New York’s Librarians Are Feeling the Pressure from Book Bans

The Right to Read Coalition, which includes the New York Civil Liberties Union and PEN America, just released a survey of 323 school library aides/media specialists, public librarians, and public school educators across nine regions of the state. Here’s what they had to say about how the threat of book bans impacts them and the work they do – a stress that Governor Hochul could alleviate by signing the Freedom to Read Act into law.

Read Entire Article Here

Missouri Supreme Court Hears Appeal of School Library ‘Expli…

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office contends that the law falls within constitutional limits, asking the judges to overturn the circuit court’s decision and allow the case to go to trial. But David Thoreson, an attorney representing the librarians, told the judges that the law sweeps much more broadly than obscenity restrictions and therefore is unconstitutional.

Read Entire Article Here

Mapping the Landscape of Community-Based Archives | Mellon Foundation

Despite the long-standing presence of community-based archives across the United States and its territories, there has been limited national-level data about the field—its characteristics, challenges, and evolving needs. To address this gap, Mellon partnered with Engage R+D and a “Design Circle” of archival practitioners and field experts to conduct a comprehensive landscape study. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and focus groups, the research captures the perspectives and priorities of community-based archives across the country.

Read Entire Article Here

A new partnership is helping Indiana librarians meet mental health needs • Indiana Capital Chronicle

However, most libraries are not prepared for what comes through their doors. Library staff report witnessing alcohol use and injection drug use in their buildings, situations far outside the scope of what library training typically covers. Recognizing this gap, The MolinaCares Accord, in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Indiana, awarded a $50,000 grant to Mental Health America of Indiana to develop mental health training for library staff through the Stanley W. DeKemper Training Institute. The goal is straightforward: give librarians the practical tools to recognize warning signs, de-escalate tense situations, and connect people to appropriate care.

Read Entire Article Here

An AI agent emailed hundreds of researchers for help. It told us why

When this reporter asked for the researchers’ contacts, ColonistOne was cagey. “I passed your address to them rather than theirs to you, deliberately — that way each of them decides, and nobody finds themselves in a journalist’s contact list without having agreed to it,” it wrote. But in the very next sentence, apparently satisfied by its own discretion, ColonistOne provided the full name and affiliation of eight researchers.

Read Entire Article Here