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The article focuses on a creative photography workshop led by Mars Patterson at the Madison Public Library, where children and parents are encouraged to explore their surroundings and capture everyday objects with fresh perspectives. Topics include the transformative experience of engaging in creative activities at public libraries, fostering discovery, pride, agency, and creativity among participants.

The article discusses the importance of accessibility and advocacy in libraries, particularly for marginalized and underserved communities. Topics include six toolkits designed to enhance library services for diverse populations, the Association for Library Service to Children Professional Recognition Awards, and opportunities for librarians to engage with professional development and celebrate contributions to children's librarianship.

The article focuses on the importance of providing effective readers' advisory (RA) services for school-aged readers (aged 8-12) within libraries, addressing the developmental considerations and interests specific to this age group. Topics include the need for personal connections through conversation, offering multiple reading options and formats, and considering the physical, emotional, and cultural milestones of middle years children to strengthen RA recommendations.

The article offers information on the 2024 ALSC Advocacy Challenge, encouraging members to engage in advocacy efforts beyond their usual networks. Topics include strategies for reaching out to individuals outside of the library profession who share similar values, such as inclusion and equity. Efforts demonstrate how advocacy can effectively expand library outreach and community impact.

The COVID-19 health crisis has ushered in an era of great change in the way individuals and institutions function. With the contagious and deadly nature of COVID-19, libraries geared their efforts to increase access to and use of digital collections. With the introduction of stay-home orders, the option of adopting full virtual services became the go-to solution as a way of protecting library staff and users. Collaboration with third-party vendors that provide online library services heightened like never before. As libraries reopened at a later point in the global pandemic, library staff were asked to conduct health screenings for patrons entering the library and actively monitor whether patrons were socially distanced in the library. The drastic change to library operations due to the pandemic resulted in the increased collection of patrons' personal information ranging from health information to location data coupled with library records. Much as librarians are traditionally and professionally committed to protecting their patrons' privacy, undertaking activities like health screening in the absence of data transparency practices can potentially impact library users' privacy. In this study, we investigated whether the 25 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members with the largest number of titles held developed or modified their privacy policies in response to the increase in data collection during the COVID-19 health crisis. Privacy policies are living documents that should evolve with the times and thus should be updated or modified to reflect the current realities. We also examined whether pre-pandemic privacy policies, if any, of the surveyed 25 ARL member libraries are aligned with the privacy requirements outlined in the American Library Association (ALA) Privacy Toolkit (ALA 2014). Our results show that of the surveyed 25 ARL libraries, none of them developed a new library privacy policy or modified an existing one to reflect their data practices with specific regard to the new realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The disregard for such adjustments to their privacy policies violated the principle of data transparency. Our results also show that, at the time of the survey, 4 of the surveyed 25 ARL members did not have library privacy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the evolution of storytime in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the use of online platforms and the importance of maintaining engagement and connection with children and families. Topics include the transition to virtual storytimes, the challenges and benefits of online formats, and the need for flexibility and adaptation in delivering engaging storytime experiences.