It’s a time when everything feels like it’s on literal and metaphorical fire, and libraries are caught in the middle. Staying informed is important, but staying informed right now feels like trying to drink out of a fire hose that is also trying to set you on fire. (I don’t know how that metaphor works, but that’s what it feels like.)
Despite the challenges, I’ve filtered out some of the biggest news for libraries, along with some censorship updates and a few less dire headlines to remind you of the things that aren’t horrible right now.
Library News
ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has posted guidelines for libraries in regard to immigration enforcement.
How Trump’s illegal administrative coup threatens funding for everyone, including libraries. And even after the White House rescinded the freeze, the future of library and arts agencies remains unclear.
How to critically read a press release from the federal government.
Ted Cruz is trying to block the distribution of wi-fi hotspots to students, claiming it will “lead to unsupervised Internet usage, endanger kids, and possibly restrict kids’ exposure to conservative viewpoints.”
Google says it will change the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” and Denali to “Mount McKinley” in the Maps app, following Trump’s recent late-night-tweet-disguised-as-an executive order.
To fight disinformation, treat it as organized crime.
