All posts by Sanhita SinhaRoy

Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, candidate for ALA president

Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe

By joining together as a community of colleagues, we accomplish more than we can alone. We raise the visibility of the impact that libraries have in our communities. We challenge each other to innovate and transform our practices. We support each other. We are strong. But we can be stronger. ALA is the oldest and largest library association … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe

Christine Lind Hage, candidate for ALA president

Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Christine Lind Hage

America’s libraries are continually challenged with underfunded budgets, emerging technologies, threats to patron privacy, and expanding responsibilities and demands on library professionals. It is imperative that the American Library Association (ALA) inspire, empower, and support librarians so the profession can continue to lead in our democratic society. Our libraries are not obsolete. They are not … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Christine Lind Hage

2015 Year in Review

2015: Year in Review

  Librarian of Congress Moves On James H. Billington (left) retired as Librarian of Congress after 28 years. During his tenure, LC launched the National Digital Library and National Book Festival, among other accomplishments. Billington’s decision came after the Government Accountability Office issued a report identifying weaknesses in LC’s information technology planning.       … Continue reading 2015: Year in Review

San José (Calif.) Public Library’s privacy toolkit creates a personalized list of links, tips, and tutorials that reflect a user’s online privacy preferences.

California Library Creates Online Privacy Tool

The internet doesn’t have to be scary. That’s the message from Erin Berman, innovations manager at San José (Calif.) Public Library (SJPL), and Jon Worona, division manager for technology and innovation at SJPL. American Libraries invited Berman and Worona to discuss the library’s new Virtual Privacy Lab, an interactive site that teaches people about online … Continue reading California Library Creates Online Privacy Tool

Kathryn Matthew is the new director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Newsmaker: Kathryn Matthew

What do you see as the key issues facing libraries right now? I think nonprofits, and particularly libraries, are stepping back and examining how we become community anchors and develop meaningful, deep, and sustained partnerships with other players in the community, rather than acting as a single entity trying to reach target populations. Balancing digital … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kathryn Matthew

Ebooks

What’s in Store for Ebooks?

What accounts for the sudden and rapid growth? One answer: the introduction of Amazon’s Kindle in 2007. In response to the disruption that ensued—specifically for library ebook sales and lending—ALA established the a working group on libraries and digital issues (now known as the Digital Content Working Group, or DCWG) to help navigate the Association … Continue reading What’s in Store for Ebooks?

Digital ephemera

Saving Digital Ephemera

Larger institutions also got involved in attempting to preserve digital ephemera. That includes the Library of Congress (LC), which reached an agreement with Twitter in 2010 to build an onsite research archive. “Archiving and preserving outlets such as Twitter will enable future researchers access to a fuller picture of today’s cultural norms, dialogue, trends, and … Continue reading Saving Digital Ephemera

Portland (Oreg.) Community College includes single-stall gender-neutral restrooms in all of its libraries and new campus buildings.

Libraries Create Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

“When we have restrooms that are segregated according to gender, some customers may feel uncomfortable using them because other people may not perceive that they’re allowed to use that restroom,” says Peter Coyl, a district manager at Dallas Public Library and chair of ALA’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. “It can make using … Continue reading Libraries Create Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

Many libraries purchase coloring books or print free pages online for their clubs. Other supplies—such as crayons, markers, and coloring pencils—are also provided.

Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries

Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article originally appeared in The Scoop in August. “We purchase a couple of coloring books, I print out some free coloring pages that are available online, and we just get together and color,” says librarian Kellie Porter, who started the library’s Coloring Club in May. The club has … Continue reading Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries