Madewell Has Teamed Up With The New York Public Library; The Cut, October 20, 2026

Bianca Nieves, The Cut; Madewell Has Teamed Up With The New York Public Library

"Madewell has teamed up with The New York Public Library for their first installment of a larger yearlong partnership. Working closely with the library’s team, Madewell’s creative director, Steven Cateron, drew inspiration from its archives to bring the collaboration to life...

The collection launched with a campaign featuring a range of emerging authors, including Anika Jade Levy, Michael Bible, Danielle Prescod, and Kayla Maiuri.

I got the insider scoop by touring the NYPL archives alongside Jessica Cline, supervising librarian for the NYPL Picture Collection, to see firsthand what the library and the denim brand call “a love letter to the city.” And of course, I also got to try a few pieces of the collection. More on that below."

Bear Unknowingly Celebrates Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th Anniversary by Wandering into a Library and Raiding Its Honey Stash; People, October 17, 2026

Moná Thomas, People; Bear Unknowingly Celebrates Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th Anniversary by Wandering into a Library and Raiding Its Honey Stash

"A bear made Winnie-the-Pooh proud on the character’s landmark anniversary.

Early on Oct. 14, a black bear wandered into a California library and helped itself to some of the building’s snacks, honey included, on the day the original Winnie-the-Pooh book turned 100.

Security footage released by the Mono County Office of Education shows the furry visitor exploring the shelves of the Mammoth Lakes Library, located in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

“We can only assume the new Li-BEAR-ian was looking for a copy of Winnie the Pooh, published 100 years ago today!” the office wrote, adding that “the morning visitor politely saw themselves out before staff arrived.”...

A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh was first published on Oct. 14, 1926, introducing readers to a honey-loving “Bear of Very Little Brain.” To mark the centennial, the library is inviting the community, “human members only,” to visit any of its seven branches for a copy of the classic or other bear-themed titles."

Swedish Company Uses A.I. Likeness of Greta Garbo in Ad; The New York Times, October 1, 2026

 Isabella Kwai, The New York Times; Swedish Company Uses A.I. Likeness of Greta Garbo in Ad

"An ad for a Swedish manufacturing company released this week turned an A.I.-generated likeness of Ms. Garbo into a company spokeswoman."

This small town librarian offers a 'Bye, Bye AI' class to take AI off your phone. Now everyone wants in.; Business Insider, September 27, 2026

 Katie Notopoulos, Business Insider; This small town librarian offers a 'Bye, Bye AI' class to take AI off your phone. Now everyone wants in.

"North Chatham, a hamlet in upstate New York halfway between Hudson and Albany, doesn't have much going on. You have to go to the next hamlet over for a store or restaurant. There's a church, a post office, and a small public library with only about 800 cardholders.

The North Chatham Free Library has gotten a lot of attention lately, however, after a flyer for an upcoming "Bye Bye AI" event offering to remove the AI features from your phone or laptop went viral on Facebook, getting over 200 comments and 8,000 likes.

The poster was made by the library's sole full-time librarian, Shea Wert. Wert told Business Insider that she had made this event in response to community demand — and was surprised by the reaction from far-flung places."

Charlotte small businesses hit with costly rebrands over naming conflicts; Axios, August 28, 2026

 McKenzie Rankin , Axios; Charlotte small businesses hit with costly rebrands over naming conflicts

"Charlotte small businesses are losing money and marketing momentum after getting caught up in naming and trademark conflicts — sometimes days before opening.

Why it matters: It's already notoriously expensive to run a local business in Charlotte. But overlooking trademark clearance early on can mean paying for a new name, signage, branding and legal help after thousands of dollars have already been invested.

By the numbers: Federal trademark applications cost $350 per category of goods or services, explains Charlotte trademark attorney Darlene Harris, while hiring an attorney can run roughly $1,000-$5,000."

How Big Tech Captured American Schools; The New York Times, August 23, 2026

  Natasha Singer, The New York Times; How Big Tech Captured American Schools

"One humid afternoon in the summer of 2025, representatives from Microsoft were waiting as some 200 teachers trooped into a conference hall in downtown Manhattan. The educators were there for a workshop on the school technology of the moment: artificial intelligence chatbots.

