Here is a roundup of news and articles regarding libraries and library professionals.
Reading Ambassadors-A Model for Youth Programming in a University Collection–The Worlds of Words Center Reading Ambassador program has sent alumni to Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern and the brightest ones to the University of Arizona (U of A) – a fact that is not surprising when considering that most high school students with extracurricular collegiate experiences continue onto college.
Joyful Picture Books-In this first post in a series,Tess Prendergast shares picture books that bring joy, enlighten the hearts and minds of both adults and children, give readers something new to think about, and can make everyone remember how deeply they care about humanity, and the earth they inhabit.
Trash to Treasure: A Librarian’s Guide to Hoarding for Good-Creativity often sparks when something is about to get thrown out because we know that someone can probably use it at some point in the future. Some benefits of hoarding are budget-friendly crafts and programs, inspiration for families to do things at home, and recycling and reusing, which is great for the environment. This blog post talks about things librarians can hold onto and what they can do with them.
The Great AI Debate: Digital Artwork and Graphic Design-It feels like all avenues of technology now have been infiltrated by some form of artificial intelligence (AI). It is pervasive in our world – phones and computers have it installed either right out of the box or developers add it with software updates, websites employ AI for their content or their searches, and we have now seen it be added to art and design tools like Procreate or Canva. This can present an issue for children (and adults!) who do not understand the nuances of AI and the effect it is currently having on the creative world.
The Sustainability Issue: Taking Steps Toward Resilience-The coverage of this magazine issue spans from individual librarians to groups taking collective action, from institutions making small commitments to those shifting strategic priorities. It shares how patrons are communing with nature and rallying around a larger cultural movement. It also shows that libraries—from bootstrapped rural outposts to urban systems with big budgets, elementary schools to research universities, and every kind in between—are discovering new ways to act.
Psychological Safety in Libraries: It’s a Team Sport-This interview is about psychological safety in academic libraries. The discussion affirms that psychological safety and culture change are a group effort, even if some team members have a disproportionate influence.