Author Archive: Alice Kalinowski

Knowledge IQ

Fundamental tenets of knowledge management can help your library gradually move from humbug thoughts such as, “That’s just how we’ve always done it!” to more affirming ones like, “There are new, improved ways we can try with an open mind.” This transformation depends largely on creating an organizational culture that is open to sharing knowledge, … Continue reading Knowledge IQ →

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Cathi Hanauer writes: “Like many women of my generation—tail end of Boomer; think wood-paneled station wagons, metal lunchboxes packed with Hawaiian Punch and Ring Dings—I grew up devouring the books of Judy Blume. I approached a shelf of her books and wondered: What would I think of them now—and how would they fare if they were just coming out today? I decided to reread a few favorites and see.”

Washington Post, Apr. 19
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Annie Howard writes: “There are pitfalls in accepting the obvious legacies of AIDS activism at face value. Some elements of these histories threaten to crowd out all others. Without questioning who emerges (and who doesn’t) from the most cited AIDS archives, the legacies of protest movements reflect only incomplete understandings of the AIDS crisis. Just as trans people, communities of color, and queer women faced unique conditions not always addressed when AIDS was first identified, a historic perspective that continues this forgetting also threatens to diminish the ongoing harms these groups face today.”

Lapham's Quarterly, Apr. 19
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Washington, D.C., is now offering free at-home COVID-19 tests at 16 libraries across the city, officials announced in a press conference April 19. The tests can be picked up Monday–Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and can be dropped off any day before 8 p.m.

Washingtonian, Apr. 19
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Alex Perry writes: “There’s really nothing like making it through a good book. But not everyone has the time to sit down and crack open a tome. For those people, audiobooks are the way to go. Listening to audiobooks during those little free moments of your day is now easier than ever, but the number of ways to do it can be kind of overwhelming.”

Mashable, Apr. 18
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Lisa Bubert writes: “I’m a children’s librarian and I have a secret I’m not supposed to tell anyone: I’m sick of story time. Or, I was sick of story time when COVID set in. When I left, I left everything: my puppets, books, flannel boards. I didn’t have most of the parents’ contact information—what would have been the need? I saw them every single week. After weeks apart and wondering what was going in their homes. I realized I missed them. I missed story time.”

Romper, Apr. 13
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Boston Public Library says it plans to permanently eliminate future late fees and forgive already logged overdue fines for all patrons. The plan will still need approval from the library’s Board of Trustees and would be made possible through a line item in Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s budget proposal. Director of Library Services Michael Colford says the move makes sense from both community and equity perspectives.

GBH, Apr. 18
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Amy Carlton writes: “In the closing session of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2021 Virtual Conference on April 16, data journalist Mona Chalabi explained how she uses complex and sometimes flawed data—including the dry statistics buried in the appendix of a PDF or a government website—to visually express stories that focus on the humanity behind the numbers.”

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 19

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