The Microsoft team gave a presentation on their Copilot chatbot and asked the teachers to practice using it for tasks like generating emails to parents and customizing lesson plans. Microsoft instructors also screened an A.I. explainer video that their Minecraft Education division had produced for children. The animated clip, based on the company’s blockbuster world-building game, featured a cheerful narrator and a cute Minecraft duck. Even if some schoolchildren weren’t old enough to use A.I., one of the Microsoft workshop leaders told the teachers in attendance, at least they could start learning about it.

As a journalist covering technology in schools, I had observed similar workshops for teachers and students that were funded or led by corporate giants like Amazon, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Taking in this one, at the headquarters of the United Federation of Teachers, I was struck by how similar the sessions were to training I’d seen years earlier, while reporting on the health care industry: seminars for doctors, organized by pharmaceutical companies, that aimed to get physicians to prescribe the latest brand-name drugs.

“Industry funds what helps industry,” Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a pharmacology professor at Georgetown University Medical Center who studies drug industry influence on medicine, told me recently, as I was reporting a book about A.I. and computer science education in schools."

Loyal to the look: why Zohran Mamdani wears a suit in all seasons; The Guardian, July 26, 2026

Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian; Loyal to the look: why Zohran Mamdani wears a suit in all seasons

"Playing football. Playing in the sand. Dancing on a stage with Alicia Keys and the entire New York Knicks roster. Swimming in a swimming pool. Swimming in the ocean.

Traditionally, a suit and tie would be considered inappropriate attire for each of these activities. Yet over the past year Zohran Mamdani has seemingly been on a one-man crusade to prove otherwise: to convince people that a formal suit is, actually, suitable for all activities.

That’s because the New York mayor hardly ever wears anything but a suit: frequently purchased from Suit Supply, almost always in a dark colour and worn with a formal tie, mostly paired with smart black boots. He’s hardly the first male politician to embrace the suit – it’s the de facto uniform, after all, of those seeking to project seriousness and solemnity – but few, if any, have been quite as wedded to the formal blazer and matching trousers...

“I think Mamdani wants to double down on appearing as a working mayor, as someone who is always on the job and on the clock,” said Ella Devi, a fashion commentator and, like Mamdani, Democratic Socialists of America member whose (typically negative) assessments of Republicans’ style have made her a target for conservatives.

“I think that he kind of wants to convey that he is committed to the job, through his sartorial choices. I think that is reflected in his attachment to the suiting.”...

“If there’s a visual language that connotes credibility and authority, why not take advantage of it?” Nathan Robinson, the editor of the leftwing Current Affairs magazine wrote this month.

“You might see someone in a suit as serious, professional, ready to do business. You might think they belong in the Senate or a boardroom. That’s certainly what Mamdani is trying to convey with his suits. He understands that socialists face a challenge: we’re considered fringe. People think we don’t belong among those making important decisions. The suits are a subtle way of asserting the legitimacy and authority of socialist ideas.”"

MAGA Official Slammed for Clobbering the Living Christmas Lights Out of AI Santa Claus; The Daily Beast, December 28, 2025

 Will Neal, The Daily Beast; MAGA Official Slammed for Clobbering the Living Christmas Lights Out of AI Santa Claus

[Kip Currier: I was curious about Indiana State Sen. Chris Garten's values and background when I saw this story. So it's eye-opening to see his own descriptor of himself on his Facebook page:

"My name is Chris Garten. I am a Christian, husband, father, Marine Corps veteran..."

https://www.facebook.com/GartenforSenate/

Though Garten's military service is commendable, nowhere in the Bible would the Christian Jesus condone the kinds of actions that Garten portrays himself performing in these AI-generated images of himself brutalizing Santa Claus. How do such images advance one of Jesus's greatest Commandments to "love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31)?

How does a person who self-identifies as a Christian justify such depictions to others, as well as when he prays? Especially when Jesus stands for helping the "least among us" (Matthew 25:40) and says that "the last shall be first" (Matthew 20:16).

Even in jest, do these images convey a sense of good judgment or an elected official who is a positive role model in a free and democratic society?]

[Excerpt]

"A MAGA official has branded his critics “snowflakes” after marking this year’s holiday season by sharing his apparent fantasy of whaling on a defenseless Saint Nick on the steps of Indiana’s State Capitol building.

State Senator Chris Garten shared the AI-generated images on X on Christmas Day. One of the four pictures features the two-term Republican state senator, decked in a sleeveless suit à la WWE, kicking a bewildered Santa Claus squarely on the chin to send the beloved, age-old children’s folk character sailing backwards through the air.

