Houston Chronicle: See every book Texas schools banned and challenged in our interactive database. “Explore books that were challenged across Texas schools. Filter by book title, school district and whether or not the books were ultimately removed from circulation. Books that are removed from some grade levels but not all are listed as ‘partially removed.’”
The Scotsman: How Ukraine’s librarians mobilised to fight the Russian culture war. “When war broke out in Ukraine, it was not only the troops who mobilised – but the librarians too. Within days, libraries across the country had set up initiatives to supply books to citizens sheltering in underground Metro stations, had created centres for refugees displaced within Ukraine in library buildings and diversified to set up to act as hubs to supply military equipment and essentials to the hastily-formed army.”
Reason: You Can’t Stop Pirate Libraries. “Are the proprietors of these pirate libraries freedom fighters? Digital Robin Hoods? Criminals? That depends on your perspective, and it may also differ depending on the platform in question. But one thing is certain: These platforms are nearly impossible to eradicate. Even a greatly enhanced crackdown on them would be little more than a waste of time and resources.”
University of Texas at San Antonio: UTSA’s virtual conference will share best practices and current trends in STEM librarianship. “This summer, UTSA Libraries will host the annual STEM Librarians South Conference from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on July 28 and from noon to 5 p.m. on July 29. The conference will feature a series of online presentations and will bring together information professionals and academics from across the United States to discuss current research, ideas, insights and best practices that advance STEM research and education.” Registration is required but the conference is free to attend.
National Library of Medicine: Birthing a Capstone: A Prenatal and Postpartum Health Toolkit for Public Librarians. “Using PubMed and MedlinePlus as well as curating more online resources, this new toolkit gives librarians a ready-made, customizable bank of resources so that they can distribute pre-prepared resources or customize our resources templates to suit their specific library’s needs and ensures that librarians have access to high-quality, evidence-based information about prenatal, expecting, and postpartum needs to distribute to patrons, with the option to tailor it to suit their patrons’ needs.”
The Guardian: Future Library opens secret archive of unseen texts in Oslo. “On Sunday the Future Library, a project dreamed up by the Scottish artist Katie Paterson, was opened to the public in Oslo. After eight years, manuscripts penned by some of the world’s most famous living authors were delivered to ‘The silent room’ on the top floor of the Deichman library, where they will remain for the next 92 years.”
University of North Carolina: University Libraries releases guide to conscious editing for finding aids and catalog records. “The guide compiles practices that staff at the Wilson Special Collections Library have refined as they update, edit and create new archival finding aids. Finding aids are documents that describe the contents of archival collections. They help researchers identify materials of potential interest.”
Maynooth University Library: Maynooth University Library Lunchtime Talk: Using radio documentaries and podcasts to highlight significant library collections. “Award-winning freelance journalist Bairbre Flood, is in conversation with Helen Fallon, Deputy Librarian, Maynooth University on the topic of using library collections as the basis of documentaries and podcasts. Bairbre produced the documentary ‘Silence Would be Treason’ for BBC Radio 4. This is based on the MU Ken Saro-Wiwa Archive.” The event is free.
Washington Post: The next book ban: States aim to limit titles students can search for. “Republican lawmakers across the country are proposing legislation that would target online library databases and library management technology — tools built by a half-dozen large companies that catalogue millions of books, journals and articles that students peruse for assignments.”
Morocco World News: Morocco’s Ministry of Culture to Digitize 200 Public Libraries. “Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication is set to digitize 200 public libraries across the country. The ministry announced in a facebook post that the book directorate has recently created digital spaces within the libraries under the ministry, with an aim to digitize their services.”
Motherboard: Every Teen in the US Can Now Get Free Access to Banned Books. “Books UnBanned is a teen-led initiative from [Brooklyn Public Library] that aims to push back against recent attempts to remove reading materials from schools and libraries in the U.S. By giving people ages 13 to 21 a library card, the program is providing access to BPL’s digital catalogs regardless of location, with the hope of reaching marginalized teens who frequently find themselves targets of bigoted and racist attacks.”
BloodHorse: Equine Library Donated to Cal Poly Pomona. “The California Thoroughbred Foundation is donating the contents of the Carleton F. Burke Library in Arcadia—one of the most extensive collections of equine literature found anywhere—to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona…. The university intends to digitize research books for worldwide access, exposing the Burke Library to a far wider audience than the Foundation could offer.”
