Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Booklist Publications @ala-booklist.bsky.social · 19h

Join the round tables of the @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social (GameRT, GNCRT, FMRT, IRRT, RRT, & IFRT) on 10/24 for a day of interactive sessions about intellectual freedom, popular media, and moral panic, as well as conversations about how libraries work to protect the freedom to read: bit.ly/4gLpmh4

Promotional graphic for Intellectual Freedom Spectacular happening Friday, October 24 from 10:00-4:30 p.m. CT

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 23h

Not so fun fact: The most banned book in US prisons is… a cookbook😐

This week is Prison Banned Books Week – the system’s attack on books is sinister, to say the least, and emerging technology, like tablets, is not helping.

Here’s what you should know:

Prison Banned Books Week: Books give incarcerated people access to the world, but tablets are often used to wall them off

Instead of taking advantage of their possibilities, the companies that got rich off prison phone calls offer limited book selections on tablets, as part of ...

www.prisonpolicy.org

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 1d

Some nice mushrooms from my hike

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Toonces the Cat would steer this country better @bankuei.bsky.social · 1d

I'm going to use the zombie analogy again:

If you want us to survive the apocalypse -

1) we can't let people in the safe house who WANT to open the door to the zombies

2) the person who arbitrarily says we need to give up some of us to save the others also can't stay in the safehouse.

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American Association of School Librarians (AASL) @aaslala.bsky.social · 1d

Dispatches from the Field: AASL 2025, Day 3 https://bit.ly/4719aoH

Person sitting and smiling to the side in front of a presentation screen titled 'BROKEN BOOKS GROW COMMUNITY: How a Book Repair Shop Serves Students and the Library,'

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 1d

I do not envy Sam having to be the face of this news when I doubt Sam was involved at all in the decision process of this.

Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 1d

Sharing for ppl who heard the news about the ALA layoffs but maybe didn’t see this email.

This was emailed Saturday. I know there was a connect post about it too, but I haven’t had time to read connect much.

Dear ALA Members,

We want to share an important update about recent changes within the American Library Association. This past week, ALA implemented a series of workforce adjustments as part of ALA Forward, our ongoing initiative to strengthen the organization for the future.

These decisions were made thoughtfully and with care, guided by months of assessment and analysis to ensure that ALA’s structure, programs, and resources are aligned with our mission and long-term sustainability. Out of respect for the staff members affected, we were not able to share this information until the changes were fully implemented and all colleagues had been notified and provided with transition support and resources.

We recognize that this is a difficult moment for our community. The individuals affected have contributed greatly to ALA’s work, and we are deeply grateful for their dedication to libraries and the library profession. The workforce changes reflect targeted, limited adjustments across several departments to ensure that ALA’s structure and resources are aligned with its strategic priorities and the evolving needs of libraries and library workers. Rest assured, ALA remains strong, stable, and well-positioned for business continuity with minimal disruption to operations. The organization is more committed than ever to advancing its mission—empowering and advocating for libraries, library workers, and equitable access to information for all.

Among those affected by recent changes is Deborah Caldwell-Stone, longtime director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). We are profoundly grateful to Deborah for her many years of leadership and advocacy in defending the freedom to read. OIF remains fully operational, led by Deputy Director Sarah Lamdan, a respected legal expert and advocate for information access, and supported by a full team of subject-matter experts who will continue to guide and represent ALA’s critical work in this area.

As ALA moves forward, we remain committed to transparency, collaboration, and ongoing dialogue with members. Your engagement and insight are central to the success of ALA Forward and to shaping the next chapter of our shared mission.

Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and belief in the essential role of libraries in our democracy and communities.

Sam Helmick
2025-2026 President, American Library Association

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 2d

How am I supposed to go about my day if I can’t start it by doing my little word games

How come these outages never impact my job 😔

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Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 2d

Celebrating the Science of Quilts hyperallergic.com/1049897/cele...

Celebrating the Science of Quilts

The eclectic threads of An Ecology of Quilts merge to tell a story that starts outdoors, with seeds sprouting, blooming, and reaching toward the sun.

hyperallergic.com

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WIRED @wired.com · 2d

The Federal Trade Commission removed several blog posts in recent months about open source and potential risks to consumers from the rapid spread of commercial AI tools.

The FTC Is Disappearing Blog Posts About AI Published During Lina Khan’s Tenure

The Federal Trade Commission removed several blog posts in recent months about open source and potential risks to consumers from the rapid spread of commercial AI tools.

wrd.cm

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skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 2d

If you're in Alabama and can, the state library discrimination services are holding a public hearing tomorrow about banning all "trans" books from those under 18 in libraries state-wide.

gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/apls...

APLS to hold public hearing on proposed transgender book ban - Gulf Coast Media

The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) will hold a public hearing on Oct. 21 in Montgomery on a proposed state code change that would ban transgender materials for minors. If approved, the …

gulfcoastmedia.com

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Sara Smith @smwordsmith.bsky.social · 2d

“‘Harmful material’ is a subjective term, alongside ‘indecent’ and ‘profane’ content. They’re meaningless and serve only to create panic and discord in school districts, while costing them untold amounts of taxpayer money.”