A second shows the MAGA official launching himself forward with the apparent intention of following up with a flying punch to the jaw. A third shows him further brutalizing the trembling, mythic gift-giver as he writhes in agony on the floor...

“Lots of intolerance, swearing, and outrage on display over a few AI pics I had a blast designing with my kids,” he wrote in a subsequent post. “Some of you clowns are just insufferable. Hopefully your negativity stays in the comments and not directed at your families.” 

“Merry Christmas, snowflakes,” Garten added, accompanied by another AI-generated photo of himself in a Santa suit, pointing at an oversized snowflake."

Law firm Morgan & Morgan drops Disney lawsuit over Mickey Mouse ad; Reuters, November 12, 2025

 Blake Brittain, Reuters ; Law firm Morgan & Morgan drops Disney lawsuit over Mickey Mouse ad

"Personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan on Wednesday voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against Disney that sought to proactively defend its use of the early Mickey Mouse film "Steamboat Willie" in an advertisement.

Morgan & Morgan asked a Florida federal court to dismiss its case without prejudice, which means it can be refiled. Spokespeople for the firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment or for more information, including whether the parties settled."

Cornhusker copyright? Getting the facts on the name of Nebraska's new ICE detention facility; KETV, August 20, 2025

  

Waverle Monroe, KETV; Cornhusker copyright? Getting the facts on the name of Nebraska's new ICE detention facility

[Kip Currier: How crass and unnecessarily demeaning it is for ICE to use the name Cornhusker Clink to refer to a detention facility. This administration, unsurprisingly given its past actions, continues to be more focused on alliterative branding and merchandising opportunities (recall Alligator Alcatraz) than modeling professionalism in the ways it communicates a commitment to treating all detainees with dignity and respect.]

[Excerpt]

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security dubbed the new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility as the "Cornhusker Clink." 

You can't hear the word Cornhusker without thinking of the University of Nebraska.

Many on social media questioned the legality of using the name Cornhusker for the facility. Now KETV is helping you get the facts."

Welcome to the UC Berkeley Library! Here’s what you need to know.; UC Berkeley Library, July 28, 2025

 Library Communications, UC Berkeley Library; Welcome to the UC Berkeley Library! Here’s what you need to know.

"For an incoming student, life can be a whirlwind — a flurry of new people, new classes, and new ideas.

But through it all, the UC Berkeley Library is here for you.

To help support your experience as a new student, we’ve gathered answers to some of the questions you might have, all in one place."

BPL IS YOUR LIBRARY; Virginia Theological Seminary, July 30, 2025

Virginia Theological Seminary; BPL IS YOUR LIBRARY

"That’s right! The library is for you.

For students and faculty, we offer an inviting context for theological exploration. Our collection, both digital and print, contains over a million expertly curated resources, and empowers users to engage with the church’s heritage and contemporary witness. In partnership with our main vendors, we have just released a new, more intuitive, interface for our main OneSearch catalog. Please give it a try and let us know what you think: https://library.vts.edu. Our physical spaces are designed to suit a variety of learning styles, facilitate group work, and host engaging programming. Librarians are always ready and eager to assist student or faculty research, whatever the topic, or however soon the deadline!

For staff, the library offers a collection to inspire professional development, from books on leadership or organizational management, to more practical matters like giving talks or being an effective steward of your time. All VTS staff automatically have full library privileges.

For everyone, we are a quiet, comfortable, air-conditioned (thanks facilities!) place to gather or reflect. Library staff will never judge your reading interests or skills in navigating the library, whether it’s your first or one-hundredth time here. There are nine friendly staff members with whom you can converse, vent, or discuss any issue under the sun. We are all constantly at work to improve your experience of using the library.

As you walk into the library, there is a sign at the circulation desk. It simply reads: “Please interrupt me, I am here to help.” Come and see us soon!

Vincent Williams, MAR, MPhil, MLIS
User Services Librarian"

How to get the most out of your library; NPR, Life Kit, October 16, 2023

NPR, Life Kit; How to get the most out of your library

"Baking pans, legal help, language classes and more — libraries can provide so much more than books. We'll talk about how to get a library card, navigate the online hold system and discover all the cool things your library has to offer."

