January 2023

POLICY BRIEF: Opposing Attempts to Criminalize Librarianship through State Obscenity Laws

https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/opposing_attempts_policy_brief_2023

 

The EverLibrary Institute is releasing a new Policy Brief “Opposing Attempts to Criminalize Libraries and Education Through State Obscenity Laws” to help state library associations anticipate this legislation and prepare properly to oppose unnecessary politicized changes to settled state law.

New Year, New Weed

New Year, New Weed

The biggest takeaway from this project was that deselection of materials had a largely positive impact on the age of the collection, greater than just adding brand new materials could. It’s like trying to mix a grey paint; you’re going to need to dump a whole lot of white onto your black paint to get it to lighten up. It’s so much more effective if you take all the old, unused stuff away first. Committing to keeping up with how we are progressing towards our goals is the only way I would have found out that the time invested by liaison librarians into collection development has been paying off – and more importantly, just how much of an impact their actions made. I think it is so much more valuable to see that quantitative comparison in the data than to simply say “good job.”

The Smithsonian Will Restore Hundreds of the World’s Oldest Sound Recordings

The Smithsonian Will Restore Hundreds of the World’s Oldest Sound Recordings
They were made by Alexander Graham Bell and his fellow researchers between 1881 and 1892

“Over the three-year duration of this remarkable project, ‘Hearing History: Recovering Sound from Alexander Graham Bell’s Experimental Records,’ we will preserve and make accessible for the first time about 300 recordings that have been in the museum’s collections for over a century, unheard by anyone,” says Anthea M. Hartig, the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillan director, in a statement. The new initiative will begin in the fall.

The Most Unique Libraries in the World

Even for those who read only sporadically, there is a certain fascination with spaces that hold books, be they some of the world%u2019s most beautiful libraries or the world%u2019s most stunning bookstores. Booklovers are forever searching out books wherever they go, which can sometimes lead to discovering some extraordinary spots that allow you to bend sideways and read what%u2019s on offer. Here are some of the world%u2019s most unusual libraries, ranging from libraries resembling the Escher Stairs to one hidden inside a tree.

 

https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/the-most-unique-libraries-in-the-world

Good luck finding a spare copy of “Spare” at your local library

https://www.axios.com/2023/01/14/prince-harry-spare-book-library-waitlist-length

 

If you’re trying to nab a copy of Prince Harry’s new memoir “Spare” from your local library, chances are you’ve got a long wait ahead of you.

Why it matters: The massive demand for the royal tell-all highlights how libraries remain a key public resource across America — and how a blockbuster bestseller forces them to make tough decisions to keep borrowers happy.

Central Florida school librarians say new mandated training needs to be redone

School librarians and media specialists across Central Florida have to undergo an hour-long training session to help them understand new rules on what can and can’t be in school libraries.

Those rules came about as part of a wave of legislation that Gov. Ron Desantis said are about more transparency in education. That includes the Parental Rights In Education Act and the governor’s so-called “Stop WOKE” Act.

But some Central Florida media specialists think the training, which has to be completed by July, needs to be redone.

Opportunity Knocks: Rust Belt Books Store For Sale In Buffalo NY

“It’s a unique inventory,” Kristi imparted to me. “There’s so much here. Each book has been lovingly curated. I love the books. I have a connection with the books. It’s like a madness. When I go to people’s houses in Buffalo, I scan the rooms for book titles, to see what sort of people they are. I can’t engage without knowing what books they own [laughing].”

Book Store in Buffalo

The Colleagues Who’ve Left

The Colleagues Who’ve Left

Last year I started a chart tracking colleagues who had left my institution. When I left for the winter break finally, the number stood at 37 and I’m sure I missed a few. These are spread across the university, though nearly half are from the Library. It includes people I worked with regularly enough that their leaving had a significant impact on me, with a sprinkling of high level administrators whose transitions always end up with creating waves of change likely to reach me at some point. I started tracking because I knew that the volume was going to be high and that I would need to be able to see at year’s end — at scale — how significant the disruptions had been.

Getting Lost in the World’s Largest Stack of Menus

The Buttolph collection of menus at the New York Public Library continues to inspire a new generation of researchers, chefs, and restaurant fans.

The library provided Buttolph no budget and no salary. But she kept collecting, even placing advertisements in restaurant trade and hotel magazines to solicit menus from readers, stressing that their condition must be immaculate. Buttolph could only lure donors with the satisfaction of contributing to a historic archive, but she continued to receive menus from admirers across the country and overseas, including one from a London banquet celebrating King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902.