Closure, waste, & distrust — that’s the goal here, not protecting kids.

Nate Hoffelder @natehoffelder.com · 3d

A Texas school district has closed its middle school libraries.
t.co/p5yOHi1VWy

A Texas District Has Just Banned Students from Secondary School Libraries

In order to ban books from its libraries, New Braunfels Independent School District has just closed its libraries to middle and high schoolers.

bookriot.com

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 2d

Just finished reading The Traitor & the Wretch and it was incredible!

Loved the illustrations too, they were a really nice touch.

I’ve had the book a few weeks now but was saving it for an uninterrupted reading day and am glad I did bc no way I could have put it down.

The Traitor & the Wretch by Jasmine Walls and art by Rowan MacColl

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skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 5d

I don't have something I can link y'all to yet, but I have some very credible and important information I need to share.

The American Library Association laid off what I've heard is 15 people this week.

Among them was the director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom. ALA has no OIF anymore.

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 3d

I do not understand people hiking or walking a trail and they have music playing on a Bluetooth speaker the whole time.

Maybe if you were alone, but there was constantly people nearby.

I encountered multiple people with speakers. I’d escape one and come upon another.

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Lyric Rivera | NeuroDivergent Rebel @neurodivergentrebel.substack.com · 6d

A U.S. citizen and Chicago resident was reportedly detained by federal immigration agents despite carrying documentation proving her citizenship.

She reported that the agents questioned the validity of her passport and told her she “doesn’t look like” her family name, Greeley.

US Citizen Says ICE Detained Her, Said Her Passport ‘Isn’t Real’

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Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 4d

I feel like the LLM era is the perfect time for someone to relaunch the text-a-librarian reference service. It doesn't have to just be text, we can do email. But you can submit a question and a reference librarian working remotely will respond to it within an hour with verifiable resources.

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 5d

ALA President Sam Helmick posted an update to members on ALA Connect about an hour ago.

For those curious about the status of OIF, given that Deborah Caldwell-Stone is the one name that has become public with this round of RIF, this is where things stand:

Following Deborah Caldwell-Stone's departure as part of this process, the Office for Intellectual Freedom remains fully operational, with a dedicated team continuing ALA's vital work to defend the freedom to read and provide resources and support to members advocating for equitable access to information. We are deeply grateful to Deborah for her many years of leadership and advocacy-her impact is lasting. The Office for Intellectual Freedom's mission continues under the leadership of Deputy Director Sarah Lamdan, a respected legal expert and long-time advocate for information access, supported by a full team of subject-matter experts within the Office for Intellectual Freedom who will continue to guide and represent ALA's efforts in this vital area.

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Sara Smith @smwordsmith.bsky.social · 5d

Another reason why teaching media literacy is becoming so critical. Spotting fake news websites and fake journalists is going to be another skill people need in this evolving landscape.

Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 5d

Ugh. Yet ANOTHER reason to be "wary of a confusing media landscape."

AI-generated news sites spout viral slop from forgotten URLs www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/ai-g...

"These sites appear to be part of a new wave of AI-generated content farms that swoop in to seize dormant domains."

AI-generated news sites spout viral slop from forgotten URLs

A new generation of content farms are harnessing AI to spin out clickbait — and they’re getting help from Google.

www.niemanlab.org

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 5d

Volunteered at @libcomix.bsky.social booth for a few hours. Which was quite busy! (That’s great)

Cass in front of the GNCRT banner at the booth.

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 5d

Also several people complimented my shirt, which I bought with my tickets, so that was puzzling. (In retrospect maybe they were trying to make conversation)

It is a great shirt tho.

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 5d

Comic con was insanely busy. Lines were crazy long. It was fun walking around, but that’s a lot of money to spend just to shop.

Saw some people masking, which was nice, but not many.

Case standing with the comic con pumpkin mascot.

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Void in a Cardigan @jumbledcardigan.bsky.social · 5d

“the fundamental principle of AI is taking what is common (and clichéd) and turbocharging it. It cannot actually think, it can only string together predictable words and phrases.”

👏 this is a great read

Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 5d

“Students continue to believe that brainstorming with AI helps them get to good arguments, but I have not seen any proof of that.”

Industry reps tell students (accurately) that they won’t get jobs if they don’t use AI, and no amount of critical thinking instruction will change that. It’s maddening.

Advice | 10 Ways AI Is Ruining Your Students’ Writing

And how to help them see that AI cannot craft good essays.

www.chronicle.com

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Stephanie King @stephstephking.bsky.social · 5d

I think it's so interesting that AI bros always think the only reason somebody could think AI sucks is because they don't know much about it

I'm literally an Ed Tech researcher who has cited "ChatGPT is Bullshit" in a conference paper that I've presented

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 5d

There are basically only two positions in the debate about AI.
1. I’ve barely invested any time in learning how to use it effectively. AI sucks.
2. I’ve invested in learning how to use this tool. Holy cow, it’s transformational.

Position #1 has lower barriers to entry.

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Jun 19

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

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