Arkansas
Arkansas librarians meet for annual conference amid censorship pressures – Arkansas Advocate
Library administrators and staff from across Arkansas are gathering in Hot Springs this weekend for an annual conference, at a time when librarians in some parts of the state are under pressure to remove or relocate books pertaining to controversial subjects.
The Arkansas Library Association (ArLA), a chapter of the American Library Association, is a statewide organization that advocates for public libraries and promotes professional development for librarians. Both individuals and institutions in the library profession can be members of ArLA, according to its bylaws.
The organization is one of 18 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the state over Act 372 of 2023, a law that would alter libraries’ material reconsideration processes and create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider “obscene” or “harmful to minors.” In July, a federal judge temporarily blocked the portions of the law that would have applied to public libraries, three days before the law was supposed to go into effect.
Supporters of Act 372 and the relocation or removal of certain library content have said no one under 18 should have access to content regarding sexual activity or LGBTQ+ topics.
The ArLA conference schedule includes discussions about the history of censorship in libraries, including attacks on LGBTQ+ subject matter.
The conference as a whole will not focus on these issues, but they have had an impact on librarians’ morale across the state, said Carol Coffey, the ArLA president and the Patron Experience and Library Analytics Coordinator for the Central Arkansas Library System.
Arkansas librarians brace for impact of law making them liable for “obscene” content
“It’s hard to hear yourself, even in general terms, [depicted] as someone who wants to harm children and has an agenda, when what we do is help people find the information they need,” Coffey said. “We want to help children learn to read and explore their interests. It’s hard when you know what you’re trying to do and the most vocal rhetoric is not understanding that.”
Last year, the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library saw voters cut its funding in half after protests over an LGBTQ+ book display and a transgender author’s visit to the library within the previous couple of years.
This year, Saline County became the primary battleground over what content children can access in public libraries. Patty Hector, Saline County Library’s director since 2016, refused to relocate books about racism, sex education and LGBTQ+ topics after the county quorum court recommended she do so in April.
On Monday, Saline County Judge Matt Brumley fired Hector, less than two months after county officials gave him some power to hire and fire library staff.
Additionally, Crawford County is facing two lawsuits, including the one against Act 372, after the local library system moved children’s books with LGBTQ+ topics to a segregated “social section” accessible only to adults. In the other lawsuit, three parents argue that these sections violate the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. A federal judge denied the parents’ request for an injunction in September.
In the face of such tension, Coffey said, it’s important for ArLA to emphasize the services libraries provide to their communities, which go beyond just providing books.
“We are the place that people come to when they are looking for a job or how to use a computer,” Coffey said. “Right now in a lot of places, we’re making sure that children are fed after school. We have to keep saying, ‘This is what we are and this is what we do.’”
The No. 21 Missouri Tigers enter their final regular season game with the least injury questions than they have had for most other games since the beginning of November.
But, there was a few new additions to the team’s availability report ahead of the Week 14 game against Arkansas. Below is the full availability report for the Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
This post will be updated throughout the week with new availability reports posted Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before the 3:15 p.m. kick off.
Missouri Initial Availability Report:
Note: Missouri players with injuries previously reported to be season-ending are not listed on this post.
• DB Shamar McNeil – OUT
• LS Brett Le Blanc – OUT
• OL Logan Reichert – OUT
• RB Kewan Lacy – QUESTIONABLE
True freshman running back Kewan Lacy took one carry against Mississippi State in Week 13 before exiting the game with injury. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in the week leading up to that game that he would expect Lacy to see more opportunities going forward.
Le Blanc handles punting long snapping duties for Missouri, while Trey Flint takes care of field goals and extra points. Expect Flint to slide in for Le Blanc Saturday.
Arkansas Initial Availability Report:
• DL Nico Dalliver – OUT
• DB Jaylon Braxton – OUT
• K Kyle Ramsey – OUT
• DL Anton Juncaj – DOUBTFUL
• RB Braylen Russel – QUESTIONABLE
• DB Anthony Switzer – QUESTIONABLE
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Arkansas Children’s, a private, non-profit paediatric care organisation, has partnered with Press Ganey to improve paediatric patient experience.
Beginning 1 January 2025, this collaboration is aimed at bolstering the paediatric care organisation’s commitment to improving service and care for patients and their families.
Arkansas Children’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer Jamie Wiggins said: “We believe that every interaction with our patients is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
“By leveraging Press Ganey’s expertise and industry-leading pediatric benchmarks, we will gain valuable insights that will empower our teams to continuously improve and innovate in delivering compassionate care.”
Press Ganey will offer its patient experience and provider star-rating solutions to help Arkansas Children’s monitor feedback and enhance care quality.
The partnership will enable Arkansas Children’s to leverage Press Ganey’s AI-powered text analytics.
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This will help analyse open-ended feedback from online reviews and post-visit surveys, providing an understanding of patient and family perspectives.
The goal is to gain actionable insights that can further improve the patient experience.
Press Ganey provides experience measurement, data analytics and insights to health systems and caters to more than 65% of all freestanding paediatric hospitals.
This partnership will allow Arkansas Children’s to benefit from shared learning and innovation within Press Ganey’s network of institutions.
Press Ganey CEO and chairman Patrick Ryan said: “Families trust Arkansas Children’s to provide the highest quality care for their children.
“This partnership reflects their dedication to listening to families, responding to their needs, and innovating to create a world-class paediatric healthcare experience.”
Arkansas Children’s network includes two paediatric hospitals, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, a research institute, a USDA nutrition centre, and numerous education and outreach programmes.
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PHILLIPS COUNTY, Ark. — A suspect in a Helena-West Helena homicide caused a barricade situation Tuesday as he was being processed in the Phillips County Detention Center.
Authorities said a prisoner who was being processed at the jail was able to get hold of some type of instrument and cause harm to himself.
He barricaded himself in the processing area and pepper spray was used to subdue him.
The prisoner was taken to the local emergency room for treatment. No one else was injured.
Helena-West Helena Police Chief Vincent Bell said he doesn’t know much more about what happened at the jail, but said the inmate is connected to a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon.
The suspect was being held in connection to an incident where a man was shot dead in the doorway of O’Reilly Auto Parts in West Helena.
The shooting was the result of a disagreement that started in front of a motel, and the victim ran to the front of O’Reilly’s where he was fatally shot.
Chief Bell offered no details on a motive or the name of the victim.
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