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In 2019, ALA added sustainability as one of the core values of librarianship. Libraries across the US are working to reduce their environmental footprint and raise awareness about resilience, climate change, and a sustainable future. In Episode 52, Dewey Decibel talks with librarians who are implementing sustainable practices in both their libraries and their lives. -
More than 3,000 US Census Bureau staff will begin going into communities with the lowest 2020 Census response rates to encourage and assist people with responding on their own to the 2020 Census. This operation, known as the Mobile Questionnaire Assistance program, is a separate activity from census takers going door to door to count households that have not yet responded. MQA is part of the Census Bureau’s final push to encourage people to complete the 2020 Census before the Nonresponse Followup operation begins nationwide on August 11. -
On July 15 the Council on Library and Information Resources and Stanford Libraries announced the release of a public, open platform for the Digital Library of the Middle East, which aims to become one of the world’s largest online archives of Middle Eastern and North African artifacts. The DLME aggregates, through an ongoing program, digital records of published materials, documents, maps, artifacts, audiovisual recordings, and more from the Middle East and North Africa region. -
Gauraa Shekharh writes: “About a week into lockdown, my social feeds began bristling with #StayHome—a hashtag friends and peers used to catalog and share their life under quarantine. The posts quickly pivoted from blurry pictures of pets pawing at laptops to elaborate housebound efforts (think: sourdough starters, sill-grown scallions, DIY cotton masks). Suddenly, these platforms were seized with an urgency to document thoughtfully curated quarantine lifestyles.” -
The Public Libraries Survey report, released July 16 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, provides a snapshot of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources in FY 2017. Each year since 1988, the Public Libraries of the United States Survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data is collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems composed of more than 17,000 individual main libraries, library branches, and bookmobiles in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories. -
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed details on July 16 about the city’s plan to provide childcare for the thousands of city residents planning to send their children back to school in the fall. The plan involves providing childcare to more than 100,000 kids, repurposing community centers and libraries for space, and then expanding the program to accommodate more children. The next school year begins in September. -
Lindsay Wallace writes: “With travel plans cancelled for the foreseeable future, we’re all looking for new ways to feel transported from our homes, without putting our families at risk. That’s where these book duos come into play! With one title for adults and one for kids (ranging from books for younger children to YA for teens), each pair is an opportunity to travel to all kinds of places—around the globe, to real-world-inspired fantasy lands, and even through history.” -
ALA Conference Services began accepting program proposals on July 15 for the 2021 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, to take place in Chicago June 24–29, 2021. Proposals will be accepted via one submission site for all ALA Divisions, Round Tables, Committees, and Offices. The deadline to submit content is midnight Eastern, September 30, 2020. Registration will open for the 2021 ALA Annual Conference on Friday, January 15, 2021. -
ACRL has published Sharing Spaces and Students: Employing Students in Collaborative Partnerships by Holly A. Jackson. The book is full of plans, ideas, and case studies on how to effectively employ student workers across campus departments located within or partnering with the library. -
When it’s time to start planning for a renovation or construction project, you don’t need a book that covers everything from A to Z. Instead you need a concentrated set of tools and techniques that will guide you and your team to find the best solutions for your specific project. That’s exactly what library building expert Fred Schlipf provides in his new book Constructing Library Buildings That Work, published by ALA Editions. This key resource for library directors, administrators, board members, trustees, and planning professionals pinpoints the elements that make library buildings functional, helping everyone involved in the project stay focused on the task at hand. -
The ALA 2021 Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for completing the candidate biographical form for the positions of Councilor-at-Large and President-Elect. The new deadline is July 31, 2020. During this unprecedented time, the ALA 2021 Nominating Committee acknowledges that more time is needed for interested candidates to consider and reflect as many focus on their institutions, communities and families. All interested nominees must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form. -
“United for Libraries Virtual: Trustees – Friends – Foundations” will be held August 4–6. This interactive three-day virtual event will feature expert speakers on current topics facing library trustees, Friends, foundations, and staff who work with them. Registration is at no cost to United for Libraries members and those in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, or Texas. For details and to register, visit www.ala.org/united/virtual.
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