This blog is a collection of resources for library collection development and program planning, originally made as part of a class assignment. If you managed to find it, cool! I hope it's useful. c: About the blogger: I'm here to finish library school and put protective covers on books, and oh my god there are so many books. (Currently in the market for a blog theme that isn't terrible.)
NFB (National Film Board of Canada//ONF in french) is also a great place to find free documentaries + lots of animation movies. Their youtube channel is here but they also have a website thats wayyy easier to use. They even have an app!
Watch quality Canadian documentary, animation and fiction films online
“HR 7661 is not only an anti-LGBTQ+ bill, written within the framework of the right’s anti-trans priority, but it’s also a bill angling to push school choice. This would be yet another opportunity to promote and expand a federal voucher scheme that would steal money from public institutions so wealthy people could use taxpayer money for their students’ private or homeschool education. HR 7661 applies only to public institutions, opening the door for legislators to tell people that if they don’t like what’s happening in public schools, they can simply choose something else.”
So he said it can't be a Black. So I said, "For God's sakes, Judge Murphy, that's the whole point of the Goddamn story!" So he said, "No, it can't be a Black". Bill just called him up and raised the roof, and finally they said, "Well, you gotta take the perspiration off". I had the stars glistening in the perspiration on his Black skin. Bill said, "Fuck you", and he hung up.
Just to add context for those not aware of the impact of this story.
The reason it was so important for narrative purposes, was that the plot concerns the visit of the Astronaut, in his completely opaque spacesuit, to a planet populated entirely by self-aware robots (originally from Earth) who have built their own society and are petitioning to be allowed to interact with Earth again as equals.
They have a democratic government and free choice of careers etc. as the orange robot serving as guide tells the Astronaut.
The Astronaut notices that there are two different types of robot on this world; the orange ones, who are in charge, gifted access to all information and facilities. and the blue robots, who are seen as more limited in function, have less access to information and resources, and are not allowed positions of power or as wide a choice of employment opportunities. Even transportation is segregated.
The Astronaut investigates further and discovers that the blue and orange robots are actually structurally identical, there is absolutely no difference between their potential or capabilities, and it is only because the orange robots are instructed by their Educator system to consider themselves superior, that the difference exists.
The Astronaut tells the robots they are not ready for re-alignment with Earth, until they come to terms with their own unfairness, and how Earth had had to deal with this issue themselves. When that time comes, the robots will be able to ally with Earth.
Then he leaves in his spaceship, and it's only in that one final panel that we see the Astronaut is black.
Not subtle, nor should it be, but for 1950 this was a breathtakingly powerful statement, perhaps the first of it's kind in the genre.
The black character was not a caricature, or comedy relief, he was a main character in his own right, a human who "simply" was black.
Ok, but this story is sadly revolutionary even now.
That is not just a human who happens to be black, as far as every other character in this story is concerned this is the most important, maybe even the only human they ever see, who happens to be black.
As depressing as that is, but a black person just casually representing the entirety of humanity is a breathtakingly powerfull statement even today, a quarter of a century later.
my advice to anyone getting back into reading as an adult is that it’s 110% okay to start with early readers, middle grade chapter books, and graphic novels. you’re not in school anymore, you don’t need to challenge yourself with 500-page books with vocabulary that people don’t normally use in day-to-day conversation. you’re not “dumbing yourself down” by reading junie b. jones or dog man, you’re reading for fun and turns out when it comes to reading you can do whatever you want forever
also don’t be intimidated by people who boast about how many books they’ve read in a year, in a month, whatever. you can read one book for the entire year and you still got into reading. you can read one chapter of a book for the entire year and you still got into reading! meet yourself where you’re at.
addition from your friendly neighborhood library staff: if you do love encountering uncommon vocabulary but """the classiques""" don't speak to you, graphic novels are a great place to discover rare words!
stop by your local library and let us help you find what speaks to you! just have fun reading!!!
Reading takes stamina! You wouldn't wake up one day and magically be able to run a marathon – you have to build up your strength and endurance gradually until you're able to do it.
The same is true when it comes to the attention and energy for reading books! If you've been reading infrequently or mostly reading short-form text for a while, it's difficult to jump into a "classic" written in another century or an absolute doorstopper of a fantasy novel. Sustained attention takes practice. You gotta ease yourself into it!
Read some of the many excellent graphic novels out there! Read a chapter book intended for tweens, or a nonfiction text for 8-year-olds! Revisit some of your favorites from when you were a kid! Read some novellas! Pick a picture book award list, like the Caldecott Medal or the Coretta Scott King Award, and read through them at your public library! (plus then you get to enjoy all the wonderful picture book artwork) Enjoy a collection of short stories or essays! Read the light novel version of an anime you like because you already know what happens and you won't have to use as much mental energy to follow what's going on!
