gravestone-cleaning

April 23, 2024 350 × 197 A Monumental Task

Latest Library Links

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ALA is now accepting applications for the third year of the Building Library Capacity Grants program. This year, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-supported program will provide up to sixteen $10,000 grants to public libraries to support operations and services that assist immigrants and refugees. The application deadline is April 9, with awards announced on June 3. Register for a virtual information session March 10 at 3 p.m. Central.

ALA Chapter Relations Office, Feb. 25
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ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecturer. The Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture delivered annually during ALA’s Annual Conference by an information professional whose work focuses on the mission of outreach and whose impact can be measured by their contributions to their local community, the broader library community, and/or library research. The selected lecturer receives complimentary registration to ALA’s Annual Conference 2025. Nominations (self-nominations are welcome) must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Pacific on March 3.

ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services
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Eduard Kuric writes: “Unmoderated usability testing has been steadily growing more popular with the assistance of online user experience research tools. But the lack of adaptive questioning means that a lot of the information will remain unsaid, especially with regular people who are not trained in providing user feedback. Generative artificial intelligence could present a new, potentially powerful tool for addressing this dilemma.” The article presents the results of a case study using a GPT-4 bot as a website usability test moderator.

Smashing Magazine, Feb. 19; International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, Nov. 21, 2024
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Joy Hollerbach writes: “Working with the public can be intense. Many of the patrons who walk through our [law library] doors are at their wits’ end—they’ve lost their case and are desperate to appeal or they are in the middle of a complex legal dispute. Often, they’re representing themselves and struggling to navigate a legal system they are not equipped to understand. The last thing they want is to hear another ‘no, we can’t help you.’ So how do we set limits without saying ‘no’ outright?”

RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Feb. 19
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Alison Mortensen-Hayes, Donna Baluchi, and Olivia Kavapalu write: “Free menstrual products at libraries are no longer a new phenomenon. More often than not, these initiatives center around disposable period products. We argue that libraries should explore the distribution of reusable menstrual products, such as menstrual cups and discs, cloth pads, and period underwear. With $10,000 of grant funding, [the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City provided] 701 menstrual cups for low cost on campus,” potentially saving each recipient $2,395 over the product’s anticipated 10-year lifespan.

In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Feb. 19
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Luisa Clausen writes: “For the past 11 years, Bartlesville (Okla.) has funded [citizenship classes at Bartlesville Public Library] with a $14,000 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. According to stats from the library, the program has helped 52 immigrants pass their citizenship test and supported hundreds in learning English. In January, the program’s future came into question as the city council weighed whether to renew the grant. With one councilor absent, the grant failed in a 2–2 tie. After a public outcry, the city council decided to revisit the decision with all five members present.”

KOSU-FM (Stillwater, Okla.), Feb. 18; City of Bartlesville, Jan. 14
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On February 19, ALA opened registration for its 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition, to be held June 26–30 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and surrounding hotels in Philadelphia. Michigan Governor and New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Whitmer will speak at the Opening General Session, while two-time Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis will be the Closing General Session speaker. Star Trek actor and civil rights activist George Takei will be a featured speaker; additional speakers will be announced soon. Skip Dye, an executive at Penguin Random House and longtime library advocate, will be recognized as an honorary lifetime member.

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Feb. 18, Feb. 19

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