Burrowed in Books; American Libraries, January 31, 2020

Terra Dankowski, American Libraries; Burrowed in Books

World-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil lives at the library when he’s waiting for his special day

[Kip Currier: Happy Groundhog Day 2022! Western Pennsylvania's famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and predicts 6 more weeks of winter.

In terms of management and leadership, this 2020 article that the American Library Association's American Libraries magazine reposted on its website is a great example of ways that leaders, like Punxsutawney Memorial Library Director Jessica Church, can market services that they offer and communicate their missions and visions with existing and potential users/patrons/customers. Below is a photo I took on February 2, 2020, showing cleverly designed reading-promoting Punxsutawney Memorial Library T-Shirts for sale at the library--where Phil and his groundhog wife Phyllis live. And yes--I did buy several T-Shirts and talked with the friendly library staff who were on hand to answer questions of all kinds for hundreds of visitors.]

"American Libraries talked with Jessica Church, director of Punxsutawney (Pennsylvania) Memorial Library, about Phil’s free time, what his renown means for the small town, and the mainstay marmot questions the library gets asked...

What does Phil mean to the community? How many years has he been living at the library, and has his celebrity helped raise its profile?

Phil means a lot to many different people in Punxsutawney. He means pride, tradition, local history, and community. [He’s] a symbol for western Pennsylvania. He’s been here at this address since the 1970s.

We get people year-round, from all over the world, who come to see Phil. It’s on their bucket list, so they’ll come and talk to us about what Phil means to them. One was a woman from the South, and she came with her father. They host Groundhog Day parties because everyone has Christmas parties, everyone has Super Bowl parties, so they host the groundhog party every year. After 15 years she finally had a chance to make it up here and meet Phil, so it was an awesome conversation to have.

[People] not only come to look at Phil, but because we’re a library, people like to see what we have to offer. We’re located next to what is called Barclay Square [at the center of town], so our library gets a lot of foot traffic."

Baseball teams put ads everywhere. One summer league team is ditching them entirely.; The Washington Post, February 26, 2020

Jacob Bogage , The Washington Post; Baseball teams put ads everywhere. One summer league team is ditching them entirely.

"“The current model [in minor league baseball] is put ads everywhere. Ballparks have turned into the Yellow Pages. What we’ve seen is that’s outdated. People aren’t choosing to do business with people just because of the relationship they have with their favorite sports team. They choose to do business with people based on who offers the best experiences, and that’s what we want to go all in on.”

Minor league and summer league teams can rarely market individual players to fans, and it isn’t easy to convince many of those fans to hold a rooting interest in the local team. The players move on to other clubs too quickly to gain name recognition, and fans already follow major league clubs, making it hard to get them hooked on lower tiers of the game. So to fill the stands, minor league and summer league franchises turn to promotions, fun merchandise, eclectic concessions and other chicanery.

The Bananas, who play in the Coastal Plain League, call that method of marketing, “fans first.” They’re so invested in the approach that the team offers workshops to business leaders under the banner “Fans First University.” The front office pays less attention to winning games and more attention to making sure spectators have a good time."

The Scouts Teach Us All a Lesson About Trademark Law; Forbes, February 12, 2019

Tony Marks, Forbes; The Scouts Teach Us All a Lesson About Trademark Law

"David Harford, an attorney with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, contributed to this post."...

"Ultimately, the Girl Scout’s suit against the Boy Scouts demonstrates the caution that should be exercised regarding the use of intellectual property in connection with the alteration and expansion of services.  This is a message that all franchisors should take to heart as they rebrand or brand products and services.  The Boy Scouts likely devoted a lot of resources to determine how they should let everyone know that they were offering new services.  Instead of just reaping the benefits of that work, they are now fighting a lawsuit that may result in their inability to take advantage of their new marketing strategy."

Why Protecting Recipes Under Intellectual Property Law May Leave a Bad Taste in Your Mouth; Above The Law, August 27, 2018

Tom Kulik, Above The Law; Why Protecting Recipes Under Intellectual Property Law May Leave a Bad Taste in Your Mouth

[Kip Currier: Interesting and useful information--in case you're thinking about monetizing your own BBQ rub...or marketing Grandma's secret recipe for fill-in-the-blank.] 

"What may be pleasing to the palate, however, is not always acceptable under intellectual property law."

