School librarians in Florida are now required to undergo specialized state training on the new rules for what can and cannot go in school media centers.
That training was a result of a state law passed last year and finalized last week. Citizens now have an opportunity to weigh in as it%u2019s reviewed by the state school board.
Few parents are demanding censorship but rightwing politicians are passing restrictive laws nevertheless
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/21/books-bans-gag-orders-suppress-discussion-racism-lgbtq-us-schools
How time flies! Once again we look back at the memorable events of the past year.
10. More Libraries End Late Fines
Libraries continue to make headlines for discontinuing the assessment of financial penalties for returning books late. Not only does this practice help get overdue books returned, it promotes equitable access to library collections.
9. Cape Town Library Damaged by Fire
In April, a fire partially destroyed the main library at the University of Cape Town. Recovery efforts are still underway.
8. Taylor Swift…?
Not one but two copyright stories this year involved Taylor Swift: the dubious practice of the police playing her songs to avoid being live streamed, and the musician having to re-record her hits in order to regain ownership of them.
The Lighter Side: "Library Rap" Raises Eyebrows
All I can say about this story is to watch the video yourself, if you can get through it.
7. University of California Re-Ups with Elsevier
After a long standoff over pricing and author rights, the University of California agreed to again subscribe to the for-profit publisher’s titles.
6. Supply Chain Issues in Publishing
Shipping delays and understaffing hit many economic sectors this year, and the books trade was no exception.
5. "Illegal Aliens" LCSH Retired
After over a decade of controversy, the Library of Congress approved a change to their "Illegal Aliens" subject heading in November, replacing it with the terms "Noncitizens" and "Illegal Immigration," prompting an outcry from Senator Ted Cruz.
Dishonorable Mention: NFTs
Librarians are all too familiar with the contrived scarcity imposed on electronic formats by commercial interests. This year, the hype train that is non-fungible tokens reached fever pitch, causing concerns over their environmental impact.
4. Controlled Digital Lending
Whither libraries in the Internet Age? One answer is the use of metered circulation mechanisms that allow for libraries to "lend" electronic copies of materials. Commercial publishers, unsurprisingly, would prefer to set their own prices.
3. Cancel/Consequence Culture
The publishing industry has always had its fair share of scandals. This year’s controversies involved Josh Hawley, Doctor Seuss, Alex Gino, Alice Sebold, Captain Underpants, and Phillip Roth.
2. Covid Exacerbated by Misinformation
Ahmed Baba describes the situation perfectly: "It’s important to directly state that Republicans and right-wing media have spent this year blatantly sabotaging Biden’s COVID response while simultaneously criticizing him for not getting COVID totally under control. It’s a deliberate strategy and it’s unfortunately working."
1. Book Banning Intensifies
This perennial entry takes the top spot this year due to the drastic rise (or "dramatic uptick," to quote the ALA) in challenges led by conservatives to library books.
What was your favorite library story of 2021?
Coronavirus Tests the Limits of America’s Public Libraries With school closures and job loss, communities will need libraries more than ever. But constraints after Covid-19 mean they’ll have to rethink their role.
From: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-24/how-coronavirus-is-changing-public-libraries How Coronavirus Is Changing Public Libraries – Bloomberg
A Virginia school district, determined not to let a pandemic keep students from their summer reading, is delivering books to students via the drone company run by Alphabet.
From:
Kept Out of the Library, a School District Tries Summer Reading by Drone – The New York Times
Research data from 160,000 adults in 31 countries concludes that a sizeable home library gave teen school leavers skills equivalent to university graduates who didn’t read
School districts would no longer be required to have a school nurse and a teacher librarian under a proposal advanced in the Iowa Senate Tuesday.
Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, chair of the Education Committee, said the bill would give school boards and communities more power to make decisions that are best for local students.
“Do we trust those people and their teachers to make the decisions that are appropriate to their students, or not? It’s as simple as that,” Sinclair said.
From School Districts No Longer Required To Have Nurses, Librarians Under Senate Bill | Iowa Public Radio
School librarians, who are required to teach in a classroom for two years and in many cases receive a master’s degree to qualify for the position, would be excluded from legislation offering a $5,000 pay raise to all Texas teachers.
Senate Bill 3 would allocate $3.7 billion over two years to boost pay for classroom teachers but not other education employees such as bus drivers, counselors or librarians. The legislation, touted as a way to better retain teachers and recognize them for the importance of their jobs, is a priority for Senate GOP leaders, amid a renewed focus among lawmakers in both chambers and both parties on improving public education in Texas.
Wayne State University is set to offer a new experimental school library certificate to address student demand and a general shortage of certified school librarians in the state.
The Detroit-based university plans to offer a 15-credit program through its School of Information Sciences, said Matt Fredericks, academic services officer for the school. The course load is designed to equip students with the necessary media specialist skills without requiring the typical 36-credit master’s program.
From Wayne State to roll out fast-track librarian certificate amid shortage, student demand
A Florida elementary school is using its vending machine to drop knowledge on its students.
The vending machine at Umatilla Elementary School started dispensing books to students on Monday as part of the state’s literacy week.
Umatilla Elementary Principal Dianne Dwyer said most of the children are more excited for the books than they would be for candy. The machine gave out more than 100 books Wednesday.
“We do need to restock the machine,” Dwyer said.
From Florida school uses vending machine to dispense books instead of snacks
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