EveryLibrary – (But it Might Have) – “Libraries have never been immune from political and social movements, but we have behaved as if we are somehow a special place, a place apart from these fights. The last three years of censorship and discrimination fights should have been a wake-up call for our library organizations, stakeholders,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Education
Freedom to Read Advocates Notch a Legal Victory in Alaska
Publisher’s Weekly: “After a favorable legal ruling in August, freedom to read advocates in Alaska have scored a significant victory in court over would-be book banners. In an October 31 filing, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska agreed to pay $89,000 to settle claims that the district improperly removed dozens of books, including several… Continue Reading
Books to Distract You From Doom
Bookshop.org: “This is a list of books compiled to help distract you from the state of the election in 2024, or any other dreadful time in your life.” See also Defector – Books You Can Read Tonight To Distract Yourself From Whatever Is To Come Continue Reading
When Online Content Disappears
“The internet is an unimaginably vast repository of modern life, with hundreds of billions of indexed webpages. But even as users across the world rely on the web to access books, images, news articles and other resources, this content sometimes disappears from view. A new Pew Research Center analysis shows just how fleeting online content… Continue Reading
What is voter turnout like in recent elections? How do Americans vote? How are Americans represented in government?
USA Facts – What are the basics of elections and voting in the US? Explore data on turnout rates, representation, and methods of voting. Turnout rate in federal elections for citizen voting-age population In 2020, 66.8% of the citizen voting-age population voted in the presidential election, the highest turnout since 1992. Table of Contents What… Continue Reading
Download 1,600+ Publications from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Books, Guides, Magazines & More
Open Culture: “Many of us in these past few generations first heard of the Metropolitan Museum of Art while reading E. L. Konigsburg’s novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. More than a few of us also fantasized about running away to live in that vast cultural institution like the book’s young… Continue Reading
Nearly 200 Percent Surge in School Book Bans (2023-2024 School Year)
“PEN America today released new documentation of public school book bans for the full 2023-2024 school year, recording 10,046 instances of books banned nationwide, a dramatic 200 percent rise over the previous school year. Since 2021, the free expression organization has counted close to 16,000 instances of book bans in public schools.” “Nineteen Minutes by… Continue Reading
Metropolitan Museum of Art Puts 490,000 High-Res Images Online & Makes Them Free to Use
Open Culture: “The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put online 492,000 high-resolution images of artistic works. Even better, the museum has placed the vast majority of these images into the public domain, meaning they can be downloaded directly from the museum’s website for non-commercial use. When you browse the Met collection and find an image… Continue Reading
ProPublica’s Coverage of the Election Issues That Matter to Voters
With just days to go before Election Day, political coverage is everywhere. ProPublica avoids horse race coverage of the election, instead deeply exploring issues that voters care about, like immigration, abortion, health care, the economy, extremism and education. Continue Reading
Introducing ChatGPT search
OpenAI: “ChatGPT can now search the web in a much better way than before. You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for. This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores,… Continue Reading
Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record
Internet Archives Blogs: “In today’s digital landscape, corporate interests, shifting distribution models, and malicious cyber attacks are threatening public access to our shared cultural history. The rise of streaming platforms and temporary licensing agreements means that sound recordings, books, films, and other cultural artifacts that used to be owned in physical form, are now at… Continue Reading
Librarians Face a Crisis of Violence and Abuse
The New York Times [unpaywalled] – As libraries become public stages for social problems – homelessness, drug use, mental health – the people who work there are burning out: “…Like Mr. [Mychal] Threets. [a supervisor at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Solano County, Calif], librarians around the country are struggling to reconcile their desire… Continue Reading