Just remember that there's lots of different ways to read, and not every book is meant for every person. Despite what you might have experienced in school, reading shouldn't actually feel like a punishment you have to endure. Give yourself the patience and kindness to discover how to make the act of reading feel joyful to you.* And if you aren't sure where to start, we librarians are out here eager to help. 😊
*note that I don't mean "read only joyful things" – the process of reading can be something that brings you pleasure, even if the topic or content is a real downer. I'm having this experience right now reading The Wager by David Grann on my commute because boy it is a huuuuuuuuuge downer, but I'm working on building my own endurance for nonfiction reading specifically and I AM finding basic pleasure in engaging with this text even though the subject is grim.
Our latest ebook bundle has over 60 of the best sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books written by women! Every purchase supports Active Minds cha
$18 for 65 DRM-free books! That's so many books!! There's Robin McKinley, Andre Norton, Nalo Hopkinson, and Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), among others. Because they're DRM-free you can read them on any device and own them for real!!! And a portion of your purchase goes to a charity called Active Minds which focuses on mental health and suicide prevention for young adults. If you use my affiliate link it also supports me, here's a plaintext version to copy/paste if your adblocker won't let you click: https://humblebundleinc.sjv.io/MAGDQJ
As a former librarian I'm actually required to remind you that many libraries that subscribe to Libby are opted into a program that lets you subscribe and access magazines for free with no wait
And that this is actually a really fun, low cost way to not only access news and larger cultural magazines, but also to get free patterns for many different crafts that you can screenshot if need be and that lower the financial barriers to entry for trying new things
From my experience working in both academic and public libraries, many libraries are use it or lose it funding-- I have to say this because a lot of patrons feel guilty for how much they use the library and how often they're using it funny enough, but the worst thing you can do for libraries is not try out new features and not use what's already given to you as much as possible.
The numbers that come as a result of your patronage are how most libraries justify their continued existence in times of financial hardship, which sucks but, go check out some magazines on Libby!
I use Kobo, which uses a slightly different method. Some publishers already don't use DRM. Great! You're good to go. Most others will be listed as using Adobe DRM. For that, you'll need Adobe Digital Editions.
Download the DRM file. This will be an ASCM file (Adobe Content Server Message) called 'URLLink.ascm'. This isn't an ebook, it's basically just a link.
Open in Adobe Digital Editions. It should automatically download the ebook.
Locate the actual file location. By default, this is Documents > My Digital Editions. This will give you the epub file, with DRM.
Follow the above instructions to install DeDRM in Calibre.
Drag the epub file into Calibre. If you've installed DeDRM correctly, there'll be a button up the top labelled 'Convert books'.
Up the top of the window, there'll be 'Input format' on the left, and 'Output format' on the right. Input will default to EPUB, select whatever you like (including EPUB again) for output. Select 'OK' (bottom right).
Locate your Calibre file. For me, this was Documents > Calibre. By default, books are listed in subfolders by author, then title. Open the folder for the book you converted, and you should have four files - a cover, an OPF file with metadata, your new EPUB file, and an old version with the file extension of .original_epub.
Not necessary, but I prefer to do this for organisation - you can now place the DRM-free EPUB file wherever you like. I have folders for my own library that I can back up as I wish.
You may want an ereader not tied to a particular platform. I use one for my phone called Moon+ Reader. It has a free option with unobtrusive ads (which only show when you close a book). Otherwise, using Calibre on my PC has its own epub reader.
Anyway. Not hyperbole. Microsoft closed its ebook platform in 2019 and people lost their entire libraries. Back your books up.
Amazon is ending the ability to download/transfer ebooks from Kindle devices via USB connection on February 26 2025!
You should still be able to use the PC and mobile apps, and in browser reading, but your device will be entirely reliant on WiFi (which isn't always available or reliable!). Here's 1 article on it.
I've been using Epubor Ultimate to remove DRM from all of my ebooks so I can convert and save them, able to read them either in Kobo or Kindle, or in Calibre. I can save them as Epubs, PDFs, or what have you.
Also keep in mind Bookshop.org, an online store that interacts with independent booksellers, now has an ebook app and options from those indie stores. You can even set it specifically to your own favorite local bookstores if you want.
I get a lot of ebooks due to space issues, being a rental/apartment dweller. So the cracked and converted books are saved to my PC and external backup drives. I bought them. They're mine. I ought to be able to read them, and not worry about them being "updated" or removed on some whim*.
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(*I noticed that Jim Butcher's The Aeronaut's Windlass has a different cover than when I first downloaded it, not sure what else has changed yet. Good Omens also went from the classic black cover to the TV show tie in cover.)
