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Donna Seaman writes: “Megha Majumdar lit up the book world in 2020 with her first novel, A Burning, a galvanizing tale of social media and tyranny.
It became a bestseller, was named best book of the year by many publications, and was a finalist for ALA’s Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.
Her gripping second novel, A Guardian and a Thief, is set in a near-future Kolkata besieged by the ever-worsening climate crisis.
It received this year’s Carnegie Medal, which will be
presented to Majumdar on June 27 at ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.”...
American Libraries Trend, Summer
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Elizabeth Szkirpan writes: “Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming ubiquitous.
Its integration is not just limited to our personal technology but now also
includes library resources. Meanwhile, vendors are constantly introducing new tools or integrations into existing products, and we must measure emerging AI platforms against our library’s tried-and-true resources to gauge which ones truly bring a new perspective or added value to our collections.
To cut through the noise, I’ve narrowed down my queries for vendors to five questions to better understand how a new AI tool might enhance my library’s user experience.”...
American Libraries feature, Summer
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Joey Wender writes: “On June 4, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a
draft proposal that should alarm schools and libraries around the country.
Tucked inside a long document is a direct question: Should the
E-Rate program be ‘limited or sunset’? When E-Rate began in the late 1990s, most schools and libraries had little or no internet access.
Today,
nearly every school in the country has a high-speed connection. The FCC points to that success and suggests the job is finished.
The reality is the opposite.
That connectivity exists because E-Rate supports it year after year.”...
American Libraries Online, June 16, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society Digital Beat, June 11
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Earlier this year, Sarah Lamdan was promoted to executive director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) after joining the Association in 2024 as OIF deputy director.
Prior to joining ALA, Lamdan was a librarian and law professor at City University of New York School of Law, where her research focused on information access, privacy, and other legal issues related to librarianship.
She is author of two books, most recently Data Cartels, which looks at privacy and access as they relate to data analytics companies and platforms.
Lamdan answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members....
AL: The Scoop, June 16
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Alejandro Marquez writes: “When I graduated from library school, I wanted to become an administrator.
I envisioned myself leading teams, shaping the direction of the organization I joined, and advocating for the people and projects I believed in.
However, I encountered persistent constraints around budgets and time, faced overwhelming workloads, and, most significantly, was confronted with the ongoing need to support and mentor struggling colleagues.
A significant number of talented and dedicated library workers are saying ‘no’ to traditional managerial roles.
This essay will explore the factors driving this trend.”...
Choice 360 LibTech Insights, June 9
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Greta Heng, Patricia Lampron, and Myung-Ja Han write: “While generative artificial intelligence (AI) shows some potential as a supplementary tool, it is not capable of replacing catalogers.
Metadata creation is not merely a task of transcription or extracting information from a cover page; it requires critical judgment, subject expertise, and contextual understanding that current generative AI models are not capable of replicating.
The inability of these tools to consistently follow detailed cataloging rules, validate authority data, or apply complex subject headings highlights their limitations and immaturity in the library domain.
Responsible integration of AI into cataloging workflows must acknowledge these shortcomings and guard against overreliance.”...
Information Technology and Libraries, vol.
45, no. 2, June 15
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Lexi Kadis writes: “I was in a state of perpetual déjà vu throughout the spring 2026 semester. Just a year ago, I was on the academic librarian job market—revising CVs, writing cover letters, interviewing—and now, I was helping six MLIS graduate students navigate the job search process.
I have learned that supporting MLIS students on the job market takes a great deal of time, energy, and emotional labor, and I wanted to share my experiences and perspective on how to provide effective and sustainable mentorship to MLIS students.”...
ACRLog, June 11
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Hannah Arata writes: “Large-scale summer reading décor can transform a library, build excitement, and create memorable experiences for families. Whatever the theme, decoration often plays a major role in bringing the annual program to life. We asked three librarians with decades of combined experience planning impressive summer reading décor to share their best advice and go-to materials.”...
Programming Librarian, June 9
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Eric Schwitzgebel writes: “Comparing online conferences now with what online conferences could become is like looking at Usenet in the 1980s and thinking that nothing much more could become of the internet.
Just as few people in the 1980s could have imagined Facebook, Uber, and YouTube, few of us now have much idea what online conferencing could become if given the chance to flourish.
So far, there’s no real equivalent to running across friends in the hallway and escaping for a coffee down the block.
But other tools encourage one-on-one and small-group encounters in online conference applications.”...
The Splintered Mind, June 11
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Claire Baytas writes: “Librarians, faculty, students, and others across higher education are increasingly and understandably concerned about how widespread adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is affecting the climate and the planet broadly speaking.
In order for the higher education community to make informed choices about AI tools, AI literacy curricula must address these pressing environmental dimensions of the technology.
We have published a LibGuide focused on the
Environmental Impacts of AI. Its articles, reports, podcasts, videos, data trackers, and other types of resources address environmental impacts throughout the AI lifecycle.”...
Ithaka S+R, June 9
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Emily Villanueva and Romany Craig write: “This article outlines the development and implementation of a pop-up reference service at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta) Library as an innovative response to declining reference interactions.
This initiative was designed to connect with students who were unaware of the resources available at the library.
Findings suggest that pop-up reference services play an important role in library outreach, providing individualized experiences that students desire while eliciting reference questions that otherwise would not have been asked.”...
Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, vol.
21, no. 1, June
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Ojas Kulkarni writes: “Pro wrestling has happened in some very unusual places over the years.
Fans have seen matches in stadiums and empty arenas, cruise ships, beaches, swamps, parking lots, malls, military camps, and even WWE headquarters.
Now, another unexpected location has joined that list.
Professional wrestling is taking place inside libraries.
Lucha Libro was established in 2024 by Jerry Rocha and Victor Dwight.
It combines children’s storytime with live professional wrestling.
The wrestling style takes inspiration from the Mexican tradition of Lucha libre.”...
Wrestlezone, June 12
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