Recently Asked Questions
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| Topic | Question | Submission Date | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| School district public libraries independently calling for budget votes | We are a school district public library. |
School Districts, Budget, Elections | |
| Fan fiction programs at public libraries | I wanted to host a fanfiction writing contest for my teen department, as we have a lot of teens who enjoy writing fanfiction about their favori |
Intellectual Property, Copyright, Public Libraries, Fan Fiction, Library Programming and Events, Public Domain | |
| Owner control of service animals in public spaces | I saw a leashed dog in the library and saw no obvious identifiers that it was a service animal. |
ADA, Disability, Accommodations | |
| School district public library election deadlines falling on weekends | Our trustee petitions to run for board seats are due 30 days before our election. That date happens to fall on a Sunday. |
Elections, Board of Trustees, School Districts, Public Libraries | |
| Showing movies in a school: 2025 update! | [In 2019, we got some questions about Swank movie licenses, streaming services, and schools, and posted the answer here: |
Copyright, Movies, Swank Movie Licensing, Umbrella Licensing, Licensing | |
| Patron privacy regarding recording devices and minors | Is the library at risk if a teen patron volunteers to share contents of a cell phone? |
Policy, First Amendment, Privacy, Recording devices, Children in the Library, Patron Confidentiality | |
| Top Ten Risk Management Exercises For Governing Boards of Libraries & Cultural Institutions During the 2025 Federal Shift | Early 2025 has brought changes to stability of certain federal programs, funding, and governance. |
Board of Trustees, Grants, DEI, Executive Order, Federal funding, Risk Management | |
| Responding to LEO & Others' Requests for Library User Information | I’d like to ask this as generally as I can so that the answers are as applicable as possible, but I’m writing from a small college library in N |
Academic Libraries, FERPA, Templates, Law enforcement | |
| Evaluating DEI Internship Programs | Our organization has for many years now used a “DEI” internship program to bring people from under-represented communities into the library pro |
Templates, Internships, Executive Order, DEI | |
| Summary and Analysis of Potential Impact of January 2025 POTUS Executive Orders on Libraries Served by the ESLN | You have requested my expedited input regarding the potential impact on ESLN member organizations of the 33 executive orders issued in the first we |
ATL Analysis, Executive Order |
