A #poem for all my friends who love #books and #reading: www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...

Thrilled to have Pedro Martín, Newbery-honored author of Mexikid, on campus!

Slavery exhibits at President's House in Philadelphia removed after Trump administration directive Crews dismantled plaques telling the stories of the nine enslaved people who lived in the President's House and were owned by George Washington.

Of all #Trump actions, the ones in our national #parks and #museums offend me most as a professional. There can be no doubt that Trump and too many of his followers are seeking to erase #Black people and their perspectives from our national story. #history #politics 6abc.com/post/philade...

A #libraryhistory find of a lifetime! This cabinet was used by the #Pennsylvania State Library in the late 1890s-early 1920s to ship "traveling #libraries" of #books to #rural communities that did not have public libraries of their own. I told the owner "take my money." PRICELESS!

The crass Fred Rogers of AI deepfakes has some Pittsburghers ‘horrified’ AI-generated deepfakes of Mister Rogers distort the reputation of Pittsburgh’s friendly legend. Fred Rogers Productions wants them removed.

If you need another reason to think that #AI is gross. www.publicsource.org/mister-roger...

Groan ... @ebsco.bsky.social 's new interface for #journal and #research databases is horrible. I hate clicking on "show more results" to see the next items in the list. And when I click on a title, then try to go back, I don't get returned to where I was in that list. What a pain!

The State of Local News 2025 The latest insights and trends on the local news landscape across the country. Through data and graphics, explore the state of local news outlets and learn about news deserts, network sites and pathwa...

In the past 20 years, 1/3 of the local #newspapers in the U.S. have disappeared. Here in #Pennsylvania, there are some entire counties that only have 1 paper. Here's a helpful site for exploring the data: localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/projects/sta...

Thank you!

49!

Spines of 4 books: Milk! by Mark Kurlansky, The Four Paths of Assertiveness by Scott Cooper and Naoki Yoshinaga, The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.

My reads for September. #books

How PA’s renewable energy push lost momentum Natural gas was pitched as a bridge from coal to renewables. Fifteen years later, the bridge seems to extend endlessly into Pennsylvania’s future.

This article provides helpful backstory on why #Pennsylvania is so far behind in terms of producing #renewable #energy. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/09...

Greater Philadelphia immigrants fuel population, economic growth, report says Here are six key takeaways from the report and a panel discussion hosted by The Welcoming Center and WHYY on Thursday.

A helpful report showing how #immigration has been helpful to #Philadelphia and southeastern #Pennsylvania . whyy.org/articles/imm...

Fall photo!

Hat tip to @JohnsHopkins University Press for keeping its e-books affordable. Many of its #ebooks with multiuser licenses are still under $100, which is super for #libraries like mine that serve multicampus #universities. So many other UP's are now charging $200, $300, even $500, which is crushing.

Just learned that #McGrawHill is pressuring textbook #authors to remove references to #gender equity and #DEI. For *college* books, on *social science* subjects where gender, race, etc. are central. I'd love to see every #college prof use and develop #OER instead of overpriced corporate #textbooks.

#SHARP just published a new #bibliography of #LGBTQIA #BookHistory. Hundreds of books and articles about #queer authors, readers, and publishing, as wells as some material about #libraries and allied fields. I am proud to be one of the contributors. #LGBTQ sharpweb.org/sharpnews/20...

More proof that stricter #voting ID is a solution in search of a problem: in #Pennsylvania, it would have prevented only 2 fraudulent votes among 62 million cast in the past 10 years. #politics www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/08...

#Children's #Literature on postage stamps! Squeeeee! #childlit #kids #books #goodnightmoon

Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 1000 Jefferson Dr SW Washington, DC 20560 Subject: Internal Review of Smithsonian

#Trump has ordered review of #Smithsonian #museums toward "replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across ... public-facing materials." In other words, WHITEWASH. #history #politics www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st...

Just learned about #Homosaurus (homosaurus.org/v4) and #Gender #Sexuality and #Sexual Orientation Ontology (www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontolog...), 2 resources for #librarians cataloging/describing #LGBTQ #books and other materials. Since I purchase these topics, these lists are very helpful!

Proud of myself. I started the summer with a goal of submitting 2 #scholarly articles (both original #research) before the start of Fall semester, and I did it! It feels good to move forward on work that I'd put aside when Dad died. Life, love, and #libraryhistory go on.

Updating the AI Assessment Scale Thanks for visiting! Before you read on, please make sure you visit our new website at https://aiassessmentscale.com/. It’s the new home for all of the AIAS related materials, publications, and resour...

For #college #professors and others in #academia who are updating their #syllabi, here is a scale that may help you devise language about use of #AI for assessments/assignments. Just learned about it today! leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/u...

Feeling energized by a 3-hour lunch I had with a #libraryhistory colleague. Lots of thoughts about how our field can acculturate scholars to be generous and supportive, instead of cut-throat and competitive, all while continuing to generate high-quality and insightful #research.

Basic Computer Terms (1976) YouTube video by A/V Geeks 16mm Films

YouTube just served me this 1976 instructional video on #computers. What a hoot! Amazing how much #technology has evolved in my lifetime. I love that a woman is teaching a man about it. #data #information #programming #history youtu.be/q-gpM-KfVng?...

The Wizard of Oz | The Wicked Witch Is Dead | Warner Classics YouTube video by Warner Bros. Classics

Posted without comment
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwWj...

A graphic featuring a black and white photo of Stevie Wonder on the right. He is wearing sunglasses and headphones and singing into a microphone. On the left, a quote in large blue text reads: “My desire is to – in my lifetime – be a very integral part of getting this country and the world completely accessible to everyone with any disability. There should be nowhere that we can’t go, and there should be nothing that we can’t do. Below the quote, in smaller blue text, is Wonder’s title: “Musician, disability rights activist.” In the bottom right corner is a blue box with the text “Disability Pride Month” in purple. In the bottom left corner is the ACLU logo in blue.

Stevie Wonder is a renowned musician and vocal advocate for those with disabilities. He raises funds and awareness for children with disabilities, pushing for greater accessibility for people who are blind and visually impaired.

This Disability Pride Month, we celebrate Stevie’s art and impact.

OK, I'll play. 10 #authors whom I have read at least 5 of their #books:
Louise Erdrich
Joy Harjo
David McCullough
James Michener
Edward Burtt Packer
Donald J. Sobol
Steve Sheinkin
Carol Boston Weatherford
Wayne Wiegand
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Portrait of Bernadette A. Lear

What I look like these days: Summer 2025

Proud of myself: it's been tough to get back on my academic feet since my Dad passed away last year. But today, I finished an article manuscript and sent it to an editor. Doesn't mean it'll get published, but it's an important step. Yay me! :)

Most of my friends are still on Facebook, so I shared it there. I also signed up and will go if the weather isn't horrible. Thanks for letting me know.