Kathy Ishizuka

Libraries Are Solving the Food Insecurity Crisis What happens when public institutions step up where policy falls short

Since July 2025 Legler Regional Library has run the first food bank inside a library in the city of Chicago.

Farewell, February 2026.

OPINION THE EDITORIAL BOARD Trumps Attack on Iran Is Reckless. The word “Reckless” crossed out the. in red. The word “illegal” added.

Euphemism alert “reckless”.

It’s worse than “reckless”:
“unconstitutional”
“illegal”

(AGSulzberger’s NYT Editorial Board does not mention impeachment).

Media Layoffs Continue as Equalpride Axes Staffers at LGBTQ Standouts Out, Advocate and Pride.com Commenting on the latest round of cuts, a source tells THR, “These brands mean a lot to people, and we need to be telling our stories now more than ever.”

In case you missed: Layoffs include The Advocate editor-in-chief Alex Cooper, Pride.com editor-in-chief Rachel Shatto & brand partnerships manager Erin Manley.
CEO cites cancellations of major ad campaigns in recent months.

The Librarians Film | Official Site Librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting on the frontlines of democracy

How nice to see all of you-attended a local showing of 'The Librarians,' which continues to inform, motivate, and I'm here, cheering you on. @librarianjones.com @sassylibrarian.bsky.social @becalzada.bsky.social @elissamalespina.bsky.social @technolibrary.bsky.social @karayorio.bsky.social Nancy Jo

It is as bad as it sounds, and freedom to read folks have been anticipating this now for years.

Make your phone calls. Send your emails.

unusual sources of distinctive seeds, with joseph tychonievich ONCE UPON A TIME, the seed catalogs came out around the start of the New Year, but these days the very first ones may arrive by Thanksgiving, and their listings may be posted online even

New-to-me seed sources? Yes, please.

#Spring

Announcing New Anywhere Adventures Locations | The Signal Anywhere Adventures is a mobile-first website which brings local history to users through comics and travel logs. In the first year, 2025-2026 Innovator in Residence Vivian Li developed stories for th...

Mobile-first project Anywhere Adventures engages users in local history with comics & travel logs. LOC is inviting more local history stories using at least one LOC collection item for two new locations:
* The Gulf Coast along Highway 90, from New Orleans to Mobile, AL.
* Pittsburgh, PA

"While the pandemic had a huge impact on mental and emotional health, the current state of the world has continued to contribute to the concerning rise of stress in young children."

A booklist by Jessica Beal.

#ALSC

The @nytimes.com also failed to credit my publication in this story about a MeToo moment for kid lit: nyti.ms/3Oyp2Z7 Our coverage/comments formed the core of that story: bit.ly/40ASuAd Yet we were termed a "trade publication." Was later tipped by a journo that this is actually policy there.

The @nytimes.com also failed to credit my publication in this story about a MeToo moment for kid lit: nyti.ms/3Oyp2Z7 Our coverage/comments formed the core of that story: bit.ly/40ASuAd Yet we were termed a "trade publication." Was later tipped by a journo that this is actually policy there.

Roberto Clemente book removed from Florida public schools pending review over discrimination references “His story is his story. He went through racism. It’s something that can’t be changed,” Clemente's son, Roberto Clemente Jr., told NBC News.

I’m all for celebrating our USA Hockey team but the fact is that Jose Clemente is a Medal of Freedom winner & a book on this star athlete has faced a book banning. #SOTU www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...

Stay safe out there, people.

Alysa Liu telling 60 Minutes “I love struggling, it makes me feel alive” is a legit revolutionary statement from a Bay Area native in a time when copious amounts of time and resources are being put toward convincing us to opt out of experiencing struggle, friction and self-actualization

L.G.B.T.Q. Clubs in Some Texas Schools Can’t Be Banned, Judge Says

A federal judge in Texas on Friday temporarily blocked Houston, Katy, and Plano school districts from enforcing a state law that banned student clubs based on gender identity or expression.

LOVE THIS 💗

Uplifting indeed.

In Memoriam: Ernest Morrell Morrell, TC’s former Macy Professor of Education and Director of the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Advanced Study, died on Feb. 4 at the age of 54

My contact with Ernest Morrell was regretfully limited. Reflecting on his many contributions, including the Literacy Teachers Initiative Project in NYC and African Diaspora content for the College Board’s first AP Seminar to feature Black Studies.

#InMemoriam

February 17, 2026

Today begins the Chinese New Year - year of the Horse. It’s also the first day of Ramadan on the Islamic Calendar. It’s also Mardi Gras for partying Christians (mostly Catholics), signalling the first day of Lent.

All derived from Lunar cycles.

New Moon Today — 7:00am ET

Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows "We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."

“The numbers tell a painful story. The impact on journalists of color is staggering and devastating,” the Post Guild said in its statement on Friday. “We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization.”

www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...

“I am somebody” shaped how millions of us saw ourselves as kids, including me. That message mattered. It still does.

Rest in power, Jesse Jackson
🙏🏽

Raised in Hiroshima, Fought in Vietnam | NHK WORLD-JAPAN Japanese American Takeshi Furumoto, born in an incarceration camp and raised in Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, fought in the Vietnam War. He travels in search of closure to his complicated past.

Japanese American Takeshi Furumoto, born in an incarceration camp and raised in Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, fought in the Vietnam War. He travels in search of closure to his complicated past. (NHK doc, in English)

My cousin also fought in Vietnam, born in Manzanar concentration camp.

Book Bans Still Happen Loudly in States with Anti-Book Ban Laws If book banning is being crafted to circumvent Freedom to Read bills, it's beyond time to call this a public health crisis.

Book Bans Still Happen Loudly in States with Anti-Book Ban Laws

If book banning is being crafted to circumvent Freedom to Read bills, it's beyond time to call this a public health crisis.

buttondown.com/wellsourced/...

😂

Detail of Valentine’s Day card, floral collage.

Let’s Celebrate Puerto Rico! Dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading

From the Children's Book Council, recommended books for kids celebrating Puerto Rico.

"Combined with Puerto Rico’s American Citizenship Day on March 2, it’s a perfect time to celebrate tales rooted in family and community and stories shaped by music, memory, and place."

Angelou Heirs Join Utah Book Removal Suit Caged Bird Legacy, the LLC that manages the late Maya Angelou’s oeuvre, has joined Kurt Vonnegut Estate v. Brown, a lawsuit that challenges public school classroom and library censorship under Utah’s…

Caged Bird Legacy, the LLC that manages the late Maya Angelou’s oeuvre, has joined Kurt Vonnegut Estate v. Brown, a lawsuit that challenges public school classroom and library censorship under Utah’s House Bill 29.

OPINION: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance should last well beyond halftime and extend to classrooms  - The Hechinger Report Four ways to teach Bad Bunny’s halftime show that could foster a sense of collective healing

Prompts for class discussion.

Thank goodness for winter blossoms! I haven’t done these in years - dialed back on fragrance with this variety, to spare my housemates 🤷🏻‍♀️

Emotional support bulbs. This winter has been brutal. Grow something.