emerging-leaders-PLA

February 24, 2017 850 × 450 Emerging Leaders 2017

Sponsor: Public Library AssociationProject: Advancing Diversity in Public LibrariesTeam A (from left): Antonio Apodaca, Bethany Wilson, Brian Hulsey, Petra Pendroff, Christina Fuller-Gregory “The future of the library profession is hyperlocal. New leaders bring a rejuvenated focus on community outcomes. Simple, common-sense solutions are key as libraries get comfortable with what their neighborhoods really have to say. Moving forward, a concern for information literacy will be shared across traditionally siloed institutions calling for innovative public–private partnerships. Luckily for us, the secret is out: We know that the needs of the future will encompass the needs of right now. We know that for much of our work, the only difference between today and tomorrow is a number on the calendar.”—Antonio Apodaca

Host: Public Library Association

Project: Advancing Diversity in Public Libraries

Team A (from left): Antonio Apodaca, Bethany Wilson, Brian Hulsey, Petra Pendroff, Christina Fuller-Gregory

“The future of the library profession is hyperlocal. New leaders bring a rejuvenated focus on community outcomes. Simple, common-sense solutions are key as libraries get comfortable with what their neighborhoods really have to say. Moving forward, a concern for information literacy will be shared across traditionally siloed institutions calling for innovative public–private partnerships. Luckily for us, the secret is out: We know that the needs of the future will encompass the needs of right now. We know that for much of our work, the only difference between today and tomorrow is a number on the calendar.”—Antonio Apodaca

Latest Library Links

2d

Karin Greenberg writes: “There’s something about reciting a memorized poem that induces calm and shuts out the rest of the world for a few seconds. During National Poetry Month in April, I focused on this often forgotten activity. After putting together a display of poems by various poets, I posted them in a Canvas announcement titled ‘April Poetry Challenge.’ Most students who come into the library during lunch or free periods want to relax or do work. With the lure of a gift card, though, I got dozens of participants.”

Knowledge Quest, May 13
3d

Becky Spratford writes: “We are less than two weeks away from Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. Summer Reading lists will start coming fast and furious, so best to get ready now. We know that some lists [such as those from Publishers Weekly] are meant to generate excitement about books that are coming soon, but the average reader does not understand that they are not out yet. If they see a book on a list, they expect you to have it. We need to be ready in a couple of key ways.”

RA For All, May 14
3d

Lisa Zhuang writes: “As a second-generation daughter of immigrants, I am often saddened by the stories that will be forever lost between my mother and me. Yet, as I grow as a reader and writer, I see the potential between the cracks: a chance to insert myself into my culture’s history. It is inevitable that myth will mutate with time. The right author will make the best of it. Below are eight works of fiction based on Asian folklore.”

Electric Lit, May 8
4d

Kara Arundel writes: “A newly issued federal rule to ensure web content and mobile apps are accessible for people with disabilities will require public K–12 and higher education institutions to do a thorough inventory of their digital materials to make sure they are in compliance, accessibility experts said. The update to regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, published April 24 by the US Department of Justice, calls for all state and local governments to verify that their web content—including mobile apps and social media postings—is accessible for those with vision, hearing, cognitive and manual dexterity disabilities.”

K–12 Dive, May 6
4d

Andrew Albanese writes: “Amid a three-year nationwide surge in book bans, 2024 began on a hopeful note for freedom-to-read advocates, with legal victories in book-banning lawsuits in Iowa, Florida, and Texas. But after some early successes, several cases are poised to enter a critical next phase. As the wheels of justice grind on, Publishers Weekly rounded up the status of some of the more closely watched book-banning suits.”

Publishers Weekly, May 10
5d

Tess Vrbin writes: “The Arkansas State Library Board on Friday voted down two motions to withhold state funding from public libraries that board member Jason Rapert put forth in his ongoing opposition to the presence of certain books on library shelves. Rapert reintroduced a motion he proposed at February’s board meeting to suspend funding for libraries suing the state [over the state’s 2023 obscenity law]. He also moved to withhold funds for ‘any library that allows unrestricted access to books or materials that contain sexually explicit, obscene or pornographic materials to minors,’” Both motions failed 6–1.

Arkansas Advocate, May 10, Feb. 9
5d

Jennifer Matthews and Ane Turner Johnson write: “A focus on digital resources requires careful consideration of library policies by policymakers to ensure that they reflect the university’s public mission and ensure the success of all students. At Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, one such endeavor was to embark on this study to determine if our policies actually reflected the ways in which the student body used the library collection. Through a mixed-methods study, our team discovered that both continuing-generation and first-generation students primarily prefer print books for course materials.”

College & Research Libraries News, May

View more Latest Library Links