American Library Association Journals
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From Learning Tool to Teaching Partner: How Librarians Use Generative AI to Support Research Across Disciplines
No full textLibrarians in academic, public, and school settings frequently encounter reference questionsoutside their subject expertise. They also recognize the need for members of the profession to bearbiters of artificial intelligence (AI) in the information landscape and to be among the first to usethis technology so that they can effectively advise and teach others how to best do the same.1 Asgenerative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools reshape reference services across library contexts,they offer librarians both a way to address their knowledge gaps and a means to support studentlearning through instruction. In these instances, GenAI has emerged as a valuable tool for referenceand instruction, allowing librarians to quickly build foundational knowledge, identify relevantterminology, and provide more effective research support. Through librarianship training, we have aresponsibility to support library users in bridging knowledge gaps an
RA TOOLBOX – Nonfiction: Inside the Book
No full textThe inspiration for this article came to me as I was in my car listening to Hanif Abdurraqib’s Carnegie winning essays: A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance (2021). Nearly every chapter is brimming with fascinating characters of American history, and I was continually sending text messages to myself, including, “Look up Josephine Baker,” “Early Black magicians,” “Watch the Chappelle Show,” “Don’t watch the Chappelle Show.
There Is No Good Censorship: The Conservative Case Against Book Bans
No full textLibrary book bans and challenges are strategic offensive maneuvers in the resurgent culture war. Trends incontemporary challenges reported by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom andPEN America suggest that many challenges originate from conservative community members; however, bookbans are in conflict with fundamental tenets of conservatism. This article empowers library workers andintellectual freedom advocates to engage in good faith with conservative members of their community whoseek to challenge library resources by invoking conservative values against book bans. The article outlines theconservative case against book bans informed by five values of conservatism: individualism, civil liberties, limitedgovernment, free enterprise, and pragmatism. The article als
The Road Ahead: ALA Publishing Committee Recommends CRediT as a Best Practice
No full textContributions to scholarly work are mostly recognized by means of assigning authorship credit, which can later be used in academic evaluations and for career progression. Sociologists of science describe authorship as a commodity that is bartered among scholarly contributors as well as with resources such as research samples. On the flip side, authorship also functions as a mechanism for holding contributors responsible for their work. Despite its significance as means of attributing credit and responsibilities, when beginning a collaboration, researchers might feel uneasy about discussing authorship—specifically, who will be an author and in what order—or about openly communicating expectations regarding commitments and extent of contributions that ultimately determine authorship. These challenges are particularly more pronounced for junior researchers who are inexperienced in authorship negotiations and are at an inherent disadvantage in terms of power disparity with more senior researchers. Consequently, tensions and disagreements may arise and provide the impetus for discussions about authorship, but this is often too late and is more likely to be emotionally charged
Experimental Approaches to Transforming Academic Library Print Collections
No full textAs academic libraries renovate their facilities, often seeking to reduce print collection footprints within public-facing service areas, there is an opportunity to develop new design strategies and methods for print curation that meet the needs of the communities served by these libraries. In alignment with a major renovation, ASU Library developed a community-focused approach to academic library print collections, providing opportunities to engage and inspire them to create new knowledge and foster an overall sense of belonging. As part of a grant-funded program, ASU Library created eight experimental projects that explored the ways in which people engage with books in print, which led to new collaborative methods for developing print collections for the post-renovation reopening of Hayden Library, ASU’s largest library on Tempe campus. This work has resulted in improved knowledge of effective workflows and communication strategies to enhance engagement with print collections, becoming a signature library program to co-develop inclusive featured browsing collections with university and community partners
Preparing for the Worst but Hoping for the Best: Censorship, Academic Libraries, and Reconsideration Policies
No full textLibraries in the United States have received the highest number of book challenges on record in recent years. Although the vast majority of these challenges happened at school or public libraries, we sought to assess how academic libraries are prepared to face such challenges, especially with the rise of state laws seeking to limit what subjects can be taught. To answer this question, we analyzed American members of the Association of Research Libraries’ reconsideration policies. Our analysis found that a minority of these libraries had a reconsideration policy
Let’s Talk about Diversity: A Content Analysis of School Library Collection Development Policies
No full textAll youth need access to diverse books. Diverse books have personal and communal benefits. Personally, they provide youth with opportunities to see reflections of their own worlds. These reflections, known as mirrors, are affirming and can lead to a greater sense of belonging and self-worth.Diverse books also serve as a foundation for helping youth develop a love for reading, which can lead to increased comprehension and language development. When youth encounter diverse narratives with relatable cultures and experiences, it leads to greater engagement. Engagement is a precursor to deep thinking, and deep thinking is needed for readers to gain an understanding of complex themes often transmitted through literature
Listen to Children: The Jack Prelutsky Antiquarian Children’s Poetry Collection at WWU
No full textIn the preface to her book What the Dragon Fly Told the Children, Frances Bell Coursen speaks directly “To the Children’s Grown-Up Friends” stating that, “Nearly all children are poetic. They live near to the heart of things in the early spring-tide of life when ‘birds and buds and they are happy peers.’ They have also a natural rhyme and rhythm and the melody of verse.” The adult reader is gently reminded that listening to children allows us to embrace the endless possibilities of language and imagination
The Importance of Social Stories: How Museums Are Portrayed in Children’s Literature
No full textA class walks into a museum—they are shushed, corralled, and chastised, and then a statue comes to life, or the class clown wanders off on their own. This could be the beginning of any number of children’s books set in museums.When the reader of that book goes on their first field trip to a museum, what do they expect? Do they enter worried that they’re going to trip the alarm and go to jail? Do they leave disappointed that the pictures don’t talk? The use of children’s literature as social story provides unique opportunities for readers and educators of all types to set up cultural experiences, but a survey of museum representation in children’s picture books found that set up to be lacking when it comes to what modern museum experiences are being curated for children
Podcasts as Programming: Reaching Busy Parents on Their Time
No full textDuring a two-year post-pandemic period (2021 to 2023), the Youth Services Department at the Patchogue-Medford Library in Suffolk County, NY, hosted fourteen parental education programs, both in-person and virtually. Despite offering evening sessions and partnering with the local school district, attendance averaged just five parents per program, and it became clear that the library’s efforts were not meeting the modern parenting moment