Author Archive: Amy Steinbauer

Reaching Out to the Unsheltered

By Amy Steinbauer | June 24, 2019

The panel comprised Jean Badalamenti, health and human services coordinator for D.C. Public Library Programs and Partnerships; Nick Higgins, Brooklyn Public Library chief librarian; Kevin King, Kalamazoo (Mich.) Public Library head of branch and circulation services; Leah Esguerra, San Francisco Public Library and San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing social worker and social service … Continue reading Reaching Out to the Unsheltered →

Random House Preview Lunch

By Amy Steinbauer | June 24, 2019

One picture book was Marie Kondo and Salina Yoon’s Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship, about two unlikely best friends who learn how tidying up can create space for joy in all parts of one’s life. Other treasures included the picture book Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song, as well as the the previously unpublished Dr. … Continue reading Random House Preview Lunch →

Addressing Race and Racism with Young People

By Amy Steinbauer | June 23, 2019

The panel discussed how to handle several real-world scenarios, such as a white teen touching a black girl’s hair without asking, two boys slanting their eyes and mocking Asian culture, and children asking why police killed an unarmed black person. The speakers shared how they would address each scenario, as well as tips for talking … Continue reading Addressing Race and Racism with Young People →

Audience participation at the Mother Goose on the Loose workshop

Re-energizing Mother Goose on the Loose

By Amy Steinbauer | June 22, 2019

In particular, Diamant-Cohen has reenergized her program to speak to the current climate with a focus on inclusivity, a discovery on the ugly history of nursery rhymes, and easier-to-follow templates that librarians can use to create their own versions of her popular series. She also updated notes on using digital technologies, STEM (and what that … Continue reading Re-energizing Mother Goose on the Loose →

Books Abound at Book Buzz

By Amy Steinbauer | June 21, 2019

Book Buzz led off with a focus on children’s/teen literature. The children’s titles presented spoke to current social, political, and economical themes, such as the #MeToo movement, diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change, while the afternoon focused on books for adults, such as historical fiction, murder mysteries, graphic novels, and cookbooks. After listening to 17 publisher … Continue reading Books Abound at Book Buzz →

Latest Library Links

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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. The search will be led by a steering committee comprising ALA member leaders. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14
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Emily Weak writes: “Something I always hear from hiring managers is that they want to build a resilient, diverse workforce. Sometimes we say we want a resilient workforce, but what we mean is that we want staffers who are willing to go above and beyond, or to do more with less. These concepts are deeply entrenched in librarianship, but I think we’re beginning to see how they can cause problems. Instead of trying to hire people who will do more with less and who will thrive amid adversity, let’s think about resilience as an organizational feature.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Elisabeth B. White writes: “How can librarians ensure their instruction materials are as accessible as possible? One way is through Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, a set of best practices to improve teaching and learning and create inclusive and equitable educational experiences for all students. The guidelines include three principles that instructors must provide via multiple means: engagement (the ‘why’ of learning), representation (the ‘what’ of learning), and action and expression (the ‘how’ of learning). However, to create a truly equitable educational experience, school library workers need to consider accessibility principles as well.”

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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Elisa Shoenberger writes: “The comics I grew up reading were those in the newspapers, and they were called the funny pages for a reason. In time, I began exploring the wider world of comic books, covering a wide variety of genres from superhero comics to horror. But I do have a fondness for the seeming simplicity of one to four-panel comics in the newspapers and webcomics for humor. For this list, I’ve put together my tribute to the funny pages. Most of the comics are short form comics, but a few are longer narratives.”

Book Riot, Nov. 11
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Jay Peters writes: “Bluesky gained more than 700,000 new users in the last week and now has more than 14.5 million users total, Bluesky COO Rose Wang confirmed to The Verge. The ‘majority’ of the new users on the decentralized social network are from the US, Wang says. The app is currently the number two free social networking app in the US App Store, only trailing Meta’s Threads. Instagram-bootstrapped Threads, which recently crossed 275 million monthly users, is still significantly larger than Bluesky. But the independent platform has seen a lot of growth in recent weeks.”

The Verge, Nov. 11
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André Salkin writes: “A militant but peaceful protest movement is underway at Carlos Gilbert Elementary School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It started with a student petition and escalated to administration hearings, picket lines, and sit-in demonstrations. The movement’s aim? More library time. At the head of the protests is sixth grader Rainier Long, 12, an avid reader who was outraged to learn Carlos Gilbert Elementary would be cutting library time in half—to 30 minutes a week—this year to make more time for technology education.”

Santa Fe New Mexican, Nov. 9
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Timothy Peters writes: “Today’s organizations are making a concerted effort to demonstrate greater inclusivity in their workplace practices, processes, and larger cultures. Research has shown diverse organizations are more innovative, adaptable, and regarded as better places to work by current and potential employees. Systems thinking frames the organization as a single, interconnected and interdependent system, and abandons many of the traditional organizational concepts which stand in the way of inclusion. Through its emphasis on holism, fostering productive relationships, multidirectional communication, and transparency, systems thinking creates an organizational culture that actively includes and empowers.”

Library Leadership and Management, Oct. 2

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