All posts by Sanhita SinhaRoy

The Fee Library

October 30, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy 4 Comments

You can imagine my reaction when our local public radio station introduced a story about the plans for a new library, opening January 2016. Not the sort of thing one hears every day, and my interest deepened when the details emerged: This isn’t a new branch of Seattle Public Library (SPL); it’s a new subscription … Continue reading The Fee Library →

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

Trends

Libraries Create Gender-Neutral Bathrooms

October 30, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

“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 →

Singer, songwriter, producer, and now children’s book author Pharrell Williams. Photo: Mimi Valdes

Newsmaker

Newsmaker: Pharrell Williams

October 30, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Williams credits his mother, who is a librarian and teacher, for being the biggest influence in his life. Williams is featured in a new READ poster, available at the ALA Store. He responded via email to questions from American Libraries while on tour in Europe. American Libraries: In 30 … Continue reading Newsmaker: Pharrell Williams →

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.

Trends

Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries

October 30, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy 1 Comment

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 →

Features

Phantoms among the Folios:
A Guide to Haunted Libraries

October 28, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the October 1997 issue of American Libraries. It has been updated to include new information (updates in blue). American Libraries is no exception. However, unlike less reputable media, we go to original sources whenever possible to ascertain whether or not our spooks are spurious. And in so doing … Continue reading Phantoms among the Folios:
A Guide to Haunted Libraries →

At Yankee Stadium during the 1955 World Series, Brooklyn batter Roy Campanella and New York catcher Yogi Berra both start toward first base: Campy attempting to beat out his grounder and Yogi preparing to back up the play.

Features

Take Me Out to the Library

October 23, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the March 1999 issue of American Libraries. The librarian headed first for the file cabinets that contained biographical records on every individual who played major-league baseball, and then to the library’s collection of hundreds of thousands of photographs. The records Gates retrieved showed that Paul Derringer (1906-1987) played … Continue reading Take Me Out to the Library →

A patron renews her driver’s license inside Ames (Iowa) Public Library in June. Iowa DOT unveiled 11 kiosks in libraries in May.

Trends

Driver’s License Kiosks Expand to Iowa Libraries

September 18, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

After a successful two-year pilot project to make driver’s license renewals easier for state residents via public kiosks, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) began implementing similar kiosks in 11 libraries in late May. One of those kiosks is inside Ames (Iowa) Public Library. Mary Logsdon, the library’s adult services manager, says providing the … Continue reading Driver’s License Kiosks Expand to Iowa Libraries →

A few of the 75 Civil War–era photographs that were taken from Bangor (Maine) Public Library and later recovered. These images, along with 50 original World War I– and World War II–era posters that were stolen, had an estimated value of $31,000. The image of the officer leaning over his chair helped identify the set as belonging to the library.

Trends

Thwarting Book Thieves

September 16, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

What Graves didn’t know was that by the time he brought them to the dealer, the owner had already seen the items at the library a few weeks earlier. “I had been talking about them to the owner while he was visiting our special collections area,” says special collections librarian Bill Cook of Bangor (Maine) … Continue reading Thwarting Book Thieves →

Another Story, Columns

What I Learned

September 11, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

Ah yes, running for president. That was, to say the least, quite the ride. I got to meet and talk with lots of great people and share my vision for the profession with many of you, so I have to say I enjoyed most of it. Right up until the end. Losing … was hard, … Continue reading What I Learned →

Past President Courtney L. Young cuts the ribbon after the Opening General Session on June 26.

