Public Libraries

I resist, not necessarily by marching in the street but by staying informed as an educator, colleague, and as a bystander. I question policies and practices that align with doing what we’ve always done just because it’s what we’ve always done.

There are a lot of issues happening with the supply chain, in large part due to the pandemic. This is affecting book publishing, thus it is affecting libraries. Please let your staff know.

The post Things I Never Learned in Library School: Problems with the Supply Chain and What it Means for Libraries appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.

I was vilified for criticizing the Dewey Decimal system. We librarians need to stop perpetuating its systemic racism in our libraries.

It’s September, and we look to another school year, although certainly not an ordinary one. We at SLJ seek to provide the content and context to serve our readers in a ­remarkable time. I want to update you on recent efforts.

Teen librarian Karen Jensen urges us to reconsider fall school and library decisions in light of how the Delta variant of Covid is impacting our youth

The post We Need to Change What We’re Doing About Covid for Our Children appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.

In covering achievements in the library world, it’s natural to focus on outcomes, reporting and raising up the endpoint of success. This story represents a win, for sure. But as Colleen Kilbreath, director of the Stanton County (KS) Public Library recalls, it stemmed from failure.

With COVID abating, the mood is palpably lighter. Not so for Asian Americans, who fear a return to school and work—just 18 percent of Asian eighth graders returned to in-person classrooms this spring. Schools and employers must take specific action to protect AAPIs from hate, say advocates, with alternatives to more policing.

Questions about the ethics of fines, a public library crowded with kids during the pandemic, and a librarian who doesn't want kindergarteners to borrow books.

Pinguicha urges readers to question history, ask who wrote the stories, and present and amplify the narratives that have been ignored, hidden, and distorted.

The post Questioning Your History Lessons, a guest post by Diana Pinguicha appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.