Reasons to Love Libraries

While librarians, of late, have drawn some attention by mainstream press, the profession has always been central in SLJ's coverage. Of stories driven by school and public librarians, their perspectives and work, four drew the most views in 2023.  

If there’s one thing librarians can agree on it’s that library education could use some shaking up. Enter the Radical Librarianship Institute, which strives to “redefine the role of librarians, centering principles of inclusion and social justice.”

“You've made it your life's work to make sure we see the humanity in one another,” author Jeff Kinney said, speaking at the SLJ Summit 2023 in Atlanta this weekend. “Books might be empathy machines, but librarians are the beating hearts of the communities they serve.”

School librarians are finding unique ways to integrate the technology in nearly every unit of study. Virtual field trips are only the tip of the iceberg for how this tech can impact learning.

 In colorful shirts and with a contagious excitement about the library, the supervising librarian of the Fairfield Civic Center branch of the Solano County (CA) Library system posts about the little library moments that can have a big impact. 

School librarian Jean Darnell prompted ChatGPT to write a paper on Black history, and the result had glaring omissions. That's just one part of the problem, she says.

New Jersey high school librarian Martha Hickson suggests keeping track of reviews, awards, and places where a book has been retained on the shelves to help when the title is challenged in your library.

AI tools like ChatGPT are advancing by the day. Here's how librarians are using them, plus an overview of valuable AI tools and terms.

Is ChatGPT the new Wikipedia, riddled with inaccuracies, used by students seeking a shortcut? It could be. But it doesn’t have to be. That points to our next venture as librarians: AI literacy instruction.