ATG Hot Topic of the Week

by Jonathan H. Harwell, Rollins College

In the wake of last Friday’s Sandy Hook massacre, the business of publishing and library acquisitions might seem insignificant in comparison.  But please do your patrons a favor.  We challenge our librarian colleagues to take a little time today and make sure your collections are up to date on issues related to the event, including mental health care, violence prevention, childhood trauma, gun control, and anger management.  And to all of our colleagues, please share your recommended titles in the comments below.

There are a few other news items of interest.  The Rainforest Action Network has called on HarperCollins to use more environmentally sustainable paper sources.  The publisher has a webpage on their green initiatives.

The State Library of Kansas is calling out publishers who “are making it difficult, if not impossible, for libraries to purchase eBooks.”  Here’s the story, & here’s the Facebook page.

Oh, and on the subject of intellectual property, Instagram has been in the news.

Stay safe over the holidays.