In late 2006, after many stops and starts, I finally got up the nerve to change my gender to female and began living my life as a woman. As libraries have changed and evolved, I’ve been changing and evolving right along with them. I have been very fortunate throughout my transition from male to female; … Continue reading A Lot to Feel Proud About
Two issues came to the fore in the fall. Adobe Digital Editions experienced a privacy breach that led to unencrypted personal information being transmitted online. DCWG responded, and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) assisted with technical and policy advice. Adobe took quick action to address the … Continue reading ALA’s DCWG, Ebooks, and Directions
A pretty typical moment for most librarians, Diggs says, except that Tuesday morning, April 28, was no typical day. Just 12 hours before, rioting had erupted across the street from the Pennsylvania Avenue branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, when protests against the high-profile death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray turned violent. As a … Continue reading Libraries Respond to Community Needs in Times of Crisis
In a matter of months, Ferguson took a series of free coding classes through the library. It opened up an array of career possibilities, and he was quickly hired as a front-end web developer with an advertising agency. “When I was working as a paralegal, I had reached the ceiling,” says Ferguson. “Whereas with web … Continue reading Get Cracking on Code
Presumably the acquisition of OverDrive by Rakuten will strengthen OverDrive. How will that lead to a better experience for libraries as OverDrive customers and for their users? Steve Potash: The first and the most obvious win for our library and school partners is going to be more content. Because Kobo has been operating globally, we … Continue reading Newsmaker: Steve Potash
Recently, we followed up with four of those interviewees to see how their experiences matched—or didn’t match—their expectations, their observations of the current state of library management and of women within it, and the lessons they’ve learned over their careers. Our interviewees are: BRIDGET LAMONT, director of the Illinois State Library from 1983 to 2000, … Continue reading Women in Management, Revisited
I have spent my career as librarian, community leader, newspaper columnist, radio and TV show host, writer, teacher, and a leader of statewide, regional, national, and even international efforts in positioning the library for tomorrow. If we are to survive and thrive in that tomorrow, we must shift public perceptions of our roles. As ALA President, … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: James LaRue
The second thing people say when they hear I’m running for ALA president (after “yay!” or “really?”) is “why?” Why am I running, and, more pointedly, why me? Fair questions. One of the president’s most important roles is to tell our story, to be the voice of libraries, librarians, and librarianship to the world. The … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Joseph Janes
Presidential initiative To paraphrase Eli Neiburger, deputy director at Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library: “Libraries aren’t about what we buy,” they are about what we do, and library staffers are the doers. As president, I will challenge ALA to embark on a large-scale public relations campaign demonstrating that it’s the staff that makes a library. … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: JP Porcaro
Our primary Association, the American Library Association, is critical to the success of the profession in general and is critical to the present and future success of libraries, library workers, and library supporters. Although the Association has always managed dozens of issues simultaneously as well as speaks to the needs of members, ALA has chosen … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Julie Todaro
The second-wave feminism movement from the mid-20th century opened doors for women in educational and career advancement, particularly in academia, thanks in large part to Title IX legislation that prohibited discrimination at higher educational institutions. In 1972, the year Title IX was implemented, women held only 4.6% of high-level administrative positions at research libraries. By … Continue reading A Career of Our Own
