Category: Media

Take Part in the Summer Reading Challenge

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It’s summertime! What are you going to read?

Libraries across the country are encouraging their members to grab an armful of books and make it a summer full of reading. For example, the Palm Beach County Library System has started the annual Summer Reading Challenge. As shared on their website:

Residents are invited to join the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge: Color Our World. Summer is a season that beckons everyone to embark on new adventures, explore faraway lands and lose themselves in the magic of stories. Where better to start your journey than at the Library!

Don’t live in Palm Beach County? Never fear! Almost all public libraries across the country engage in a summer reading program. Visit yours today to get started.

Summer reading challenges are happening at a time when many authors and researchers are highlighting the need for deep reading. An article from last October from the National Endowment of the Arts points to data showing a slump in reading for pleasure. An interview on NPR similarly discussed how Americans are reading fewer books. The effects of these trends are far reaching and still being studied. I intend to explore this topic more in future posts.

Meanwhile. I invite you to personally try to reverse this trend by signing up for your nearest summer reading program. Then pick your favorite books and enjoy the read!

The Kindness Extremist

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It seems like our world is growing meaner by the day and civility is harder than ever to find. That said, there are people out there championing the cause of kindness. And one of my favorite champions has just launched his own podcast.

If you want some hard-hitting positivity in your podcast stream, then look no further than Shola Richards‘ new show, The Kindness Extremist. I’ve known Shola since 2019, and I can attest that he brings his full life experience into the message he delivers. Here’s how Shola describes his podcast.

The Kindness Extremist with Shola Richards

The Kindness Extremist with Shola Richards

In a world on fire with division, misinformation, and performative outrage, The Kindness Extremist is the calm in the chaos. Hosted by bestselling author, speaker, and CEO Shola Richards, this weekly podcast is where radical civility meets real talk. With solo episodes that are part personal story, part practical strategy, Shola goes deep on the topics no one else wants to touch—cancel culture, DEI backlash, intellectual humility, misinformation, mental health, and how to lead with empathy without losing your edge. No fluff. No fake neutrality. Just bold conversations, sharp tools, and a mission to bring humanity back to the conversation. Whether you’re a leader trying to navigate toxic workplaces, a changemaker seeking clarity in chaos, or just someone who wants to hold your values without burning bridges—this is your space. 🔥 Come for the truth bombs. Stay for the transformation. New episodes every Monday.

Download it for your weekly dose of kindness. It is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Success Tips for Virtual Meetings

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It was five years ago that the world had to adjust quickly from in person meetings to computer bound conversations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual meetings became a necessity. Replacing the old conference call systems with tools like Zoom or WebEx allowed for face-to-face interaction between participants across the globe. However, it also led to a lot of confusion on protocols and etiquette.

Now that we have more experience with online meetings, it is easier to identify the specific components required in order to be successful. Yet, even after all this forced experience, people still commit avoidable mistakes. Follow through on these tips and your meetings will get off to a good start.

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  • Platform – Ensure the virtual platform is accessible by all participants. Meetings stall quickly if someone does not have the right software loaded on their computer or phone.
  • Test the Technology – Hold a pre-meeting to test out features of the virtual platform. For example, do sound checks to ensure mics work and practice screen sharing before the session to avoid embarrassment later. Also, if special features are being used, such as polling or pushing documents, test those as well.
  • Check Camera Angles – Participants should frame themselves in the webcam before starting the meeting. Being too close to the camera, too far from it, sitting off center or having an odd angle on the camera view distracts the other participants. Be careful about back lighting to prevent shadowy conditions. Also, take heed of the background to avoid inappropriate personal items from showing up on screen. If you use a virtual background, make sure it doesn’t interfere with your own image. For example, having a green shirt on while in front of a green background.
  • Double-Check Start Times – Virtual meetings are ideal for bringing people together from across the globe. However, this means the organizers must pay closer attention to the participant’s time zones. An 8 am start time in Boston is a 5 am start time in Seattle. Do not ask participants to take part in meetings outside of their time zone’s normal business hours. Double check invitation start times to ensure they are not accidentally set up for a different time zone.
  • Camera On or Off? – For smaller meetings, having the camera on creates a sense of engagement amongst the participants. It allows for non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions or hand gestures that we normally rely on during in person meetings. For larger meetings, especially presentations, keeping audience cameras off helps participants focus on the speaker. Keeping cameras off may be needed when bandwidth is limited to prevent the system from slowing down or crashing. Participants turn their cameras on only when speaking.

