List of Contributions

Self-Censorship in a Brave New World

Posted By Anita Coleman Jan 07, 2026 02:13 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Humbled and honored that ALA included my Jan 3rd essay in this week's member communication under this title. Several colleagues also suggested I share it on Connect (and more broadly) for deeper discussion. I've been exploring expanding notions of intellectual freedom through a series of pieces over ...

A Moment in Tønsberg: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Lois Mais Chan, 1934 - 2014 (Librarians We Have Lost, ALA Sesquicentennial Memories 1976-2026)

Posted By Anita Coleman Jan 01, 2026 02:00 AM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

In the heart of Norway's oldest town, twenty years ago, during the World Library and Information Congress in Oslo in 2005, a moment of intellectual and personal connection was captured. Dr. Lois Mais Chan and I shared a memorable encounter during the library tour of Tønsberg and Nøtterøy Public Library. ...

Paul G. Zurkowski, d. 2022 - Information Literacy at 50 (Librarians We Have Lost, Sesquicentennial Memories 1976-2026)

Posted By Anita Coleman Dec 15, 2025 01:07 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Dear Colleagues, I wanted to share an update and highlight a memorial that I completed some time ago but forgot to share here. Many of you know that I've found deep meaning in the LWHL initiative since Kathleen McCook introduced it in 2024, inviting us to remember librarians who have passed away between ...

RE: ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee report for November, 2025

Posted By Anita Coleman Dec 12, 2025 03:12 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Thank you, Amanda for the detailed report, and to Michael and Wayne for the response. I agree about ALA's historical avoidance of hard conversations about power, but I must respectfully disagree that restructuring OIF represents a "downgrading of intellectual freedom." Perhaps the library historians ...

RE: What do YOU think? Highpoints of 150 years of ALA?

Posted By Anita Coleman Nov 25, 2025 10:27 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Cindy Mediavilla 2010–06–24 at 5:58 pmThanks for this very thorough overview of Fiske's report. I, too, have long been fascinated by her study, which, though it was very much a product of its time, still has relevance today. Perhaps the reason ALA didn't comment much on the report when it came out was ...

ALA's Bartz v. Anthropic amicus brief survey results

Posted By Anita Coleman Oct 30, 2025 07:03 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Thanks to everyone who generously answered my questions here in recent months and participated in the survey on ALA's Bartz v. Anthropic amicus brief. The final results were posted online last week and in honor of international open access this week, there's no paywall. (If you see one, do let me ...

RE: Open Letter to the Editors of Libraries: Culture, History & Society

Posted By Anita Coleman Oct 05, 2025 08:21 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Dear Dr. Wiegand, Dr. Cooke, and Dr. Leibiger Thank you for your open letters. I'm writing to share two observations that echo the concerns and to add a personal perspective. Although none of them happened to me in the context of LCHS, I think they align well with your mission. I also want to increase ...

ALA Bartz v. Anthropic Survey Results – Now on Infophilia

Posted By Anita Coleman Oct 03, 2025 01:11 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Dear Colleagues, Thank you for taking the time to share your perspectives in the Bartz v. Anthropic Amicus Brief ALA Survey. Your insights are invaluable in understanding our membership's views. The ALA's Bartz v. Anthropic amicus brief is widely viewed as not protective of intellectual freedom and ...

Summary of August LHRT Reads with Michael Castleman

Posted By Anita Coleman Sep 11, 2025 02:00 AM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Dear Colleagues, I'm pleased to share that my summary of the August LHRT Reads with Michael Castleman (The Untold Story of Books) is available with no paywall. In discussing the sources of his research for the book, spanning 44 years, Castleman mentioned Mike Shatzkin, a publishing legend who made ...

Your voice on the the Barth v. Anthropic amicus brief

Posted By Anita Coleman Aug 26, 2025 07:05 PM
Found In Egroup: ACRL Artificial Intelligence (AI) Interest Group \ view thread

Hello colleagues, I invite you to share your thoughts on this quick and anonymous survey about ALA's advocacy in Bartz v. Anthropic amicus brief in terms of intellectual freedom and public good. 5 questions. No right or wrong answers. ~5 minutes. Take the survey (direct url: https://form.jotf ...

Share your views on intellectual freedom (5 min)

Posted By Anita Coleman Aug 25, 2025 09:02 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Hello, A warm invitation to share your thoughts on this quick and anonymous survey about ALA's role in Bartz v. Anthropic amicus brief in terms of intellectual freedom. I'm gathering diverse perspectives for an upcoming article and chapter in my book, and I'm reaching out to you as library historians ...

Your Insights needed on the Bartz v. Anthropic Brief

Posted By Anita Coleman Aug 12, 2025 04:55 PM
Found In Egroup: ACRL Artificial Intelligence (AI) Interest Group \ view thread

Hello everyone, A recent message here reminded me of William Badke's book Research strategies: finding your way through the information fog (2021, 7th ed) and the enduring role of the college library. It's a trusted lighthouse in an ever-foggy information ocean. I'd love to get your input on a related ...

RE: Clifford Lynch--Librarians We Have Lost, ALA Sesquicentennial Memories -1976-2026

Posted By Anita Coleman Aug 07, 2025 08:26 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Two corrections and I thought as historians you might appreciate not just the corrections but also the stories behind. My first mistake. Clifford Lynch's dissertation title and doctoral advisor are inaccurate. I am sorry for the inconvenience I've caused with this mistake. The correct title is: Lynch, ...

Dr. Eliza Atkins Gleason (1909-2009): A Civic Infophile Ahead of Her Time (Librarians We Have Lost, 1976-2026, ALA Sesquicentennial Memorial Project)

Posted By Anita Coleman Jun 16, 2025 04:56 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

Dear colleagues, I invite you to take the time to find your own connections with Dr. Eliza Atkins Gleason, an African American librarian and educator who was also a civic infophile. This is not a label she used, but my creative interpretation grounded in historical scholarship, I explain more in the ...

Dr. Lorna Peterson BCALA Memorial Resolution (Librarians We Have Lost (1976–2026), ALA Sesquicentennial Memorial Project)

Posted By Anita Coleman May 30, 2025 03:33 PM
Found In Egroup: LHRT (Library History Round Table) \ view thread

In reflecting on the legacy of Dr. Lorna Peterson, I am reminded of one of the most pivotal moments in our profession's history. Scout Calvert, a librarian, recently directed me to the BCALA Memorial for Lorna Peterson, shortly after I had shared the LHRT memorials web page with her. Today, iSchools, ...

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