Emily Zerrenner
@ezerrenner.bsky.social
Academic librarian, ACRLog blogger, MI➡MD transplant, 2021 Junior Fellow at the Library of Congress, Aquarius, crafter. Views are my own.
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
I also think GenAI summaries of conversations and personal emails are fucking wack and disrespectful
Either you have time to genuinely engage with what someone said or you don’t
Either you have time to genuinely engage with what someone said or you don’t
November 14, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I also think GenAI summaries of conversations and personal emails are fucking wack and disrespectful
Either you have time to genuinely engage with what someone said or you don’t
Either you have time to genuinely engage with what someone said or you don’t
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
1. Going to the Library in Smyrna or Murfreesboro, TN?
You might be greeted by an EMERGENCY CLOSURE sign.
Apparently they have detected the presence of "transgender books" and are quarantining them as if they were a dangerous plague.
The latest from S. Baum.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
You might be greeted by an EMERGENCY CLOSURE sign.
Apparently they have detected the presence of "transgender books" and are quarantining them as if they were a dangerous plague.
The latest from S. Baum.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
Some Tennessee Libraries Shut Down For “Emergency Closure” Over Transgender Books
It is unclear how many other libraries have or may need to temporarily shut their doors in order to cull their children’s sections for gender-subversive content.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:57 AM
1. Going to the Library in Smyrna or Murfreesboro, TN?
You might be greeted by an EMERGENCY CLOSURE sign.
Apparently they have detected the presence of "transgender books" and are quarantining them as if they were a dangerous plague.
The latest from S. Baum.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
You might be greeted by an EMERGENCY CLOSURE sign.
Apparently they have detected the presence of "transgender books" and are quarantining them as if they were a dangerous plague.
The latest from S. Baum.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
I find myself just endlessly frustrated that my librarian career has been completely overshadowed by GenAI. There are so many more other things I'd rather think, learn, and talk about.
November 11, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I find myself just endlessly frustrated that my librarian career has been completely overshadowed by GenAI. There are so many more other things I'd rather think, learn, and talk about.
The Pride crosswalks in Salisbury, Maryland (the first in the state!) are being paved over with no plan for replacement. They were created and maintained by the Shore Pride Alliance at no cost to the city.
www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/10/a...
www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/10/a...
Plan to remove Salisbury rainbow crosswalk sparks backlash, confusion
Advocate KT Tuminello began a hunger strike in downtown Salisbury to protest the city’s plan to replace Maryland’s first Pride crosswalk.
www.baltimoresun.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:18 PM
The Pride crosswalks in Salisbury, Maryland (the first in the state!) are being paved over with no plan for replacement. They were created and maintained by the Shore Pride Alliance at no cost to the city.
www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/10/a...
www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/10/a...
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
Hear me out, maybe libraries ... don't need AI for anything? This is a solution in search of a problem.
Aside from my "was this really written in 2025, not two years ago" snarky response, I couldn't help thinking throughout this entire blog post that a huge part of why so many libraries are STUCK on dealing with AI is because we literally don't have the staff time or funding to deal with it.
Do Academic Libraries Have a Strategy for AI? 📚
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
November 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Hear me out, maybe libraries ... don't need AI for anything? This is a solution in search of a problem.
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
me when the AI bubble bursts
November 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
me when the AI bubble bursts
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
Leftists really have to prioritize public libraries in budget fights.
November 8, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Leftists really have to prioritize public libraries in budget fights.
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
“And then you have librarians who are experiencing a real existential crisis because they are getting asked by their jobs to promote [AI] tools that produce more misinformation. It's the most, like, emperor-has-no-clothes-type situation that I have ever witnessed.” - Alison Macrina
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 7:15 AM
“And then you have librarians who are experiencing a real existential crisis because they are getting asked by their jobs to promote [AI] tools that produce more misinformation. It's the most, like, emperor-has-no-clothes-type situation that I have ever witnessed.” - Alison Macrina
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
To sum up:
Gender affirming care: bad
Character.AI driving kids into suicide for profit: good
Got it.
Gender affirming care: bad
Character.AI driving kids into suicide for profit: good
Got it.
