All posts by Amy Carlton

More Important Than Ever

October 30, 2015 Amy Carlton 1 Comment

We know that intellectual freedom is a core value of our profession, but it’s easy to become complacent and lose sight of the magnitude of our role in protecting patron privacy. This may stem from the fact that there is now so much that is outside of our control, but that makes our role as … Continue reading More Important Than Ever →

Features

Improving Health Literacy, One Public Library at a Time

October 30, 2015 Amy Carlton 1 Comment

Instead, Davis assists patrons with their health care questions by helping them find information on Medline-Plus, an authoritative, free website where the public can find health information in more than 40 languages. Although Davis, a former medical librarian, is familiar with health care topics, most public librarians do not necessarily have a medical background. Still … Continue reading Improving Health Literacy, One Public Library at a Time →

Trends

Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted

September 22, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

Banned Books Week, September 27–October 3, celebrates the idea that the freedom to read and access ideas can transform lives, but when books are banned, readers are blocked from seeing all viewpoints and perspectives. Because so many books that include racial issues and diverse characters are challenged, it is particularly important that we create public … Continue reading Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted →

Trends

ALA Midwinter 2016: Get Ready Now!

September 21, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

Attendees at Midwinter engage in the face-to-face committee work that moves projects forward and builds on virtual collaboration, as well as quality conversations with exhibitors on a less crowded exhibit floor. They will return to their libraries and other institutions with the renewed sense of energy generated by in-person events, as well as new tools … Continue reading ALA Midwinter 2016: Get Ready Now! →

Columns, On My Mind

Improving Retention

September 17, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

The University of Houston (UH) has more than 40,000 students from 137 nations. Among our undergraduates, 26.9% are Hispanic, 19.8% are Asian, 10.2% are African American, and 9.8% are international. Many of them are first-generation or nontraditional students. UH is changing from a commuter school to a flagship destination research university, and student success is … Continue reading Improving Retention →

Columns, In Practice

It’s Not Us Versus Them

September 15, 2015 Amy Carlton 1 Comment

The level of hubris I had—and probably exhibited—back then embarrasses me today. I’m sure everyone probably feels that way looking back on their shiny new-to-librarianship selves. Luckily, I had patient and understanding colleagues who were, by and large, pretty game to try new things. These days, I cringe when I read things that accuse experienced … Continue reading It’s Not Us Versus Them →

Newsmaker

Newsmaker: Sonia Manzano

September 9, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

You once mentioned the importance of seeing West Side Story as a child. Could you talk about what it was like seeing representations of yourself in entertainment and what that meant to you? SONIA MANZANO: When I was a kid, there were no people of color on television or in books. And so I grew … Continue reading Newsmaker: Sonia Manzano →

Features

2015 ALA Award Winners

September 2, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

Sidney E. Berger ABC-CLIO AWARD FOR THE BEST BOOK IN LIBRARY LITERATURE award of $2,500 recognizes those who improve management principles and the practice, understanding, and application of new techniques, or who further the education of librarians or other information specialists. Donor: ABC-CLIO Rare Books and Special Collections, published by ALA Neal-Schuman, provides a broad … Continue reading 2015 ALA Award Winners →

Bookend, Features

Bookend: Urban Renewal

September 1, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

“These are stories that are about inner-city life and urban life, and the kids could really relate,” says Boyd, now library media specialist and director of social media at Wendell Phillips Academy High School, where she has worked since 2010. When Boyd began advocating for the urban fiction genre, she was sometimes misunderstood. Many people, … Continue reading Bookend: Urban Renewal →

Features

A Look at Tech

July 23, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

One current trend in library technology aims to improve the engagement of patrons with libraries or to provide tools to help users work more effectively. In many respects, the technologies on display reinforced the theme of the “Library Systems Report 2015,” operationalizing the innovations brewing in recent years, including the increased adoption of Semantic Web technologies … Continue reading A Look at Tech →

