West Coast Librarian

Du, J. T., Partridge, H., Howard, K., & Xie, Z. (2026). Public Libraries and Social Capital: A Scoping Review. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 1–20. doi.org/10.1080/2475... #libraries

Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It. 40 Google features to find exactly what you need, the alternative search engines that do things Google won't, and the reference desk framework underneath all of it.

Great reminder of what Google search can do for you when you know how...

Google Has a Secret Reference Desk. Here's How to Use It.
open.substack.com/pub/cardcata...

Data centres could store information in glass for thousands of years Microsoft researchers have developed a technology that writes data into glass with lasers, raising the prospect of robotic libraries full of glass tablets packed with data

Microsoft researchers have developed a technology that writes data into glass with lasers, raising the prospect of robotic libraries full of glass tablets packed with data

AI Is Taking Over Social Media, but Only 44% of People Are Confident They Can Spot It, CNET Finds Half of social media users said they want better labels on AI-generated and edited posts.

Half of social media users said they want better labels on AI-generated and edited posts.

The New York Public Library Announces the Return of Lunch Dances
www.nypl.org/press/new-yo...

i’m tired of every paper (even critical ones) on societal impact of AI starting by both-siding the “benefits” and risks/harms of AI

in academia, i would like us to arrive at a collective reckoning that we don’t need to play both sides. it's totally legit to clearly state just the harms. period

Not a huge fan of using literacy/reading level as a gauge of how intelligent someone is. I work in a library bro. There’s adults that weren’t taught properly. Learning disabilities exist. Some kids don’t enjoy reading. None of this means they’re not smart.

Why Penguin Random House And Macmillan Are Recruiting AI Engineers Publishing giants like Penguin Random House and Macmillan are eager to use AI internally—but not for writing or editing. Their authors still might revolt.

Why Some Of The Largest Book Publishers Are Hiring AI Engineers
www.forbes.com/sites/rashis...

We have differentiated vocabulary for literacy: reading critically, reading for pleasure, reading for research. We don't have that yet for AI. That absence isn't neutral: laurenpressley.com/library/2026...

Libraries and Indigenous Cultural Protocols: Insights from the UQ Library ICIP Framework Project Libraries hold some of the most significant collections of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) in the country. From manuscripts and artworks to recordings, photographs, and Indigenous...

#Libraries and Indigenous Cultural Protocols: Insights from the UQ Library ICIP Framework Project

Bill C-15 Update: House Finance Committee amendment reinstates protection for Library Book Rate
librarianship.ca/news/bill-c1...

Analysis | ChatGPT is changing how we ask stupid questions The internet has long been a safe space to ask stupid questions. What do we lose when people switch to asking AI chatbots instead?

I've been thinking a lot about how people interact with chatbots versus online strangers. Recently @heatherkelly.bsky.social (formerly of WaPo siiiigh) asked me a very *interesting* question which is whether chatbots have changed how we ask stupid questions. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Do you have any examples of libraries (public, academic, etc.) whose collection development policies and/or deselection/selection criteria really strike a good balance between intellectual freedom and social justice? Would love to find some positive examples!

National Geographic Society Bolsters Archival Access with Transformative $57 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Illuminate the Richness of Our Shared Human Journey With support from Lilly Endowment Inc., “The Archives” exhibition at the Museum of Exploration and the Center for Human Histories and Cultures will foster global collaboration and expand knowledge of ...

news.nationalgeographic.org/lilly-endowm...

We're just an audiobook app, asking readers to make the switch so that every time they buy an audiobook, their indie bookstore benefits 💓

EIFL checklist for using OJS in journal publishing | EIFL https://www.eifl.net/news/eifl-checklist-using-ojs-journal-publishing-1

This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby The creator of Nearby Glasses made the app after reading 404 Media's coverage of how people are using Meta's Ray-Bans smartglasses to film people without their knowledge or consent. “I consider it to ...

NEW: A hobbyist has created Nearby Glasses, an app that warns you if someone close by is wearing smart glasses. 404 Media spoke to the creator who said he was inspired by our coverage that uncovers how men are wearing Meta's Ray-Bans to covertly film massage parlor workers.

Want to gently push back on this. If a book is kindle exclusive than it's basically non-existent to libraries for purchase. It's bad enough that libraries use Amazon Zip Books. (Also, trad pub authors have no control over where a book ends up, and IA is a copyright minefield for books.)

Proof your public library loves you: they leave you alone when you're reading, they love when you bring your kids over, and they'll literally let you borrow any book you want...even their hardcovers

Sure, dinner and a film is fine, but can we please normalize bookstore dates, cemetery picnic dates, museum dates, library dates, and stargazing dates?

Really appreciate this thoughtful post by @laurenpressley.bsky.social on what librarians are particularly ready to contribute to the conversations in higher ed about how to address AI. laurenpressley.com/library/2026...

Encrypt It Already End-to-end encryption protects the privacy of your data.

Apple, Google, Meta, Bluesky, Ring, Telegram—all these companies could offer stronger protections for our chats and our data. www.encryptitalready.org

AIs can generate near-verbatim copies of novels from training data LLMs memorize more training data than previously thought.

This makes the fair use argument for LLMs increasingly less believable.

arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/a...

A new report and toolkit on rural libraries supporting walking groups
stephenslighthouse.com/2026/02/24/a...

One of the worst things about AI, for me, is that it takes away from people the sheer joy of writing. Schools don’t often make this point, but writing should be fun. Putting words together, finding ways to express yourself, the pure pleasure of a well-crafted sentence. 1/5

Check It Out - The York University Magazine Step back from the hazard tape. Jacob Turola points to the streaks of black and yellow lines marking out a corner of his carefully assembled universe on the third floor at York University’s Markham Ca...

"Check It Out: #AI Labs, Cameras, Creative Tools and Gathering Spaces: Today’s #Libraries Lend Ideas and Innovation to How We Connect, Create and Learn (via Your University Magazine) magazine.yorku.ca/issues/winte...

‘We’re losing accessibility’: America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback The so-called ‘pocket book’ sold in supermarkets is being phased out across the US, the latest sign of an ongoing shift in how people are choosing to read

What we lose by phasing out the mass market paperback: accessibility. My mum loved the library, but if I needed my own copy of a book for school, she knew the shops--even department stores--nearby that might have it in mass market. My first copy of many classics.
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

Today I had a discussion about whether our databases would exist in a few years, or would they all be replaced with AI subscriptions… this got me thinking that I want to have a better understanding of the research & be able to defend the long term value of library databases #FamiliarFebruary #Day23

Yellow Spaghetti Although this recipe does not itself issue from Italy, the inspiration is entirely Italian. One of my favourite things to eat is a risotto Milanese, sometimes called "risotto giallo" — or yellow risot...

#RecipeOfTheDay is Yellow Spaghetti: I borrowed the comforting creaminess and flavours of risotto Milanese and lent them to pasta! It’s easy, near-instant and utterly blissful. www.nigella.com/recipes/yell...

I Dream Of A Books Supplement Seriously though, we could make this happen.

"Since the usual channels for book discovery have been gutted by the uber-wealthy, which they have clearcut for their own personal profit...we authors are all now expected to engage in this starved and hysterical culture of the few."