“I was trying to pierce through with the light to understand what was being hidden from me,” Helmick said. “Because subsequently, for many decades, I was the result of what to think versus how to think, and that ideas should not be engaged with because they could be dangerous.” With intertwining milestone anniversaries—the nation’s 250th … Continue reading Joy as an Act of Resistance
As this population continues to grow, the need to combat age-related discrimination must grow with it, said presenters at “Elders Deserve Social Justice Too,” a June 28 session of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. With advances in technology and medicine that have extended the average lifespan, “this is … Continue reading A Generation-Defining Issue
At “Career Quest: Engaging Teens with their Future Careers,” presenters Anna Kopinska and Kristin Linscott discussed how their library has helped young people get excited about professional opportunities and gain confidence in managing finances. Kopinska, senior public services librarian at Plano (Tex.) Public Library (PPL), and Linscott, development and community partnerships coordinator at PPL, shared … Continue reading Beyond Career Day
Publishers, authors, librarians, booksellers, national organizations, and other library supporters were among those attending the summit, the third of its kind in ALA’s nearly 150-year history. The last ALA Intellectual Freedom Summit was held in 1953. That summit produced the Freedom to Read Statement, a response to Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s attempts to remove reading materials … Continue reading ‘We Are the Majority’
Benjes-Small addressed dozens of attendees at “‘It’s Not Okay. It’s Not Normal’: Sexual Harassment of Librarians and Implications for the Field,” a July 1 program held at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. Spurred by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Benjes-Small and Jennifer Resor-Whicker, university librarian at Radford (Va.) … Continue reading It’s Not Okay
As libraries and library workers face censorship attempts, campus protests, and budget cuts, among other challenges, Harrington—a consultant and current president of the Timberland Regional (Wash.) Library board of trustees—led the program “Top 10 Things Every Library Board Member Should Know—but Often Doesn’t.” As the heart of an organization, the board must function as a … Continue reading 10 Things Every Board Member Needs to Know
Three panelists and a moderator from BPL led a discussion at “When to Tap-In and Tap-Out: Nurturing Resilience and Renewing Bonds in Library Teams” at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego on June 29. Moderator Nicole T. Bryan, branch manager at BPL’s Macon Library, said tap-ins are designed to … Continue reading Tapping In, Tapping Out
Alexander has written 40 books, including the Newbery Medal–winning title The Crossover and Caldecott-winning The Undefeated. He brought onstage his recent Emmy Award for the Disney+ television adaptation of The Crossover, thanking librarians for his success. “Librarians are some of the most important people in my life, and libraries are woven throughout so many of … Continue reading Libraries Are Love
Meslener, head of the social sciences team and Mason Square Library at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, said it came when she was in a new leadership role and was told to work on the budget—without any training. “‘This is what we did last year,’” she recalled administrators saying. “‘Here you go, have fun.’” … Continue reading The Accidental Leader
Librarians Denise Gomez and Marcia Mardis are from Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, and they know a thing or two about natural disasters. The two researchers presented “Not Another Named Storm: Disaster Planning in Public Libraries” on January 21 at ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore. They shared findings from their three-year Institute of … Continue reading Eyeing the Storm
An estimated 200 people attended the 6:30 a.m. celebration on January 21 at ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore. This year would have marked King’s 95th birthday. More than 20 library leaders from across the profession took the stage to read passages from King’s speech at the 1967 National Conference for New Politics in Chicago, an … Continue reading ‘We Need the Doers’
This precision of language is what has set apart beloved children’s book author and two-time Newbery Medal recipient Kate DiCamillo in her decades-long career. And the speech—which she delivered on January 20 at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore—was one of sorrow but also hope. “Every story is a love story,” she … Continue reading This Is a Love Story