Bookend, Features

Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride

July 14, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

Counterclockwise from top right: Keith Lu, bookmobile driver and library tech, waves a rainbow flag from the SFPL bookmobile; collections management assistant Alan Wong (center) and collections librarian Erin Dubois (right) strike a pose while waiting for the parade to begin; adult services librarian and bookmobile librarian Connie Porciuncula wears a pink wig in front … Continue reading Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride →

Features, Uncategorized

People with American Libraries

Gallery July 9, 2015 Amy Carlton Leave a comment

Author and Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman at #alaac15 — Author and *Parks & Recreation* star Nick Offerman at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on Sesame Street for 44 years and won 15 Emmy Awards for writing, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. — Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on *Sesame Street* for 44 years and won 15 Emmy Awards for writing, at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Phil Klay, 2014 National Book Award Winner, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. — Phil Klay, 2014 National Book Award Winner for *Redeployment*, at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Louis Sachar, author of Holes, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition — Louis Sachar, author of *Holes*, at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Attorney Roberta Kaplan, Opening General Session speaker and author of Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA at #alaac15 — Attorney Roberta Kaplan, Opening General Session speaker and author of *Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA* at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Caldecott-winning author-illustrator Jon Klassen at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Author Erin Dealey at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Essayist, historian, radio contributor, and cartoon voice artist Sarah Vowell at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Joshua Davis, Wired contributing editor, Epic Magazine founder, and author of the book Spare Parts, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. — Joshua Davis, *Wired* contributing editor, *Epic Magazine* founder, and author of the book *Spare Parts*, at #alaac15 in San Francisco.

Actor, director, and host of Reading Rainbow LeVar Burton at #alamw15 — Actor, director, and host of *Reading Rainbow* LeVar Burton at #alamw15 in Chicago.

High-wire artist (Man on Wire) Philippe Petit at #alaac14 — High-wire artist (*Man on Wire*) Philippe Petit at #alaac14 in Las Vegas.

Actor and author of Nightmares! Jason Segel at #alamw15. — Actor and author of *Nightmares!* Jason Segel at #alamw15 in Chicago.

Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett at C2E2 in Chicago.

Actor and author Bruce Boxleitner at C2E2 in Chicago.

Chef, author, and TV host (Mexico: One Plate at a Time) Rick Bayless at #alaac13. — Chef, author, and TV host (*Mexico: One Plate at a Time*) Rick Bayless at #alaac13.

Chef, writer, and Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis at #alaac13 in Chicago.

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, at #alaac13 in Chicago. — Khaled Hosseini, author of *The Kite Runner*, at #alaac13 in Chicago.

Octavia Spencer, actor and author of Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit, at #alaac13 in Chicago. — Octavia Spencer, actor and author of *Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective: The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit*, at #alaac13 in Chicago.

Latest Library Links

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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
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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
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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
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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
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “The limitations of generative artificial intelligence (AI) are myriad: They don’t provide citations, they are prone to hallucinations, there is no way to reproduce results, and there are major issues with copyright and user privacy. While retrieval augmented generation (RAG), a framework that creates an application for generative AI large language models, doesn’t solve all these problems, it begins to address the concerns of the academic community. At its core, RAG is the difference between generative AI for fun and generative AI as a legitimate research tool.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, May 8
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In Episode 95, Call Number highlights ways libraries are practicing and promoting sustainability. Segments in this episode include a visit to a monthly repair café at Chicago Public Library’s Sulzer Regional branch, a discussion of disaster plans with Dan Wilson, deputy director of Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and sustainability tips from members of ALA’s Sustainability Round Table.

AL: The Scoop, May 13
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Nardos Haile writes: “John Oliver, during May 5’s edition of Last Week Tonight, highlighted that libraries are ‘in trouble because they’ve become another front in the ongoing culture war. Frankly doesn’t feel like a coincidence so much of this conversation concerns LGBTQ+ themes—as it seems this is the latest way to try and push that community out of public spaces, to send a message that their lives and stories aren’t welcome, and by extension, to tell anyone growing up questioning that the answers are off-limits to them,’ Oliver emphasized.” The episode is now freely available on YouTube.

Salon, May 6; YouTube, May 9

View more Latest Library Links