The Weekly Wrap: May 18, 2025

Heads up, I'm about to go on a tear about the firing of Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. She was in the ninth year of a ten-year appointment. She was the first professional librarian to hold the position in decades. Her leadership transformed the institution to help it keep up with the rapid changes of the information landscape. Dr. Hayden is an exemplar of what it means to be a librarian. Also, as a woman of color, her leadership of a white-dominated field cannot be overstated. Her visibility and openness made what I do for a living far more visible to the communities we serve all over the country.

Her firing is a travesty. I was heartened to see others in my field rally around her through petitions, calls to congress, and many think pieces. There was no reason to fire her - despite what the White House claims. The White House assertions are willful misunderstandings of what the Library of Congress and libraries in general are for. I'm glad those in my field are forcefully calling out this disgraceful action and demanding her reinstatement.

Why is this important? Well, the library of CONGRESS serves CONGRESS. It's a part of the legislative branch, not the executive. The president has no say over LOC or any of its subunits - like the copyright office. More importantly, LOC is charged with being the warehouse for and preserver of knowledge. A new head - who answers only to one man with zero respect for actual truth - will do incalculable harm to the collections and actions of the institution.

The truth is the truth. It should be protected and not warped to suit one petty little man's grievances. LOC is charged with providing ACCURATE information to Congress. The Congressional Research Service goes deep on any topic or question asked. Any change to the reality that is shared could irreparably damage foreign relations and policy decisions. 

Furthermore, what any congressional office asks LOC is kept private. While librarians may not have the legal protections of a relationship like attorney-client privilege, we do take privacy seriously. Hell, I have worked with some students for years and I still don't know their names. It's not my business. I'm here to get you access to what you need without prejudice or judgement. That is the only way that people can feel comfortable asking us difficult questions.

So I was damn proud when the persons the President appointed as replacements were rebuffed by library staff at the door. While the law is on the library's side, I believe that our professional ethics also demanded such action. You do not send a fox to work in a hen house. The collections and work of LOC are too important.

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• It's rude that you would call me out this way. [The Ringer]
• This is why I made a subscription tracker in a spreadsheet. [NYT - may be paywalled]
• How to write useful wine tasting notes. [Wine Folly]
• Why prescription drugs are so expensive. [Your Local Epidemiologist]

• Is Finland happiest by comparison only? [The Daily]
• The power of short wave. [The Divided Dial]
• How medical disinformation spreads. [StarTalk]

• Verdana is best. [@silly_goose_science]
• A Simple Favor is a wild movie. I don't know what genre it falls into! There are moments of comedy, lots of drama, and a bunch of mystery. This movie only works because the leads, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, commit to the bits. The plot is pure chaos with way to many loops. But, it was a fun nonetheless. [Amazon Prime]
• The Husband opted to rewatch Eureka as his late night show. I forgot how zany that series was. I know it's pure science fiction, but the setting and campy plots are enjoyable. [Amazon Prime]

• I brought out a recipe from our deep archives. Vegetable stir fry with noodles is a snap to throw together on a weeknight. I made things even easier by using a bag coleslaw mix instead of prepping my own veggies. Plus, I love working with bricks of ramen noodles. [Budget Bytes]
• For my lunch meal prep, I mixed up chickpea chopped salad. This was close in flavor to the many other Greek-flavored chickpea salads I've made. Your supposed to serve this with pita chips but our store was out. The crunch would have been a nice addition. [Eating Well]