Holy shit. Noam Shazeer, one of the original authors on the "Attention is All You Need" paper and Character.AI founder, came out as major transphobe. Like Trumpian levels of "this is child mutilation" of transphobia.
(via The Information)
(via The Information)
November 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
To sum up:
Gender affirming care: bad
Character.AI driving kids into suicide for profit: good
Got it.
Gender affirming care: bad
Character.AI driving kids into suicide for profit: good
Got it.
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
They made... an AI tool... to make AI... which is already built on actual writing... seem less like slop...
JUST DO THE WRITING YOURSELF TO BEGIN WITH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
JUST DO THE WRITING YOURSELF TO BEGIN WITH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
November 4, 2025 at 2:24 AM
They made... an AI tool... to make AI... which is already built on actual writing... seem less like slop...
JUST DO THE WRITING YOURSELF TO BEGIN WITH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
JUST DO THE WRITING YOURSELF TO BEGIN WITH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
New on ACRLog... EBS-No; or, a rant
"Overall, this is indicative of a long-running problem in librarianship; we are at the mercy of the vendors whose products we rely on." - Emily Zerrenner
t.co/nGXriJJyoQ
"Overall, this is indicative of a long-running problem in librarianship; we are at the mercy of the vendors whose products we rely on." - Emily Zerrenner
t.co/nGXriJJyoQ
October 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM
New on ACRLog... EBS-No; or, a rant
"Overall, this is indicative of a long-running problem in librarianship; we are at the mercy of the vendors whose products we rely on." - Emily Zerrenner
t.co/nGXriJJyoQ
"Overall, this is indicative of a long-running problem in librarianship; we are at the mercy of the vendors whose products we rely on." - Emily Zerrenner
t.co/nGXriJJyoQ
Seeing twenty one pilots for the 10th time tonight in Virginia Beach! 🩵
Also used the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the first time… Not A Fan 🫣
Also used the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the first time… Not A Fan 🫣
October 7, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Seeing twenty one pilots for the 10th time tonight in Virginia Beach! 🩵
Also used the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the first time… Not A Fan 🫣
Also used the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the first time… Not A Fan 🫣
In which: I crash out a bit about EBSCO's new interface acrlog.org/2025/10/03/e...
EBS-No; or, a rant - ACRLog
Please, permit me to rant about EBSCO’s new UI for a little while. Ours changed over in August, and up until this point, I've been quite busy with teaching and the general chaos of the beginning of fa...
acrlog.org
October 3, 2025 at 6:24 PM
In which: I crash out a bit about EBSCO's new interface acrlog.org/2025/10/03/e...
Still rolling with this project. We had a person donate an ENTIRE finished quilt this last week. <3
AN ENTIRE QUILT!!!! This is from Yara and it is absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to find a home for it - thank you so much, Yara.
Everybody sound off a thank you below!!!
#transpridequilt #quiltproject #quilting #quiltsky
Everybody sound off a thank you below!!!
#transpridequilt #quiltproject #quilting #quiltsky
October 2, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Still rolling with this project. We had a person donate an ENTIRE finished quilt this last week. <3
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
THE WAIT IS OVER – The first episode of We Reads: The Podcast is now available! 🎧
Tune in as hosts dive into their reading journeys, genre preferences, and what to expect from this coming season 🤭
www.wehere.space/we-reads-pod...
#WeReadsthePodcast
Tune in as hosts dive into their reading journeys, genre preferences, and what to expect from this coming season 🤭
www.wehere.space/we-reads-pod...
#WeReadsthePodcast
September 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
THE WAIT IS OVER – The first episode of We Reads: The Podcast is now available! 🎧
Tune in as hosts dive into their reading journeys, genre preferences, and what to expect from this coming season 🤭
www.wehere.space/we-reads-pod...
#WeReadsthePodcast
Tune in as hosts dive into their reading journeys, genre preferences, and what to expect from this coming season 🤭
www.wehere.space/we-reads-pod...
#WeReadsthePodcast
ebsco is like totally broken on our campus lol. love that. how are YALL doing?????
September 23, 2025 at 6:16 PM
ebsco is like totally broken on our campus lol. love that. how are YALL doing?????
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
Can we finish funding this classroom by dinner? Only $125 to go! www.donorschoose.org/project/book...
