Editor's Note: Like many of you, PW has been impacted by the Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage. Today's The Week in Libraries column is abbreviated as we work to catch up.
In a big win for libraries, the FCC this week voted to allow libraries and schools to use tens of millions of dollars in annual federal E-rate funding to purchase Wi-Fi hotspots for lending. The new policy is a keystone of FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel’s Learn Without Limits proposal, which was announced at the ALA Annual Conference in July 2023. The American Library Association praised the news of the vote:
“Until everyone has an affordable home internet connection, hotspots are a promising alternative in most communities, and America’s libraries have proven success in lending them,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. ALA reps noted that over the last three years, more than 1,000 libraries have provided Wi-Fi hotspots to connect patrons, including students, through more than $248 million of the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF). “ALA and library advocates nationwide thank the Commission for making Wi-Fi hotspots eligible for E-rate funding,” Hohl added.
Of course, not everyone is pleased with the FCC’s plan. As K-12Dive explains, a Texas couple whose son committed suicide after being cyberbullied is suing to block the move to expand W-Fi access, and a group of Republican senators has filed a brief in support. “The lawsuit... argues that using E-rate funds for Wi-Fi on school buses exceeds the FCC’s authority to provide internet access in schools and libraries.”
In a statement this week, ALA’s Alan Inouye said the challenge is without merit. “ALA believes that the FCC has clearly established their legal authority for this program. They outline this clearly in Section F of the draft Order and cite Congress’ recognition of evolving services to meet the goals of universal service.”
The Conversation offers a take this week on a long simmering issue in the library world: the idea of neutrality. "Libraries are places where the realities of social and political debates come to life," the piece by Sarah Polkinghorne and Lisa M. Given notes. "This means librarians are tasked with upholding values most people agree on in the abstract–such as freedom of information and expression—that can be challenging to apply in day-to-day decision making. It is critical for libraries to maintain the trust of their communities. But this can be a significant challenge when communities include divergent views, and when funders or donors exert pressure."
Law & Crime is reporting that a Florida school board is urging a judge to order a seven-year-old girl to testify in a deposition in a lawsuit over the district’s decision to ban some books from the library. "The girl’s mother, Ann Novakowski, is part of the federal lawsuit by other parents and the free-speech group PEN America, among others, against the Escambia County School District for removing books from the library shelves," the article states. "Novakowski argued there is no 'meaningful distinction' between what she and her daughter would say and the mother’s testimony would be sufficient. She further said there is no dispute about the books the girl wants to check out that are no longer available, namely And Tango Makes Three and When Aidan Became a Brother along with Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, which is on restricted access."
NBC affiliate KXAN in Austin, Tex., reports that the Austin City Council has authorized negotiations for an extended contract with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office to support security services at Austin Public Library branches. “Because of the public nature of libraries, library staff are very much on the front lines of some of the issues that affect a large city, a large and growing city like Austin—issues like mental health issues or substance abuse,” library spokesman Baylor Johnson said. “And so our staff have to be kind of on the front lines of responding to those kinds of issues in a way that other city staff maybe don’t. And so having this additional law enforcement presence is going to help us make sure that these spaces continue to be safe and welcoming to everybody.”
Local affiliate WILX in Lansing, Mich., reports that the Lansing School District is building two new elementary school that don't have libraries, and, no surprise, many parents are not happy. "More than 100 community members and parents have already said they are against the idea of not having a dedicated library space in schools, according to an online petition created less than a week ago," the article notes. "A lot of concerns named in the petition have been about the lack of a librarian in the school and how this will affect students’ literacy and education."
The Broken Arrow Sentinel reports that 350,000 records of American Indian history are being made public through the Tulsa Public Library System. "As of July 12, anyone with a TCCL library card can begin exploring the previously privately held records of the Indian Rights Association, the first and largest non-governmental organization offering support to and advocacy for Native Americans during the 19th and 20th centuries," the article states.
And finally this week, over at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen leads off her weekly censorship news roundup by noting that it was a relatively quiet Pride Month for libraries—which is not a good thing. "In tracking the same topics and search terms this year, the number of incidents showing up in local and national news dropped significantly," Jensen writes. "But this decrease in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment toward libraries and other literary institutions and organizations during June shouldn’t lead to immediately celebration. Instead, it may be better explained by a noticeable decrease in Pride-focused programming from these institutions."
The Week in Libraries is a weekly opinion and news column. News, tips, submissions, questions or comments are welcome, and can be submitted via email. Previous columns can be viewed here.
