, and equity-focused recruitment practices.
These approaches are essential for building a more inclusive and representative academic library workforce.”...
Urban Library Journal, vol.
32, no. 1, May
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Leah Dudak writes: “Trauma rarely exists in isolation.
It often intersects with other forms of stress, exhaustion, and harm that shape how we experience our jobs and relate to our communities.
Some of these experiences may not qualify as trauma in a clinical sense but are still deeply impactful.
Understanding the range of related terms can help us more accurately describe what we’re going through, validate our own and others’ experiences, and begin to imagine healthier, more supportive workplace cultures.”...
Urban Librarians Unite, May 22
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