Month: April 2023

Libraries make communities better because it's the nature of the library to help, to want others to succeed and have access to information and resources. We take action when we see barriers and inequities that others refuse to acknowledge. So today, we’re asking library supporters everywhere to Take Action for Libraries.  

If you download ebooks or audiobooks, you’re probably already familiar with Overdrive and Libby. Overdrive is the parent company for Libby. The OverDrive app for iOS, Android, and Windows 8/10 will be sunset on May 1, 2023. After that date, users who try to access the CALS collection in the app will receive a message informing them they need to upgrade to Libby.

May is AAPI Heritage Month, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. The reason May was chosen comes back to two important dates; May 7 and May 10. May 7, 1843, marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States.

Because the work of librarianship often extends beyond the stacks of books and the walls of the library building, outreach is an important part of what we do.

Happy National Library Workers Day! Today we honor and recognize the valuable contributions made by library workers of all kinds. You might think library workers just read all day. Most library workers do love to read, but there’s definitely more to the story!

Big Library Read is a global book club, facilitated by OverDrive, through your library that connects readers around the world with the same ebook at the same time without any wait lists or holds. The latest book available is Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho. You might remember her as a Library Speaker Consortium Author back in February.

The American freedom to read what we want is as basic as the freedom to speak and to worship how we want. In fact, those freedoms are all protected by the same amendment of the US Constitution.

While for many, the Covid-19 pandemic is in their rearview, there are still active cases being reported by the CDC – with over 14,000 new cases reported last week across the United States (Arkansas Department of Health has stopped tracking cases, but the CDC shows Arkansas as having low community levels). It is still a concern for some and proper testing remains important.