13h
Celebrity chef Jeff Henderson will be ALA President’s Program Speaker at the Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia on January 26. From humble beginnings in South Central Los Angeles, to spending time in prison as a drug dealer, to becoming an award-winning celebrity chef and bestselling author, Henderson is a role model for anyone in need of encouragement. Henderson’s bestselling book Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove is available now and will be adapted to film by Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
ALA Conference Services, Oct. 17
13h
Actress and author Echo Brown will be an Auditorium Speaker at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia on January 25. Brown is a visionary storyteller from Cleveland who strives to inspire and provoke. Her first solo show, “Black Virgins Are Not for Hipsters,” was nominated as one of the top 10 best shows of 2015 by the San Francisco Chronicle. Her search for creative expression continues with her first book, Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard, available January 2020, which is an attempt to come to terms with her difficult and traumatic childhood.
ALA Conference Services, Oct. 17
14h
Few librarians enter the profession expecting to confront life-or-death situations in the workplace. But as the parallel epidemics of opioid abuse and gun violence touch nearly every community in this country and strain health systems, law enforcement, and, increasingly, public libraries, library professionals may find themselves taking on unexpected roles. Mary Minow weighs in on the liabilities and protections around administering Narcan and restricting guns in libraries.
American Libraries column, Oct. 17
15h
ALA, ACRL, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Society of American Archivists filed an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court case of Allen v. Cooper concerning the constitutionality of a statute that seeks to limit the sovereign immunity of state governments against claims for copyright infringement. The brief focuses on the negative impact the elimination of sovereign immunity would have on digital preservation. The precise boundaries of preservation activities permitted by fair use are not certain. Sovereign immunity currently allows state-run libraries and archives to manage this uncertainty by limiting their exposure to liability.
Infojustice, Oct. 17
15h
James LaRue writes: “I’ve had many discussions about what it means when we talk about safety in the library. I’d like to offer an approach I’ll call the ‘continuum of safety,’ offered from the perspective of the patron—the person who uses the library but is not a member of the staff. My goal is to establish a framework for the supervision of public space, in keeping with the values of the profession. Let’s call the most positive end of the continuum ‘welcoming.’ The patron experience is personal and positive. The next points on the graph are ‘friendly and professional,’ ‘neutral,’ ‘discomfort,’ and ‘harassment.’ Finally, there is the threat of ‘physical harm.’”
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Oct. 16
16h
There will be no chitter chatter in this sanctuary of silence. No clicking pens or clacking heels or coughing fits. This is, after all, the Quietest Library on Earth. Presiding over this place, described as a “temple of hush,” is a zero-tolerance “quiet guard” ready to pounce on every rustling candy wrapper. What are these patrons to do? Plot a revolution using only their eyes, according to a brilliant ad campaign from Design Army and director Dean Alexander for Georgetown Optician. The ad was filmed in the stunning George Peabody Library in Baltimore.
Adweek, Oct. 17
16h
The Friends of the Jonesville (N.C.) Public Library enlisted the aid of a hearse full of ghouls, zombies, and assorted scary critters in the 5K/8K Thriller Color Run and Monster Dash on October 12. The Color Run and Monster Dash was a “Thriller” as runners were sprayed with color as they neared the finish line, and at various points along the route had to dash from monsters, one of which was wielding a chain saw and wearing a pig mask. Volunteer Koketta Brown said the race was a way to raise money for a new library building, which will require an initial $100,000.
Yadkin (N.C.) Ripple, Oct. 16
