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The article highlights the American Library Association's (ALA) 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition held at the convention center in San Diego, California on June 27-July 2. Topics include themes showcased by the conference, remarks given by Ali Velshi, chief correspondent for MSNBC and host of the television (TV) segment "Velshi Across America," and discussion made by Academy Award-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson on her debut picture book "You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What."

A review is offered for several restaurants in San Diego, California, including Animae, Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar, and Callie.

The article discusses U.S. libraries' loaning of ghost hunting kits to interested patrons, amid the rising belief in the supernatural as of September 2024. Topics covered include the kits' contents, Clark County (Ohio) Public Library's (CCPL) provision of the in-demand kits with regulations, and Wilsonville (Oregon) Public Library's (WPL) experiences with these items they consider as recreational. Also noted is Coventry (R.I.) Public Library's (CPL) promotional video that made the kit popular.

On a winter Chicago afternoon, near the end of her life, renowned social worker and activist Jane Addams started to burn her personal papers in her fireplace. Lucy Biddle Lewis, [...]

The article provides information on artificial intelligence (AI) tools being employed by different libraries in the U.S. These include the Robots in Residence program at Santa Ana (California) Public Library (SAPL), the AI Studio at the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab (SFIL) at Kansas State University in Manhattan, New York City, and the AI chatbot at San José (California) State University's (SJSU) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library.

An interview with technology experts, educators, and librarians who are pioneering the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) at their institutions including Karim Boughida of Stony Brok University Libraries in New York, Nicole Hennig of University of Arizona Libraries in Tucson, and Elissa Malespina of Union High School in New Jersey, is presented. They talk about how AI is being used in libraries, ethical concerns, and how librarians can educate their communities on navigating AI.

'I remember when you had to look up a book not by using a computer, but by getting a paper cut.' Actor and author ANIKA NONI ROSE at the Closing [...]

The article reports that the American Library Association (ALA) has issued a statement on June 1, 2022 condemning a Virginia political candidate's legal action that attempts to censor the books "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe and "A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas in the state, claiming that the books might be obscene for unrestricted viewing by minors.

The article presents the seven 2022 Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship recipients announced by the American Library Association (ALA) on June 16, 2022, including Toni Anaya, Tessa R. Campbell and Mandi Harris.

The article offers information on the American Library Association's (ALA) LibLearnX conference to be held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 19-22, 2024.

The article offers information on the teen artists-in-residence program at Carmel Clay Public Library's (CCPL). Topics discussed include comments from Celia Hamilton, then a senior in high school, in a video reflection of her time as a ten artist-in-residence on CCPL's YouTube channel, the inaugural teen artist-in-residence program began by Chester County Library System (CCLS) in Pennsylvania in May 2023, and the challenges in implementing the program.

The author discusses the explosion of high-quality cartoons and comics for children and adults that reflect the environment as of 2023 and in some ways also influence it.

The article announces career developments involving library executives in the U.S., including the appointment of Jenny Bloom as director of Locust Valley (New York) Library, Katharine Clark who joined Middleton (Wisconsin) Public Library as deputy director of public services, and the promotion of Megan Martinsen to head of the Digital Scholarship Services Unit at Georgetown University Library in Washington, D.C.

The article reports on the announcement by nonprofit global library organization OCLC and Core, a division of the American Library Association (ALA) on June 25, 2022 that they are partnering to provide free access to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services (WMS) sandbox, allowing Core members seeking professional development opportunities a chance to work hands-on with the cloud-based library management system.

The article discusses the highlights of the free virtual symposium, "Where Intellectual Freedom and Social Justice Meet: A Call to Action," hosted by the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) on July 12-13, 2022.

The article announces personnel changes in U.S. libraries including Christopher Bruhn as music librarian at University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, Ashley R. Jester as Boston University Libraries' associate university librarian for research and learning, and Hannah Lindis as children's librarian at Galva Public Library District in Illinois.

The article offers information on the menstrual products which are not covered by food stamps or federally funded health programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It discusses that the grants and donations can help cover the costs involved; and mentions that items in each of the libraries' collections are disinfected after each use.

The article announces that the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is inviting state library associations, school library association chapters, and state library agencies to apply for a 10,000 U.S. dollars grant until July 14, 2024 to establish or bolster an existing intellectual freedom helpline (IFH).

The article presents tips offered by the Public Library Association (PLA) webinar, "Facing the Challenge," for protecting intellectual freedom in libraries. Topics discussed include information on organized book-banning attempts, how school libraries differ from public libraries when it comes to challenge attempts, and how public libraries support their school library colleagues.

The article discusses the endeavor to archive digital and cultural content that erasure threats from the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2022. Topics covered include the creation of the At-Risk Afghanistan Website Archiving Project (ARAWA) for preserving material that could permanently be lost, and the collaboration of faculty members and doctoral students in web archiving via the Internet Archive's web archiving platform. Also noted is the extent of archival as of October 2021.

Music libraries and collections-related statistics in the U.S. are given as of September 2024 including the number of Hip-Hop event fliers at Cornell Universlty, the number of stagewear items at the Nashville Country Music Library, and the number of player piano rolls at an Illinois University.

The article discusses the installation of community fridges by libraries to address food insecurity in the U.S. Topics include increase in the number of residents facing food insecurity from 2019 to 2020 according to data from the nonprofit Feeding America, the emergence of Charleston County (S.C.) Public Library (CCPL) as one of several library systems to install community fridges, and how the libraries fill the fridges.

The article features the John Newbery Medal, the world's first children's book award given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), which celebrates its 100 years in 2022. Topics discussed include background on the creation of the award, how the winning book is selected, and members of the selection committee.