Libgen allows you to download ebooks for free. It moves the site regularly, last time I knew it was https://libgen.rs/ but it is now:
Library Genesis is a scientific community targeting collection of books on natural science disciplines and engineering.
Is that link now dead? Go to your search engine and enter LibGen. You'll find where it resides now. Go there and download books. Save them to a backup. Burn a disk with them on it. Whatever you have to do to keep knowledge accessible to you and others.
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury books were band but people assigned themselves a book and memorized it. Then shared the knowledge. We aren't there nor will we be because in Bradbury's time there wasn't the ability to download and save ebooks.
SO DOWNLOAD AND SAVE EBOOKS PLEASE.
Libgen helps you do that. So does Calibre, which is an ebook creator AND an ebook reverser. You can take an epub and turn it into a PDF or a .docx.
calibre: The one stop solution for all your e-book needs. Comprehensive e-book software.
Please do this if you fear knowledge will be lost. Or even if you don't. Just…save save save what you can because Amazon and all the other multi-nationals do not care nor will they care if things go away.
– 92% of respondents reported feeling somewhat to very “calm / peaceful” after visiting the Library
– 74% of respondents reported that their library use positively affects how equipped they feel to cope with the world
– 90% of respondents reported that their Library use positively affects how much they love to learn new things
– 88% of respondents reported that their Library use has supported their personal growth
Has your name every appeared in the credits of a book, or is it likely to in the near future? Then you should join AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS! Transcript below the cut. A version of this zine formatted for print is available to download on my patreon.
Do you make books? Yes? I want YOU to join Authors Against Book Bans! By Maia Kobabe
WHAT IS AABB?
A coalition of writers, illustrators, editors & other book creators, standing united against the unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. We support the availability of diverse voices in our libraries, in our schools, & in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, & to fight to ensure this freedom.
Our concern is not only for the books, but for the children, families, educators, librarians, & communities who suffer when the freedom to read is challenged and taken away.
WHAT CAN AABB OFFER YOU?
- Regional groups working on legislation to protect authors & the freedom to read state-by-state
- Online trainings on digital security, public speaking, & how to counter book challenges in your community
-Affinity groups for BIPOC authors, queer authors, authors with disabilities, indie, nonfiction, romance writers & more
-Support if your book is challenged!
-A very active discord community
Author: What if my book hasn’t been challenged?
Maia: JOIN!
Author: Ok, but what if I’m really busy and can’t do much organizing right now?
Maia: JOIN ANYWAY!
Even if all you do is sign up, your membership will help lend weight to the letters AABB sends to publishers & legislators. As of January 2025, AABB has 3500+ members. Check out the recent open letter to publishers on AABB’s socials & feel free to share it with your contacts.
An Open Letter to Our Publishers- instagram.com/p/DCzYmKcR8uq
Maia: I’ve been facing intense challenges to my book since 2021. Knowing that I am not alone in the fight against censorship is what keeps my spirits up!
Watching the folks in AABB share information, co-write legislation, show up to library & school board meetings, & speak up to publishers about the need to protect diverse books & minority authors has been amazing!
This is a weird & scary time to be an author, but you are not alone! Join thousands of us fighting for the freedom to read, the freedom to write, the freedom to teach, the freedom to learn, & the freedom to share our stories!
Our Mission Statement We are Authors Against Book Bans. We, a coalition of writers, illustrators, anthology editors and contributors, and ot
“Why you should fall to your knees and worship a librarian!! Ok, sure. We’ve all got our little preconceived notions about who librarians are and what they do. Many people think of librarians as diminutive civil servants, scuttling about “Sssh-ing” people and stamping things. Well, think again buster. Librarians have degrees. They go to graduate school for Information Science and become masters of data systems and human/computer interaction. Librarians can catalog anything from an onion to a dog’s ear. They could catalog you. Librarians wield unfathomable power. With a flip of the wrist they can hide your dissertation behind piles of old Field and Stream magazines. They can find data for your term paper that you never knew existed. They may even point you toward new and appropriate subject headings. People become librarians because they know too much. Their knowledge extends beyond mere categories. They cannot be confined to disciplines. Librarians are all-knowing and all-seeing. They bring order to chaos. They bring wisdom and culture to the masses. They preserve every aspect of human knowledge. Librarians rule. And they will kick the crap out of anyone who says otherwise.”
An excellent quote, and attributable to UX designer and information architect Erica Firment on her no-longer-updating blog Librarian Avengers. The quote is available to use under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.
love the library. there's no risk. you can take out a book and go "wow this sucks" and just give it back. and when you do that you're still making the library's Number Go Up so you'll be able to roll the dice on even more books. all for the low low price of free/you already paid for it with your tax money so you might as well use it
