Opinion

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.

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.

The grieving process can open new spaces for expression, writes author B.J. McDaniel, including picture books. 

Teachers and librarians have an obligation to help students seek marginalized narratives and assess the validity of information presented to them.

What goes into an exceptional book cover? Betsy Bird investigates. 

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.

On learning, being—and reading—in community.