The article offers information on the academic librarians have long grappled with issues of collection size, quality versus quantity, and maintaining a core collection. It discusses that the realities of space and resource availability and the demand for new services are forcing even the largest and best-funded academic libraries to acknowledge that they cannot, in fact, keep everything.

The article announces that the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is accepting proposals for the ACRL 2025 Conference, to be held from April 2-5, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota and virtually.

The article announces the election of Raymond Pun, academic and research librarian at Alder Graduate School of Education in Redwood City, California as president of the American Library Association (ALA) for 2025-2026.

An interview with Christine Hertzel of Long Beach (California) Public Library, Katie Kehoe of FD Bluford Library at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Southern University's Dawn Kight is presented. They discuss how they become involved in digital equity coalitions. They cite some digital equity issues they want to address. They talk about the strategies of their coalitions to achieve affordable high-speed internet and conduct digital literacy training.

The article announces that the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is inviting veteran librarians and subject matter experts to submit papers for webinars and online courses to be added to its digital learning resources.

The article offers information on the Library Learning Experience LibLearnX online event from the American Libraries Association (ALA) that debuts on January 21-24, 2022.

The article offers information on Communities of Practice (CoPs), an exclusive benefits to members launched by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) designed to provide a gathering space for like-minded school library professionals to discuss, share and learn around a central topic. Topics discussed include the focus of the five launched communities, how AASL members can benefit through the communities, and how the initial COPs were identified.

The article offers information on Arlington Heights Memorial Library (AHML) started an Accessibility Support Collection of its own, after Youth Services Assistant Manager Maria Papanastassiou attended a presentation by Taggart about Bloomfield Township Public Library's (BTPL) collection. It discusses that Library guests may have different comfort levels when it comes to talking about and asking for period products.

The article focuses on the Bags of Hope initiative, a food and care product collection drive, started by the Spartanburg County Public Libraries (SCPL) in 2021 to help people living at or below the federal poverty line in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Topics discussed include concept of an existing nonprofit program called Bags of Hope, challenges of running the program, and efforts of the county to tackle homelessness and food insecurity.

The article presents statistics on topics related to toys including the number of volumes available at the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, located at Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, number of stuffed animals that showed up for Goleta Valley Library's 2022 stuffed animal sleepover program, and the year the country's oldest continually operating toy library, the Los Angeles County Toy Loan Program (LACTLP) was founded.

The article features the Community Cabinet installed by Billings (Montana) Public Library (BPL) in its lobby in January 2023, stocking it with free toiletries and hygiene products that anyone can take. Topics discussed include comments from Taylor Arnold, media and reference librarian at the library, different types of items at the Cabinet, and the plan of the township of Oak Park, Illinois to make personal care products more accessible for children and teens.

The author reflects on the negative effect of bureaucratic practices in higher education on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) library workers in the U.S. Topics discussed include challenges facing teaching librarian who primarily serves underrepresented, marginalized students, and ways to challenge foundational, deeply ingrained bureaucratic practices.

The article presents library-related news around the world as of September/October 2023 including partnership between Turku City Library and Toyota Auto Finland on a trial program to loan an electric car to patrons, virtual library created by the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS), and reopening of the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room in Mumbai, India.

The article reveals that the San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) began offering enhanced identification cards (ID) in 2020, after putting out a call for proposals for an integrated library system (ILS) that had the ability to store photos. Topics discussed include remarks from Damaris Gonzalez, an immigration rights organizer with the nonprofit Texas Organizing Project (TOP), how the demand for enhanced library cards gained urgency in early 2018, and basis of enhanced library card implementation.

The article reports on the 2022 Teens' Top Ten Nominees announced by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) on April 8.

An interview with Hillary Richardson, coordinator of undergraduate research and information literacy at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus is presented. When asked about Gale Digital Scholar Lab, she refers to engaging with some of Gale's digital primary collections through text analysis tools. He also mentions comment on using Gale Digital Scholar Lab.

The article discusses strategies that libraries can adopt to improve recruitment, retention and diversity in their organizations. It cites the importance of creating an internal pipeline or paying attention to the current workers and leveraging talent to move goals forward. It highlights the need for a diverse and well-qualified workforce to achieve success and sustainability of the profession. It also notes a transparent and equitable recruitment as a way to attract candidates.

The article announces the opening of applications for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 2022 awards and grants.

An interview with author Celeste Ng is presented. Among the issues she discussed include how did she come up with the plot line for her third novel "Our Missing Hearts," wherein she showed how libraries as one of the last remaining sources of truth when fear and racism poison society, her book being about hope and humanity, and the importance of her writing highlighting the power of story to effect change.

An interview with Lois Lowry, recipient of the 1990 Newbery Medal for "Number the Stars" and the 1994 Newbery Medal for "The Giver" is presented wherein she talks about where she was when she learned she had won for "The Giver" and the challenges faced by "The Giver."

The article announces the webinars to be hosted by the American Library Association (ALA) Working Group on Intellectual Freedom and Social Justice for members and library workers that will provide opportunities to learn more about potential alternatives to neutrality.

The article discusses a report by the American Library Association (ALA), released on March 22, 2022 which shows the impact of broadband access provided through the country's public libraries during the pandemic.

The article reports on the proposals sought by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) for ACRL 2023, which will be held on March 15-18, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The article reports on the release of the free resource "Thinking Money for All Kids: Diverse and Inclusive Reads to Teach Young People About Money" by the American Library Association (ALA) on April 1, 2022, in collaboration with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.