America’s Public Libraries Reflect the Systematic Failures and Social Inequality of Our Country

Growing up, the library was not just Amanda Oliver’s favorite place but also her “first beloved destination, first embodied center… it was absolutely sacred.” However, soon after Oliver began her career as a librarian at a Title I school and then in the D.C. public library system, she witnessed how systemic racism, income inequality, the […] The post America’s Public Libraries Reflect the Systematic Failures and Social Inequality of Our Country appeared first on Electric Literature. Continue reading at 'Electric Literature'

[ Electric Literature | 2023-01-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #post america #systemic racism #income inequality #electric literature #public libraries

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The New York Public Library makes four banned books free nationwide on its e-reader app

The New York Public Library made four banned books available nationwide on SimplyE, its free-reader app. The titles include Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi and Catcher in the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-04-13 23:48:05 UTC ]
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A Time of Renewal For America’s Libraries

With more than 4,000 library workers and advocates expected to attend, library leaders say this week's Public LIbrary Association conference, the largest in-person library gathering since February 2020, feels like a sign of renewal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Do libraries need social workers on staff? Some librarians say yes

As London Public Library in southwestern Ontario commits to adding a full-time addiction and mental health specialist to its staff, experts say more social work training and support is exactly what urban libraries need. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-03-16 19:33:18 UTC ]
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Maryland Lawyers Say E-book Law Is a Defense of Public Libraries

In a 25-page brief, Maryland lawyers contend that the AAP is seeking to find a copyright violation where none exists, and reiterated their contention that the state has both the authority and a compelling interest to protect public libraries from "unfair" market practices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Public Libraries Aren’t Essential Services

The pandemic is showing the holes in social safety nets across the U.S., but public libraries aren't the answer to those problems. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-12 11:42:00 UTC ]
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‘America’s Librarian’ knows why people turn to libraries in times of need

Nancy Pearl, possibly America’s best-known librarian and recommender of books, shares her thoughts on choosing what to read, and when to stop reading. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-11-16 23:20:31 UTC ]
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How a public library helped my family cope with the effects of climate change

With the ongoing climate crisis, public libraries are a temporary refuge from extreme temperatures for low-income families like my own, writes Carol Eugene Park. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2021-11-07 15:00:00 UTC ]
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I’m Not a Librarian But I Work in a Public Library

People assume everyone who works at a library is a librarian, but most of the staff you’ll interact with at large libraries aren't librarians. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-11 10:30:00 UTC ]
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How To Run A Successful Manga Club in Your School or Public Library

Tips, tricks, and ideas for how to run a successful manga club in your school or public library. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-08 10:39:00 UTC ]
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Amor Towles’s ‘The Lincoln Highway’ is a long and winding road through the hopes and failures of mid-century America

Amor Towles tells the story of a motley crew on a cross-country journey, reveling in the junkyards of broken dreams and the optimism of the postwar era. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-05 13:00:00 UTC ]
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New PLA Survey Illustrates Critical Digital Role Played by Public Libraries

The report, '2020 Public Library Technology Survey,' provides a current, detailed snapshot of how libraries serve as digital equity hubs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Which international city’s public libraries lend the most books per capita?

The pandemic has prompted, among other things, a slew of relocations. Some of those relocations (ie. to your mom’s house) have proved, or will prove, temporary; others, encouraged by new work-from-home policies, may become permanent. Or maybe you’re one of those people who looked around at the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-07-21 17:19:56 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: Why America Needs Libraries Now More than Ever

In his May 25 keynote at the U.S. Book Show's Libraries Are Essential program, author and sociologist Eric Klinenberg called libraries "the best exemplars of our collective life," arguing that strong libraries will be key to the nation's recovery after a historically challenging year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A History of Racism in American Public Libraries

A deep dive into the history of racism in American public libraries, including the effects of Jim Crow laws and racism in libraries today. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-08 11:30:00 UTC ]
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A fed-up judge condemns the inequities in America’s legal system

Jed S. Rakoff is frustrated that white-collar criminals go free while the indigent do time. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-19 17:14:29 UTC ]
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Food, Shelter, and the Public Library

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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2020 was a great year for at least one thing: digital book loans from public libraries.

If you, like me, could really use some nice library-oriented news right about now, you’re in luck. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the impossibility of going to physical libraries for much of the year, readers borrowed record numbers of ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines from public... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-07 15:34:02 UTC ]
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The Skillset Podcast #9: Ilona Kisch on Public Library 2030

It’s largely accepted as a truism that libraries connect and work together—interlibrary loan, consortia, union catalogs. However, working together and connecting is not a simple task. Add in different histories, cultures, languages, political systems and you begin to get a sense of what... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeremy O. Harris is donating a collection of plays by Black writers to libraries across the country.

On Late Night with Seth Meyers this week, Slave Play and Daddy playwright Jeremy O. Harris announced he is donating a collection of 15 plays by Black playwrights to 53 libraries and community centers across the United States—and is donating one such collection to Northwestern University in Seth... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-09 17:29:54 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing in Talks to Offer E-books to Public Libraries

The potential deal would be a breakthrough moment in the library e-book market as Amazon currently does not make its digital content available to libraries. It would also be a major coup for the Digital Public Library of America's upstart e-book platform and its SimplyE library reading app. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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