If you haven’t yet tried using ChatGPT, or one of the other new AI systems, give them a try! I have seen several schools, or districts, saying they are completely banning AI for students. And sure, it’s certainly something to discuss with students. Making a clear policy of what is allowed and what is not allowed, what is considered cheating and what is assistance, will be helpful. But just announcing that all AI use is wrong or not allowed is not going to be effective. (Pro tip: Never make a rule that you can’t actually enforce.)

And you can use ChatGPT yourself! There are a lot of articles out there right now with information about different strategies people have used with it to help them at home and at work. Google around for them, and see what kinds of ideas might make your day a little easier.

You can also check out the articles in this blog: ChatGPTLibrarian. “The blog’s principal author is a Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer by OpenAI https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt.

The goal is to use ChatGPT and other AI tools to analyze data and provide various perspectives on various issues in librarianship.

Through this approach, we aim to promote a greater understanding of the vital role that libraries and librarians play in our communities and societies.

In addition, our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of library science and culture by presenting a well-rounded view of AI in the topics we cover.

We hope you find our blog informative, engaging, and thought-provoking. And we look forward to your thoughts and feedback on our posts and engaging in conversations that will help us grow and improve.

Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey; we can’t wait to share our insights.”

Here are a few of the articles from this blog:

• Embracing AI: How Librarians Must Adapt to Evolving Information Technologies
• ChatGPLibrary: How to use EasyPrompt Library For Prompts
• Unlocking the Transformative Potential of Workplace Social Media in Library Organizations
• On authorship of ChatGPTLibrarian
• Ethical Use of ChatGPT for College Students One-Shot BI
• Citing ChatGPT: A Comprehensive Guide on Proper Attribution
• ChatGPT Library Research Templates

That’s right: every week we are going to celebrate some small holiday! We want you to join us in celebrating every week – because really, everyone needs a little more happiness in their lives.

Join us in celebrating the holiday just yourself, and take some small quiet time to enjoy it. Or, take our book and program ideas, and celebrate in a larger way in your library. Take a small, goofy opportunity to have a little more fun today! (We celebrate you in doing this!)

Today is less “fun” than most of our little holidays, but it’s important to libraries. You might be asking yourself: what is 404 Day? Why are we celebrating this? “April 4 is 404 Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about Internet filtering in public schools and libraries across the United States. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (C.I.P.A.), a well-intentioned but flawed regulation, connects federal money for public schools and libraries to obligations to screen child pornography and anything obscene or damaging to kids. Unfortunately, among other issues, poor and converted filtering technologies and too aggressive filtering implementations result in the filtering of constitutionally protected speech.”

You can get more information about CIPA from the FCC website.

Libraries are the home of free speech. We share information, we help our patrons find the best information they need. While this time is not more sad/scary/dangerous than other times in our history – this is a time where willful lies (sometimes called “disinformation” but I like to be clear: people lie for their own benefit) are too common. Libraries are here to be a tool for a civilized society to have access to true, accurate, real, valid information.

I am baffled that support organizations other than libraries, and schools of course, is called patriotic and held out as admirable. Sure, there are other good services on offer: fixing the streets is great, picking up trash is definitely a good thing, and county/state/national parks are another amazing service.

But libraries are the real jewel in any crown of patriotism.

We uphold free speech – for all kinds of people. We don’t just find books for rich people, we do it for anyone. We don’t just help grifting businessmen on the take to track down information – we even do it for little kids. We don’t care if you ancestors came on the Mayflower or if you just arrived here an hour ago – we are here to serve your information needs. When a community needs computers, books, videos, entertainment, education, information, or even just a place to sit down for a while – there it is in the library. And it is available to anyone.

Unlike so many other places in society, you don’t have to be rich to get help from us. You don’t have to pay a lobbyist to get our attention. You don’t have to be white. You don’t have to be a certain religion. You don’t have to be anything specific at all. You just have to be there in front of us.

Libraries are an amazing service to the community. They are an amazing value for the pittance of money that is shared with us.

And every politician or group of private citizens who try to shut us down, to censor what we can do and what we can say – they show their fear. People with nothing to hide do not act like this. People who understand that real democracy means a free flow of information, people who want a good society – they know that the library means freedom. And that is a good thing for us all.

So, take a moment today to pity the censors of society. The pathetic little people who are so terrified of the world that they have to try to rip books out of our hands. Pitiful politicians who dance to the tune of whoever gives them money most recently, and fear what would happen if their voters were allowed to know things.