Features

Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015

July 22, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

In the wake of this news, attorney Roberta Kaplan keynoted the Opening General Session. Kaplan successfully argued United States v. Windsor, the 2013 case that ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. She referred to Windsor as the “big kick in the butt” that moved the Supreme Court forward on a series of … Continue reading Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015 →

ToshoCon, was presented by Salt Lake County (Utah) Library Services (SLCLS) in August 2014

Features

Making Geeks

June 5, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

This scene from the second annual teen anime convention, known as ToshoCon, was presented by Salt Lake County (Utah) Library Services (SLCLS) in August 2014. And it’s just one example of libraries holding similar events around the country, filling a gap, providing a service, and having fun. As Cassidy Ward, an adult moderator at ToshoCon … Continue reading Making Geeks →

Newsmaker

Newsmaker: James Patterson

June 4, 2015 Sanhita SinhaRoy

American Libraries: You made headlines last year by giving $1 million dollars in small grants to independent bookstores, and now you’re doing the same for school libraries. The problems bookstores are facing are well known, but school libraries haven’t received as much national attention. Why did you decide to focus on school libraries? That’s exactly … Continue reading Newsmaker: James Patterson →

Latest Library Links

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Becky Spratford writes: “I have a goal I think all of us need to consider adding to our 2025 to-do lists. We are terrible at communicating what we do and why we are important. People outside the library world do not understand how important our work is. I want you to start speaking out about how great we are before people try to attack you. I want you to do it in 2025 but then keep doing it, on a regular basis going forward.”

RA for All, Dec. 23
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Annmarie Timmins writes: “Gov. Chris Sununu withdrew his choice for state librarian over concerns about the nominee’s public opposition to book censorship. In arguing against library restrictions, nominee Mindy Atwood was advocating a mainstream position held by many in her field, including the New Hampshire Library Association and American Library Association. The governor’s reversal demonstrates just how perilously divisive that stance has become for some conservative and religious groups. [Incoming Governor] Kelly Ayotte is likely to face similar pressures to choose someone who can earn the support of the Republican-led Executive Council.”

New Hampshire Public Radio, Dec. 17
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “So you want to hear from real people who use your library! There are many user research methods to choose from. Interviews let you get at the why and the how, not just the what. You could easily use surveys to ask a large number of your users which library services they use. But only an interview can tell you why your patrons seem to use virtual references services often but never the in-person information desk.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Jan. 6
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Katherine Knox writes: “Linked data is a system of organizing information with the goal of making it easier to share and find new information, something which is very appealing to libraries. But methodologies for cataloging library materials are very slow to change. Converting libraries to a linked data system is complicated. Catalogers typically don’t have the capacity, authority, or software to test out new cataloging methods. Not all integrated library service discovery platforms used by public libraries have incorporated linked data into their search results. Nevertheless, libraries around the world are converting to linked data, especially archival repositories.”

Public Libraries Online, Jan. 6
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Chris Perez writes: “The Louisiana Supreme Court is allowing a defamation lawsuit filed by Amanda Jones, a Livingston Parish librarian accused of promoting pornography and ‘erotic contents’ to children, to be reheard, saying she has a right to have the ‘very specific allegations’ hurled against her two years ago proven in court by her accusers after the case was tossed out due to a late appeal. Jones sued Citizens for a New Louisiana, the group that brought the allegations forth, in 2022. Jones says she was attacked after speaking up at a public meeting about library censorship that year.”

Law & Crime, Dec. 30; American Libraries feature, Sept./Oct. 2023
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Andy Peters writes: “A recent trend in mixed-use developments is to center the project on a distinctive property to provide a sense of character and place, be it a sports stadium or a historic structure. One Texas town is taking a different page from that book. In the growing Austin suburb of Cedar Park, city leaders and their private development partner chose a new library as its central focus. Other cities are considering whether to make a library a central point in redevelopment efforts.”

CoStar News, Dec. 31
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The US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas declared Arkansas Act 372 unconstitutional December 23 in an opinion indicating that the law is overbroad and void for vagueness. The law would have subjected librarians and bookstore owners to criminal prosecution for making materials available on library and bookstore shelves that could be deemed harmful to younger minors, and mandated a procedure in public libraries whereby individuals may challenge books based on “appropriateness” (an undefined term). The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition that included Arkansas libraries, ALA’s Freedom to Read Foundation, authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and readers. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said he will appeal the ruling.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Dec. 23; Associated Press, Dec. 23

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