Letter to the Editor: "Get the Facts on Readers", Emailed to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Kip Currier, September 1, 2018

[Kip Currier: I'm copying below a Letter to the Editor--titled "Get the Facts on Readers"--that I emailed today (September 1, 2018) to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. For additional background, see this story.]

Get the Facts on Readers

Dear Editor,

The Post-Gazette is running a multi-platform ad campaign that weaponizes variations of the line “I will never go digital” to make fun of older readers, depicted as fuddy-duddy Luddites. In one particularly offensive TV spot, a digitally-savvy granddaughter openly mocks her grandmother who prefers print.

Research refutes the ageist “messages” in the P-G’s divisive marketing campaign. Many adult U.S. readers—of all ages—are hybrid readers who want the choice of information in both print and digital formats.

As evidence, take a look at some of the key findings from a Jan. 3-10, 2018 national survey of 2,002 U.S. adults, reported by the well-respected, non-partisan Pew Research Center:

Despite some growth in certain digital formats, it remains the case that relatively few Americans consume digital books (which include audiobooks and e-books) to the exclusion of print. Some 39% of Americans say they read only print books, while 29% read in these digital formats and also read print books.

And the coup de grace to the P-G’s graceless stereotyping:

Some demographic groups are more likely than others to be digital-only book readers, but in general this behavior is relatively rare across a wide range of demographics. For example, 10% of 18- to 29-year-olds only read books in digital formats, compared with 5% of those ages 50-64 and 4% of those 65 and older.

The P-G’s preening effort to digitally divide users borders on farce, given that P-G writers and staff repeatedly concede the deplorable state of the newspaper’s digital search and archival features. 

The P-G’s tagline is “One of America’s Great Newspapers”. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, that tagline is not supported by facts. So, here’s a “message” for P-G ownership:

Hire some of the Pittsburgh region’s highly educated information professionals to help the P-G become a bona fide leader in print and digital content, search, and delivery. Give the Pittsburgh region a truly great newspaper that inclusively serves and respects all of its readers and residents.

James “Kip” Currier

Mt. Lebanon

Dunkin’ Donuts wants to leave a doughnut-sized hole in its name; Washington Post, August 4, 2017

Andrew deGrandpre, Washington Post; Dunkin’ Donuts wants to leave a doughnut-sized hole in its name

"Today, Dunkin’ Donuts is locked in a nationwide popularity contest with Starbucks and independent coffeehouses, aggressively competing for the loyalty of an increasingly calorie-conscious customer base concerned with staying fit, not just caffeinated. Doughnuts — while delicious — connote neither.

To that end, the Massachusetts-based chain is deploying a new marketing strategy. Its first vestiges appeared this week in Pasadena, Calif., where a new Dunkin’ Donuts storefront emerged bearing a new name and slogan:

Dunkin’. Coffee and more.

Eighty-six the doughnuts! (Or, rather, “Donuts.”)

The branding experiment in Pasadena marks the start of a trial period during which the company will gauge customer response and evaluate whether to take the new name nationwide. The review is expected to stretch well into next year, the company said."

Remarks by Director Michelle K. Lee to Commemorate World IP Day 2017; U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, April 26, 2017

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; Remarks by Director Michelle K. Lee to Commemorate World IP Day 2017

"Remarks by Director Michelle K. Lee to Commemorate World IP Day 2017

For more than two centuries, the United States of America has promoted and protected intellectual property rights. In the process, we have made revolutionary advances in science and technology. We have become a global leader in innovation, and we have helped create a strong IP system throughout the world. The USPTO is committed to continue working with the IP offices of the world to ensure that all of our IP systems continue to foster innovation.

The theme of this year’s World IP Day—improving lives through innovation—could not be more relevant. We have seen the profound impact that good ideas, protected through a world-class IP system, can have on humanity. From new and powerful technology that we can wear on our wrists and carry in our pockets, to new methods of diagnosing and treating disease, intellectual property can not only improve lives, it can save lives. It can also create new jobs and grow our economy, which is why we must always ensure that our IP system supports small businesses, startups, and individual inventors. Rewarding new ideas with IP rights guarantees that new improvements keep coming. In fact one of you may hold the next idea that could shape our lives for years to come.

So, please, get out there and invent and create. And don’t forget to protect your great ideas. Thank you for being a part of World IP Day!"