We may be having a bad moment in our society, with a few bad people being too confident they can tell flagrant lies and hide the truth from everyone. But this will pass. And libraries, the bastions of freedom, truth, information, and democracy – we will still be here.

Take some time today to be fiercely proud to be part of this wonderful, most patriotic of professions. Tell everyone you know: we will not be silenced.

And maybe enjoy a few books today: (and be thoughtful about the books you browse on this topic; some of them are written by people who just want to spread hate, or some wacky agenda – ignore them with glee, knowing that you don’t need to pay attention to them.)

• Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News, by Eric Berkowitz
• You Can’t Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell, by Leonard S. Marcus
• HATE: Why We Should Resist it With Free Speech, Not Censorship, by Nadine Strossen
• Attack of the Black Rectangles, by A. S. King

This season, we continue to travel around Minnesota, but this time we’re learning about all the fascinating historical sites our state has to offer and giving you a book prompt inspired by each site.  

We will share six book suggestions to meet that prompt, to get you started on reading new books. You can also take that prompt and find any other book to meet the challenge!

“Through inspiring exhibits, thought-provoking programs, live performances, and action-packed discovery, the History Center feeds your curiosity about Minnesota’s stories, people, and places.” To celebrate this center, we suggest that you read a book set in a museum.

In our show notes for this episode, we link each book to one of our state’s great independent bookstores: Zenith Books in Duluth, MN. It gives you a description, so you can get more information about the book to help you make a decision about your reading or recommendations.

It’s a tough time for libraries, and people in customer service. And while we don’t want to veer into any toxic positivity, it is good to spend a little time focused on building your happiness level. We are not going to solve people’s serious mental issues here. But bringing some happiness skills to your week can be helpful to everyone!

Mondays can be a little hard, even when things are going fine. Use this small injection of a happiness skill to your week. We are here to support you, and to help you to be a little happier in the library.

I like having to-do lists; it makes me feel better to have things written down and definite things to do. So, I enjoy the lists of happiness strategies, so I can keep up with my own strategies for happy living.

Check out the excerpt from the article 24 easy habits that psychologists have linked with health and happiness:

“We all strive to be happy and healthy. There are a number of small things you can do that will make a big impact on your overall well-being, according to psychologists. Here are some of the things that psychologists and social science researchers have found that have the power to lift your spirits and keep them high. 

• Write down 3 things you’re grateful for.
• Go on a hike or gaze up at the stars on a clear night.
• Meditate
• Read an adventure story.
• Do things you do when you’re happy — even if you’re not.
• Participate in cultural activities.
• Set specific goals you know you can achieve.
• Spend money on others, not yourself.
• Don’t hold a grudge.
• Be both an optimist and a realist.
• Get your hands dirty.
• Work out.
• Master a skill.
• Be patient. Happiness tends to grow with age.

You can read the whole article here, and get all the suggestions.

CMLE can be part of your support network; we are here for you, and support you in your library work. Take a nice deep breath in, and whoosh it out; it’s going to be okay today.

It’s Spring! And of course, that means one important thing: new books are coming!! (Okay, sure: there are new books all the time. But Spring books always feel special!)

If you are looking forward to the new book season also, then you need to register for this event from Library Journal. Check out the program description below, and you can find all the info right here.

“For more than two decades, Library Journal’s Day of Dialog has been the most anticipated librarian-only gathering of the year. Now it’s gone digital and is free to attend! The next all-day event is scheduled for May 4 and will feature a close-up look at the biggest forthcoming books for summer/fall 2023. 

Once again, you’ll hear from top authors in genre fiction, literary fiction, and nonfiction. And you still get to dialog by visiting virtual booths, talking with authors, and networking with colleagues.

Typically, thousands of librarians register for Day of Dialog in its digital incarnation, so you may find the environment or live sessions becoming full during the day.

But fear not! All sessions will be available for viewing on-demand within 24 hrs of their initial broadcast, and the entire event will be available on-demand until August 4, 2023.

All live session will be on Zoom. Make sure to log in to your work or personal Zoom account before the day starts to avoid having to log in for each session.

Please note that the event environment and the sessions have attendance capacity limits. If on the day of the event you find that you are unable to access the environment or join a session, please know that sessions will be available for on-demand viewing within 24hrs, and the entire event will be accessible for three months from the event date. 

Please make sure your computer and browser are up to date. Chrome tends to work best. The event platform does not support IE11 + Windows 7 or older versions.

By registering for this event or webcast, you are agreeing to Library Journal Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct Policy and agreeing that Library Journal may share your registration information with current and future sponsors of this event.

Having trouble registering? Contact ljevents@mediasourceinc.com“