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Weekly News Digest
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May 12, 2020 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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'The "New Normal" Agenda for Librarianship' by R. David Lankes
R. David Lankes writes the following on his site:This cannot be about trying to predict where things are going to shake out and then running to show our value in that world. It has to be about librarians fighting for social change based on our fundamental and enduring values. There is no doubt that the ‘how’ of libraries will change. I feel now (prepare for another cliché) more than ever the ‘why cannot.’ I will also emphasize that this is an agenda for the impact libraries should seek collectively. That is, it is not an agenda for how we run or operate libraries (though there will be obvious impacts). This is an agenda for libraries to work toward … a new normal in our communities. How we get there (open access, improved working [conditions] for library workers, new standards for library science education, etc.) is vital and important, but I feel separate. As one example, we must lobby and work toward universal broadband. This comes from our enduring value of access to information. Yet the pandemic has shown us that the way libraries to this point have worked for universal access, that is by being internet points of connection with WiFi in our facilities or loaning out cellular hotspots is no longer enough. We have to leave our buildings and ensure real national resources and policy is in place so our provision of the internet in the library is completely irrelevant. A big change to how, but not to why. For more information and to see the rest of Lankes’ agenda, read the article.
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Brandi Scardilli
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