"The traditional image of a #library as a building in which silence should reign belies its true role as an access point for free speech and fresh concepts that can be both eye-opening and controversial."

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/8/31/23851186/library-bomb-threats-oak-park-park-ridge-morton-grove-editorial

#libraries #publiclibraries #intellectualfreedom #freedomofspeech #ALA #librarianship

Pennsylvania: “Resolution Against Library #Censorship Passes Unanimously by Erie County Council” https://www.infodocket.com/2023/08/30/pennsylvania-resolution-against-library-censorship-passes-unanimously-by-erie-county-council/ #libraries #publiclibraries

@georgetakei @annietime
State Libraries are incredibly important for public libraries as they provide legislative leadership at both the state and federal level, funneling money to both public and school libraries in their respective states. I am retired now after nearly 40 years in public libraries and am pretty horrified to read that someone like Michael Flynn is now calling librarians “Marxist thugs.” I think that’s very dangerous, the kind of language that incites violence. This is serious shit and I hope ALA’s friends and supporters will speak out.
#PublicLibraries #librarians #MarxistThugs #AmericanLibraryAssociation #EmilyDrabinski

"Staffing (73%) was named as the top challenge limiting program and service offerings" –2022 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Report

#PublicLibraries #ProtectLibraryWorkers #LibraryWorkers #austerity #staffing

🔗 https://www.ala.org/pla/sites/ala.org.pla/files/content/data/PLA_Services_Survey_Report_2023.pdf

No need for WeWork: 10 inspiring L.A. libraries for when you want free AC and a quiet place to work, fast Internet speeds...To support patrons who want to use the library as a co-working space, the LAPL recently launched a project to install tabletop outlets in more of its branches and ensure that there are more hydration stations. #publiclibraries
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/list/los-angeles-libraries-for-working-remotely

Narcan, citizenship and therapy: L.A. public library has changed with the times #SpecialCollections #PublicLibraries https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-09/city-librarian-oversees-a-sanctuary-of-the-worlds-knowledge-and-a-canvass-of-a-nations-failings

Union govt looks to move libraries from State to Concurrent List; Kerala, Karnataka flag concerns

Kerala is concerned over a Union government plan to bring libraries across the country under the Concurrent List — or List III — of the Indian Constitution. Many in the state view the move as a part of a wider agenda to interfere in the functioning of libraries and spread the Sangh Parivar ideology.

#PublicLibraries #UnionGovt #CultureMinistry #libraries #ConcurrentList #BJP #books #KeralaGovt #KarnatakaGovt #hindutva #propaganda #india

https://thesouthfirst.com/karnataka/union-government-looks-to-move-libraries-from-state-to-concurrent-list-kerala-karnataka-flag-concerns/

"In a country where nearly every iota of our psyches and our physical spaces has been captured for the purpose of generating a profit, the ongoing existence of public libraries feels not just radical, but astonishing."

#KateHarloe

https://popula.com/2023/08/07/are-libraries-the-future-of-media/

@maria

#PublicLibraries #NeoLiberalism #RadicalAlternatives

The Coming Enshittification of Public Libraries
by Karawynn Long
#libraries #PublicLibraries #enshittification #ebooks #overdrive #KKR #capitalism #greed #UI
https://karawynn.substack.com/p/the-coming-enshittification-of-public-libraries

For anyone who is not working in one, your local public library may well be fighting attacks right now. for those in Michigan, check out MI right to read to find out more

https://www.mirighttoread.com/

#Art #Drawing #PublicLibraries #Libraries #LibraryLife #IntellectualFreedom

My weekly love for my local library: #SFPL has an excellent selection of sheet music and music books.

I picked up two essential Jeremy Siskind books. I’m much further along in my jazz sax training (after doing 2 years of lessons with Charles Unger and Greg Fishman), but I still feel somewhat stuck in the classical world when it comes to piano.

#Music #Jazz #PublicLibraries #SanFrancisco #California #Libraries

Report: "A Missouri Library Board Limits Teens From Getting a Library Card Without a Parent In Tow" & More Headlines https://www.infodocket.com/2023/07/31/clockss-posts-annual-update-2022-23-beth-mcneil-assumes-acrl-presidency-more-news-headlines/ #libraries #publiclibraries #librarycards

Multiple Reports: Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas’s Library Censorship Law From Taking Effect https://www.infodocket.com/2023/07/30/multiple-reports-federal-judge-blocks-arkansass-library-censorship-law-from-taking-effect/ #libraries #publiclibraries

In the hottest part of the day yesterday, I sat in a little town's public library, and read Agatha Christie's ABC Murders cover to cover (it was a Staff Pick, and I've either overlooked it somehow or forgotten it over the decades; classic Christie). Too long since I last did something like that! It was idyllic.

#books #libraries #publicLibraries

@adoramyers What good would #BookBanning at #PublicSchools by #MomsForLiberty do if #PublicLibraries can still lend them out?

Coming to the rescue of #MaterNazis , #BananaRepublicans are shutting down #Libraries ! 👉 https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/politics/2023/5/5/23711417/republicans-want-to-defund-public-libraries-book-bans

#SaveAmerica from the #MAGA cult of ignorance and hate.

In case you were wondering—ordinarily, an OED subscription would be $29.95 monthly or $100.00 annually in the United States. But a number of libraries in major cities offer free institutional access to cardholders.

The following library systems definitely do: the Los Angeles Public Library (city, not county), the San Francisco Public Library, and the New York Public Library. It could also be available at a library near you. It’s worth checking!

#PublicLibraries #Writing #WritingCommunity

Huh. The Oxford English Dictionary redesigned their website, and… it’s quite nice, actually! The old version looked like an early aughts artifact, an era when Internet Explorer ruled the roost and resolutions like 800x600 and 1024x768 were commonplace. This new version is cleaner and far more readable.

But that’s not the best part. The best part is, I get free access to it, thanks to the Los Angeles Public Library. Public libraries rock, y’all.

#PublicLibraries #Writing #WritingCommunity

My public library is so good. I just walked in a borrowed a language program that costs $500 if you buy it (better than any online course); 3 jazz vinyls and 6 DVDs of stuff I know I can’t easily get from streamers.

If I was short on time I could have added all those to my holds list yesterday and they would put them all in one place so I can just walk in and check out. Easy.

#SFPL is so important to me!

#Libraries #PublicLibraries #SFPublicLibrary #SanFrancisco

Oakland Public Library has a backpack you can check out, that comes with (1) binoculars (2) nature guide and maps and (3) a compass

https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S183C3354086

#Oakland #PublicLibraries #Libraries #California

Listen Online: The Brooklyn Public Library’s ‘Books Unbanned’ Discussed on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show https://www.infodocket.com/2023/07/19/listen-online-the-brooklyn-public-librarys-books-unbanned-discussed-on-wnycs-brian-lehrer-show/ #libraries #bookbans #publiclibraries