Using these tips should help get a virtual meeting off to a strong start.

Libraries Make Everything Better

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For those of us who are devoted library members, there is nothing more satisfying than walking into our local branch to find a book or attend an event. But have you ever wondered if everyone else entering the library feels the same way?

The New York Public Library was very interested in this question and commissioned a survey to discover the truth. And the truth was good. In an article on Literary Hub by James Folta, the results of the survey were shared.

Science has backed up what many of us have long been saying: the library rocks. A study from the New York Public Library surveyed 1,974 users on how the library makes them feel and how it affects their lives, and the results are overwhelmingly positive.

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Breaking down the survey questions, the amount of perceived benefits from the library was very impressive.

  • 92% of respondents reported feeling somewhat to very “calm / peaceful” after visiting the Library
  • 74% of respondents reported that their library use positively affects how equipped they feel to cope with the world
  • 90% of respondents reported that their Library use positively affects how much they love to learn new things
  • 88% of respondents reported that their Library use has supported their personal growth

Even more encouraging were the comments from the survey participants. Folta reports:

What I find most charming in this study are the quotes, which the researchers highlight in “Patron Voices” sections. They’re full of great little lines, like people calling the library “a touchstone” and “a place to rely on,” and that “knowing it’s there makes me feel better about my life in the city.”

What to see more results? Read the full article on the Literary Hub website.

Is AI Overrated?

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Are you concerned about AI taking over the world?

Once ChatGPT hit the scene, along with hyper-realistic image generators, it seemed to the world that there was no limit to AI. Does this mean computers will take over most jobs or render thinking itself obsolete?

In a fascinating counter-point exercise, Greg Rosalsky from Planet Money on NPR listed several reasons why AI may be overrated. He starts off with a number of quick hits:

There are just so many reasons to believe AI is overrated. I could talk about the fact that productivity growth remains super disappointing. If AI were revolutionizing the economy, we would see it in the data. We’re not seeing it. I could talk about the fact that AI companies have yet to find a killer app and that perhaps the biggest application of AI could be, like, scams, misinformation and threatening democracy. I could talk about the ungodly amount of electricity it takes to power AI and how it’s raising serious concerns about its contribution to climate change. 

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Rosalsky goes on to flush out three specific reasons to doubt that AI is all it’s cracked up to be. One reason is that despite its name artificial intelligence is not really that intelligent.

When you first use something like ChatGPT, it might seem like magic. Wow, a thinking machine able to answer questions or write or generate anything in an instant. But when you look under the hood, it’s more like a magic trick. These chatbots are a fancy way of aggregating the internet and then spitting out a mishmash of what it finds.

Later, Rosalsky points out a serious legal issue with AI that needs to be resolved before it can grow further.

It’s a copycat. And perhaps the worst part of it is a good chunk of the stuff AI is copying is copyrighted, which is why there are at least 15 high-profile lawsuits against AI companies asserting copyright infringement.

To learn the other reasons by AI may be overrated, please read the rest of the article on the Planet Money website.

Celebrate National Library Week

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Do you love libraries? Do you believe they are vital institutions in our communities? Do you value their role in our educational system? If so, please join me in celebrating National Library Week!

Every year in April is the annual celebration of the impact that libraries have on our nation. The American Library Association leads the way by setting the theme for the week. According to the ALA web site:

The theme for National Library Week 2024 (April 7-13) is Ready, Set, Library! National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Newbery and Pura Belpré-award winning author Meg Medina will serve as 2024 Honorary Chair.

What are some of the ways to celebrate National Library Week? For starters, the easiest first step is to visit a library. According to the ALA:

National Library Week is the perfect time to visit your library. Many libraries have special events planned for the week. Bring the kids or invite your friends. Meet the librarians. Check out books or other great items in your library’s collection or attend a program. Take time to learn all your library has to offer!