Books That Serve as Mirrors and Windows, a project from Ms. Russo
Help me give my students a diverse selection of graphic novels that expose them to different cultures and ways of being. Our students are kind, dedicated, insightful and smart. They are a diverse g...
www.donorschoose.org
September 19, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Can we finish funding this classroom by dinner? Only $125 to go! www.donorschoose.org/project/book...
I opened this kind of assuming it'd be kind of out of touch but 4 out of 5 apply to me 🫢
5 Surprising Things I’ve Learned about Gen Z College Students - Choice 360
How can we design library user experience around Gen Z college students? Robin Davis provides insights and observations.
www.choice360.org
September 17, 2025 at 7:11 PM
I opened this kind of assuming it'd be kind of out of touch but 4 out of 5 apply to me 🫢
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
“We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.”
what a relevant tenet of our Code of Ethics—so why is the field so intent on making an exception for generative AI?
www.ala.org/tools/ethics
what a relevant tenet of our Code of Ethics—so why is the field so intent on making an exception for generative AI?
www.ala.org/tools/ethics
ALA Code of Ethics
A framework of values and ethical responsibilities for the profession of librarianship.
www.ala.org
September 16, 2025 at 5:42 PM
“We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.”
what a relevant tenet of our Code of Ethics—so why is the field so intent on making an exception for generative AI?
www.ala.org/tools/ethics
what a relevant tenet of our Code of Ethics—so why is the field so intent on making an exception for generative AI?
www.ala.org/tools/ethics
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
AI data scraping is causing major problems for digital archives.
Many publishers of cool historical material (free for the public), like @hagleycenter.bsky.social, are being hit w/ bot swarms akin to denial of service attacks.
Latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-ai-da...
Many publishers of cool historical material (free for the public), like @hagleycenter.bsky.social, are being hit w/ bot swarms akin to denial of service attacks.
Latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-ai-da...
September 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
AI data scraping is causing major problems for digital archives.
Many publishers of cool historical material (free for the public), like @hagleycenter.bsky.social, are being hit w/ bot swarms akin to denial of service attacks.
Latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-ai-da...
Many publishers of cool historical material (free for the public), like @hagleycenter.bsky.social, are being hit w/ bot swarms akin to denial of service attacks.
Latest in The Lint Trap
linttrapofhistory.substack.com/p/when-ai-da...
Happy twenty one pilots album release day to all who celebrate 
September 12, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Happy twenty one pilots album release day to all who celebrate 
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
I've seen several people refer to AI-resisters as having their heads in the sand over the last few days. But resisting doesn't mean the same thing as ignoring something. On the contrary, resisting means engaging with research, parsing information, offering critique, and making informed choices.
September 8, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I've seen several people refer to AI-resisters as having their heads in the sand over the last few days. But resisting doesn't mean the same thing as ignoring something. On the contrary, resisting means engaging with research, parsing information, offering critique, and making informed choices.
Reposted by Emily Zerrenner
Your semi-regular reminder: You are not your work! You are a worthwhile person regardless of whether or not you have a job, have a "good" job, hear back from places you apply, have interviews, have successful interviews, etc. You are valued and valuable, just as you are.
September 5, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Your semi-regular reminder: You are not your work! You are a worthwhile person regardless of whether or not you have a job, have a "good" job, hear back from places you apply, have interviews, have successful interviews, etc. You are valued and valuable, just as you are.
This article from part 2 of the Library Trends issue on Generative AI is a must read, from Kay Slater.
"In seeking to bridge the digital divide and save ourselves time, do we sacrifice our principles in favor of acquiescing to the latest trends in technology?" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
"In seeking to bridge the digital divide and save ourselves time, do we sacrifice our principles in favor of acquiescing to the latest trends in technology?" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
Project MUSE - Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library
muse.jhu.edu
September 5, 2025 at 4:27 PM
This article from part 2 of the Library Trends issue on Generative AI is a must read, from Kay Slater.
"In seeking to bridge the digital divide and save ourselves time, do we sacrifice our principles in favor of acquiescing to the latest trends in technology?" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
"In seeking to bridge the digital divide and save ourselves time, do we sacrifice our principles in favor of acquiescing to the latest trends in technology?" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...