Author Archive: Carrie Smith

Students assemble the Ultimate Shootout game from the littleBits Code Kit.

Coding for Fun

May 1, 2018

littleBits Code Kit Little Bits has been used in classrooms and makerspaces for years as a platform for building and experimenting with electronics. The Code Kit, released in summer 2017, is its first education-oriented kit to incorporate simple coding into projects. The kit introduces an LED matrix and a “codeBit” to the littleBits collection of … Continue reading Coding for Fun


Living Languages

Embracing Diverse Narratives

March 1, 2018

Living Language for Libraries Living Language for Libraries, from Books on Tape, provides access to online courses for more than 20 languages, teaching grammar, vocabulary, and culture from beginner to advanced levels. Courses include traditional tools such as flashcards and audio recordings as well as games designed by native speakers and other learning tools that … Continue reading Embracing Diverse Narratives



SimplyAnalytics

Small Business Support

January 2, 2018

SimplyAnalytics After 10 years of providing geographic analytics, SimplyMap relaunched as SimplyAnalytics in mid-2017, with expanded and refined mapping and analytics tools. Researchers can create thematic maps and reports using more than 100,000 data variables. The standard data package includes more than 3,000 variables, including demographics, retail sales, employment, and ancestry. Premium data packages include … Continue reading Small Business Support


ALA Members to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications

December 28, 2017

ALA members will decide on a resolution—to be included in the 2018 general election ballot, opening March 12 and closing April 4—determining whether the Association’s executive director should be required to hold an ALA-accredited master’s degree or a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)–accredited master’s degree with a specialty in school library media. … Continue reading ALA Members to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications


Pedal Power

September 1, 2017

Haley Tricycles Book Bikes Haley Tricycles has been building book bikes for libraries and literacy organizations since 2008, when the company designed the bike for Gabriel Levinson’s Chicago Book Bike project, arguably the first modern book bike. The Haley Book Bike is based on a display bike format: It has two fold-out side tables with … Continue reading Pedal Power


Save Staff Time

July 19, 2017

ValueIT Selling donated and weeded materials can be an important revenue stream for libraries, but it is often limited by the staff or volunteer time required to properly sort, price, and sell items. Tech Logic’s new ValueIT software automates the process of sorting and pricing donated and discarded books, turning a new or existing automated … Continue reading Save Staff Time


Left to right: Susan Harris, Ross Ufberg, Jamie LaRue, Inci Sariz, and Peter Blackstock

“If People Don’t Read It Here, It Doesn’t Help Much”

June 27, 2017

On Monday, June 26, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), the Association of American Publishers, and the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative brought together for the program “Banned Abroad: Stories of International Censorship” panelists who have worked as publishers, translators, editors, and researchers to discuss their experiences with works that have been censored … Continue reading “If People Don’t Read It Here, It Doesn’t Help Much”


From left, Laura Damon-Moore, Michael Spelman, Kylee Stoor, and Janie Hermann

Madison’s Library Takeover

June 25, 2017

Over the course of a year and a half, the Library Takeover project—inspired by a similar teen program founded by Apples & Snakes and Half-Moon Theatre in the UK—went from grant proposal to three fully realized, polished library programs that were informed by community input at each step in the process. Engaging community need Analysis … Continue reading Madison’s Library Takeover


Kathryn Matthew, director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services, speaks at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017.Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Becoming Catalysts in a Changing World

June 24, 2017

In “Be a Catalyst: Harnessing Your Portfolio of Resources to Create Catalytic Change in Communities,” sponsored by the ALA Washington Office, Matthew provided advice on how libraries can learn about their communities in order to strengthen their connections to them, while Rip Rapson and Barbara Bartle provided context from national and regional funder points of view. … Continue reading Becoming Catalysts in a Changing World


Spacesaver cantilever shelving units on casters at the Glendale branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library

Extend Your Space

June 1, 2017

Spacesaver Cantilever Shelving Spacesaver’s cantilever library shelving has the ability to evolve with changing needs. It has a range of interchangeable accessories—pull-out shelves, media hangers, and slat-wall add-ons—and can also accommodate larger changes. You can mount its shelving onto casters to make it easily movable to create open spaces for events or other library services. The new A-frame cantilever display … Continue reading Extend Your Space


The Day USA, a daily news resource for students, used in the classroom

Sources and Searches

May 1, 2017

The Day USA In 2011, British journalist Richard Addis founded a daily online newspaper called The Day to provide news to classrooms across the UK. The objective was to focus on unbiased reporting and curriculum integration. A parallel North American service, called The Day USA, was launched this past February. It is available to US, US … Continue reading Sources and Searches