Libfocus Link-out for May, 2023

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Podcast - Healthy Escapism: The State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled
Reading is the one form of escapism that just about anyone can practice, regardless of income. Even so, roadblocks keep many folks from getting lost in a traditionally printed book. Thankfully for New Mexicans, staffers at the New Mexico State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled have committed themselves to remove those barriers.

Putin’s War on Ukrainian Memory
Richard Ovenden, the Bodley’s Librarian at Oxford writes for the Atlantic on the targeting of libraries and archives in Ukraine, as repositories of national culture and consciousness for The Atlantic.

Support your local librarians by rejecting book bans
This article by Christopher Harris looks at the ideological attacks that have been taking place against school libraries in America. Pressure from National Groups have led to restrictive laws that limit access to information and threaten First Amendment rights.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors Unanimously Passes Resolution in Support of Digital Rights For Libraries
Last month the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to support a resolution backing the InternetArchive and the digital rights of all libraries. This resolution recognises the public value of libraries, preserves free access to information and urges other important legislative bodies in the U.S. to support digital rights for libraries.

LA and APA Provide Guidance for Citing Content Created by AI
Educational Technologist Richard Byrne highlights the recent move by APA and MLA to provide guidance on how to cite content created through the use of AI tools like ChatGPT.

Seven strategies to turn academic libraries into social organisations
Sheila Corrall talks about the need for libraries to focus more on the social shift happening in higher education, arguing that in order to secure a future on campus, libraries must switch from a transactional to a relational model of librarianship. Social networks and collaboration are key.

Managing the Metrics of Academic Publishing
Stuart MacDonald reflects on a new paper in Social Science Information, arguing that publishing metrics are 'unfair' and don't measure the essence of academic performance. Instead, they game research assessment for personal and institutional gain.

Toward a Framework for Information Creativity
Mark Dahlquist looks at the work of John Dewey to suggest that the traditional distinction between creativity and literacy education is not only unavoidable but also potentially productive.

Strategic planning for your library – some ideas and inspiration
When it comes to your library’s strategic vision, it can always be helpful to get a little inspiration from what other libraries are doing. This overview of eight current strategies might be a good place to start.

‘Too greedy’: mass walkout at global science journal over ‘unethical’ fees
More than 40 leading scientists have resigned en masse from the editorial board of a top science journal in protest at what they describe as the “greed" of publishing giant Elsevier.