EDITOR'S NOTES
Getting a Grip on the Things That Matter
by Dick Kaser
In this issue, I invited some trusted colleagues and close associates to share their thoughts about some of the key matters that are affecting libraries these days.
Michael Blackwell (St. Mary’s County Library in Maryland) has teamed up with Carmi Parker (Whatcom County Library System in Washington). They are both members of the ReadersFirst Working Group, which describes itself as “an organization of 300 libraries and 200 million readers.” The working group has completed periodic studies on ebooks in public libraires and has published its work here in the past. I asked the authors to give an update for this edition. The result is an in-depth report that looks at various factors, including pricing, that affect the availability of digital content in today’s libraries.
I invited Brian Pichman (The Evolve Project)—who is coming off a successful stint as the program coordinator for Information Today, Inc.’s Computers in Libraries 2024 conference—to address security issues for libraries, given the recent rise of ransomware attacks at key libraries. In his thoughtful article, he offers pragmatic advice to keep your library safe.
I invited Carolyn Foote—a tech librarian who has been actively involved in organizing school and public librarians in countering book challenges in recent years—to address the topic of her choice. She came back with a most insightful piece about the role AI can and should play in school libraries.
And I invited former longtime CIL columnist Jessamyn West to return in this issue with a topic she selected: a thoughtful discussion of the digital divide as a systems thing not necessarily limited to bandwidth. And she makes a good point.
You should also find many other things in this issue that will pique your interest, challenge your thinking, or help you cope with problems you face.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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