Capital District Library Council

Adult spelling bees have been popular at our member libraries. Now you can register for one that will help send local kids to the Scripps spelling bee.

📧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧@𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟.𝐨𝐫𝐠 📧

⬆️ That’s the address at which you can register for ’s 📕 ADULT SPELLING BEE 🐝 kicking off at the New Scotland Spirits Tasting Room in just six days!

***********************************************************
📅: WEDNESDAY, March 25th
⏰: 6-8pm
📍: New Scotland Spirits Tasting Room (209 Lark St)
🅿️: 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵!
***********************************************************

This CHARITABLE event supports the 2026 regional qualifiers for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The qualifiers will be held on SATURDAY, MARCH 28th — and it ain’t a cheap undertaking to host. So come on out next Wednesday and help the RED Bookshelf defray its $5K cost!

The winner of that March 28th brain-teasing showdown will head off to our Nation’s capital to compete. Help our budding intellectuals put Albany on the map! 🗺️

What an awesome idea!

Interesting article on how generative AI tools manipulate users to serve their own purposes. Basically, the more terse and specific you are with the tools, the better the results for you, if not for the AI company.

When Your AI Asks How You're Feeling: A Field Guide to Engagement Manipulation AI systems use dark patterns to keep conversations going longer than necessary. Learning to spot them protects your time and attention.

City of Albany residents get access at the University at Albany Libraries! University students get access at Albany NY Library! Everyone wins!

📢📢 Big good news alert 📢📢 Meet UAlbany/APL Community Borrowing!! In our never ending quest to SHARE MORE STUFF, we’re teaming up to... SHARE MORE STUFF! City of Albany residents with an APL card can now get access to UAlbany resources, including books, media, and databases. And we’ve made it much easier for UAlbany students to get a public library card. More libraries, more sharing, more power to the people!

Getting started is simple. If you want UAlbany access, just stop by your local APL branch and ask. We’ll submit the paperwork, then once your application is processed (about 1 week), you'll get instructions on how to log in to the UAlbany system and start using your card. You can borrow from either campus library and request material for pickup at convenient 24/7 downtown campus storage lockers. You can also access their databases in person at UAlbany libraries.

For students, you can apply for a library card in person or online at albanypubliclibrary.org. You’ll just need to use your school email and UAlbany’s campus address (1400 Washington Ave) to apply. Then you’ll have access to seven branches worth of books, music, movies, comics, museum passes, ebooks, and much more!

Hooray for more library!! ✨✨✨

In case your library needs another 150,000 volumes. . .

What’s in your archives?

Fun find from HVCC Library's New York Heritage Collection. Maybe the school should bring back the camel rides. For more information, check out the New York Heritage website: https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/hvcc/id/774/rec/1

Congratulations to University at Albany Libraries and Albany NY Library for their collaborative borrowing arrangement!

Bleecker already has a degree in MASCOT with a minor in CUTENESS. But is now considering a master's degree in GETTING COLLEGE STUDENTS TO SIGN UP FOR LIBRARY CARDS because that was fun 🎒

Thanks for having us University at Albany Libraries!

It's Banned Books Week! How is your library promoting the freedom to read?

Censorship is so 1984.

Today kicks off , an annual observation started more than 40 years ago in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores. Sound familiar?

George Orwell’s cautionary tale '1984' warns us about the dangers of censorship. This year’s Banned Books Week theme reminds us that the right to read belongs to all of us, that censorship has no place in contemporary society, and that we must defend our rights.

For ways to get involved, censorship data, events throughout the week, and to help spread the word, visit https://www.ala.org/bbooks.