Learn more about National Library Week, including special Celebration Days such as The Right to Read Day, by visiting the ALA’s site.

7 Surprising Ways Your Library Card Can Save You Money

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Do you know which card in your wallet might save you the most money? It’s not your fancy points credit card, or your AAA membership. It is mostly likely your library card!

While it is common knowledge that people can check out books for free at the library, and in fact, many libraries have even dropped overdue fines! However, there are multiple ways to get value out of your local library than simply borrowing books. This past week NPR reports Marielle Segarra and Audrey Nguyen published an article called 7 surprising ways the public library can help you save money. For the first way they highlight unusual items that some libraries lend out.

Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “Video games, musical instruments, board games. Some libraries have bakeware collections where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.

Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a seed library. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”

Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island have tools you can check out. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.

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Another way that the authors highlight the value of the library card is through the free activities and events happening monthly at your neighborhood library.

Save money on live music by checking out what your local branch has to offer. The New York Public Library’s performance art space, for example, has upcoming concerts featuring a choir and a quartet. And people can watch a classical guitarist or a harpist perform at different libraries in Los Angeles County.

Learn about the other five ways to save money with your library card by reading the rest of the article on the NPR website.

The Overwhelming Cost of Book Banning

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BOOK CHALLENGES in libraries are nothing new, but until recently they generally involved a single title, in a single library, being filed by one person. Such challenges are best handled locally, where those raising questions have, in most cases, acted in good faith. But today we are seeing the weaponization of school and public library policies by a small number of people, filing an unmanageable number of challenges that grind our public institutions to a halt.

Thus begins an article called The Overwhelming Cost of Book Banning published in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Written by Katherine Towler, Sy Montgomery, and Peter Bromberg, the article explores the current state of book challenges. It notes that the vast majority of challenges are being done by very few people. Amazingly, their impact on operations was deep.

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How few people are filing complaints? The Washington Post studied more than 1,000 book challenges and found that 11 people were behind the complaints. In one Utah school district, a married couple were behind 199 out of 205 challenges. The district reported that the challenges required 10,000 hours of staff time and cost more than $100,000. In Texas, documents show that more than 16 employees spent more than 225 hours at a cost of $30,000 on a single book challenge at the Spring Branch ISD.

How can libraries respond to this sort of disruption? The trio propose several things that would remove the ability for a few people to have an oversized impact on library operations. One of the ideas has to do with placing appropriate limits on public complaint.

One policy proposal is simply to allow for public comment and feedback on public policy and law, but clarify that feedback about operations (book selection, programming, spaces, services, etc.) while welcomed, will not automatically lead to a formal, time-consuming review. 

To learn more, please read the rest of the article.

We’re Stronger Together: A Conversation with ALA President Emily Drabinski

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I recently had the opportunity to interview the new ALA President Emily Drabinski on behalf of Public Libraries Online. As she begins her year in the role, I asked her how she became involved with ALA at a national level.

I’ve been an academic librarian in New York City for 22 years. I joined ALA in 2002 when I had just finished library school, because it took this bold position against the Patriot Act. I was excited to be part of a profession that takes difficult stances in difficult political moments. And we definitely are in one of those right now. So I was interested in using some of my skills as a connector of people to work inside the association that I think can be valuable in this moment. My involvement at ALA was primarily in my division home, ACRL, which is common for most people. I was on a number of its committees and have been editing the book reviews for our journal for the last three years. I served one term as ALA Council and that was a really interesting experience. I saw how the sausage gets made a little bit, in terms of what kind of a national presence ALA has, which I think is really important.

Later on in the interview, I asked her to share her priorities for the Presidential year. Her first priority is to advance sustainability in libraries.

Past Presidents say you plan and then the year happens. My plan is to focus on bringing to completion projects that Past Presidents Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada and Patty Wong worked on. For a long time, ALA has had sustainability as a priority. We have a round table, we have a council committee, and we have sustainability now as a core value. So will be focused on tying up those loose ends so that we can have national climate strategy for libraries coming from ALA to guide people in managing through environmental crises. Also it will include ways that we as institutions can contribute to reversing some of those climate change trends.

Read the entire interview at the Public Libraries Online website.