Media & Awards
Features in the Media
01.
Kids need to see themselves in literature. But we also need to give kids the chance to walk with and inhabit characters in literature that they would never meet in their day-to-day life.
02.
A podcast about the complex relationship between artificial intelligence, society, and the environment.
03.
The good news is we have a roadmap for collaboration.
04.
LJ recently spoke with Rebekah Cummings, a librarian for the University of Utah’s Marriott Library, who is currently running for Lieutenant Governor of Utah.
Awards
- 2025 League of Women Voters “Making Democracy Work” Award
- 2024 Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters (UASAL) Honorary Member Award
- 2024 Utah Library Association President’s Award
- 2023 ACLU Utah Torch of Freedom Award
- 2021 Utah Library Association Legislative Award for Excellence in Political Affairs and Library Advocacy
- 2020 Top Researcher for Celebrate U, A Showcase of Extraordinary Faculty Achievements
- 2019 American Library Association Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award
Op-Eds
- What Do Utah’s Congressional Representatives Stand For? Deseret News. September 16, 2025.
- Why I’m Running for Lieutenant Governor. The Salt Lake Tribune. October 7, 2024.
- We Need Common Sense Solutions to Book Challenges. The Salt Lake Tribune. June 20, 2023.
- National Wave of Curriculum Bills Fails Both Students and American History. The Hill. February 24, 2023.
- Why Excluding LGBTQ Exhibits Doesn’t Reflect Utah Values. Deseret News Sunday Edition. August 19, 2018.
Podcasts
- Humanities and AI Podcast with Lizzie Callaway (2025)
- “Humanities Perspectives on AI” on the Virtual Jewelbox Podcast with Scott Black and Lizzie Callaway (2025)
- “LGBTQ+ Opt-Outs, Withheld Funding & Higher Ed with Rebekah Cummings” The Teachers Caucus Podcast with John Arthur (2025)
- Library Journal & Libraries Lead Podcast with David Lankes (2024)
- Book Ban Brewing in Utah. The Utah Stories Podcast with Richard Markosian (2024)
Articles and Features
- Sandor, J. (2025, December 15). Indigenous author pulls out of Weber State symposium after receiving list of prohibited words. Fox 13 News.
- LeBohec, L. (2025, November 29). Student-led symposium discusses generative AI. The Daily Utah Chronicle
- McKenna, M. (2025, November 29). Gratitude for Librarians. The Park Record
- Hermans, K. (2025, September) Initiative fuels state leadership in responsible AI. @theU.
- Martinez, S. (2025, July 23). Promise and peril: Humanities perspectives on artificial intelligence. @TheU.
- Sandor, J. (2025, July). Utahns celebrate, decry Supreme Court LGBTQ school ruling. Fox 13 news.
- Gubbi, M. (2025, June). Audit found Utah teachers removing classroom books ahead of ‘sensitive materials’ law. Fox 13 news.
- Cabrero, A. (2025, June). ‘No Kings’ rally draws big crowd in Salt Lake City on University of Utah campus. KSL News.
- Nesbitt, C. (2025, April). Are Utah’s student academic databases — meant to help kids research — the next censorship target for GOP lawmakers? The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Drabinski, E. (2025, March 2). What Would It Look Like If Librarians Ran the Government Instead of These Fools? Truthout Magazine.
- Jayswal, P. (2025, January 28). Librarians featured in Sundance doc on book bans receive standing ovation from SLC audience. The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Rich, H. (2024, August 13). Librarian Runs for Lieutenant Governor in Utah. Library Journal.
- EveryLibrary (2024, April 30). A Milestone in Library Advocacy: Rebekah Cummings Runs for Lt. Governor of Utah. EveryLibrary.
- Hanson, L. (2024, March 29). Book Banning Bill Gives School Districts Power to Ban Throughout Utah. The Daily Utah Chronicle.
• Wilson, Tilda. (2024, February 23). Read-in protest at the Utah Capitol wants to defend the ‘freedom of ideas’. KUER 90.1. - Harris, Martha. (2023, July 6). She’s a 2nd-generation Utah school librarian. But after 10 years, she needs a break. KUER 90.1.
- Cobabe, A. (2023, June 2). Following complaint against Bible in schools, Book of Mormon receives complaint for “sensitive content”. KSL NewsRadio 102.7.
- Jayswal, P., Coombs, C., Schott, B., and Stern, E. (2023, March). The Utah Legislature passed a nearly $28B budget. Here’s how they’ll spend it. The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Jayswal, P. (2023, February 9). Bill that would force library employees to get background checks passes Utah House committee. The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Utah State Library (2022, October 31). Get to Know the New USL Board Chair: Rebekah Cummings. Utah State Library Blog.
- Stuart, A. (2022, September 23). U Library Holds Banning Books Discussion. The Daily Utah Chronicle.
- Mortensen, M. (2022, September 9). Celebrate Banned Books Week with the Library. @TheU.
- Humans of the U: Rebekah Cummings.
- Christensen, R. (2022, February). 50 Q’s with ULA Past-President Rebekah Cummings. Utah Libraries.
• Raymond, A. (2022, January 28). Is book banning sweeping the nation? Seattle school drops ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ over racism concerns. Deseret News. - Utah Cultural Alliance. (2022, January 24). Libraries are vital to Utah; 45 Days of Advocacy Campaign.
- Kincart, S. and Soter, T. (2021, December 10). Canyons School District Must Reconsider Their Book Ban. The Daily Utah Chronicle.
- Peet, L. (2018, August 21). Utah Library Workers Take Leadership to Task Over LGBTQ Display, Buttons. Library Journal.
