Author Archive: Erika L. Jenns

Matthew Boyer speaking at the “Immersive and Interactive: Virtual Reality in a Contextually-Rich Learning Environment” session

Virtual Reality as the New Field Trip: The Importance of Place in Learning

By Erika L. Jenns | January 22, 2017

Boyer started the session with the example of the New York Times recently giving its subscribers Google cardboard in order to allow them to view newly published content in a virtual reality format. “The question becomes for all of us, is virtual reality the next content delivery platform?” Boyer said. Technology companies are investing in … Continue reading Virtual Reality as the New Field Trip: The Importance of Place in Learning →

What’s Left To Say about Thomas Jefferson? Everything.

By Erika L. Jenns | January 22, 2017

Gordon-Reed and her co-author, Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, each focused on different aspects of Jefferson’s life as they worked together to produce this volume. Gordon-Reed focused on slavery at Monticello and politics, while Onuf covered more social aspects. “We tried to blend together so that we … Continue reading What’s Left To Say about Thomas Jefferson? Everything. →

At the 2016 Rare Books and Manuscripts conference, three panelists discuss outreach with special collections. From left: Christoph Irmscher, Pellom McDaniels III, and Sarah Werner.

Sometimes You Have to See the “Poop” Too

By Erika L. Jenns | June 25, 2016

Updated June 29, 2016 Moderator Erika Dowell, associate director and head of Lilly Library Public Services at IU, opened the plenary by expanding on an outmoded definition of outreach in libraries. In the past, she said, outreach has been defined as “library services that extend beyond the library building. Today, outreach retains these goals but … Continue reading Sometimes You Have to See the “Poop” Too →

At the 2016 Rare Books and Manuscripts Section conference, the panel discusses how to prepare LIS students for the market ahead.

Preparing LIS Students for the Market Ahead

By Erika L. Jenns | June 24, 2016

Meyers began her talk, “Evangelizing for Reference: Teaching the Value of Public Services,” by explaining that for years she thought of herself as a special collections librarian who happened to have a reference component to her job. But she has come to realize that she is actually a reference librarian who happens to work in … Continue reading Preparing LIS Students for the Market Ahead →

From left: Athena Jackson, Paul Ortiz, Michelle Caswell, and Mark Puente

Rough Seas Ahead

By Erika L. Jenns | June 24, 2016

Delivering short talks were Mark Puente, director of diversity and leadership programs at Association of Research Libraries; Paul Ortiz, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and associate professor of history at the University of Florida; and Michelle Caswell, assistant professor of archival studies in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA. The panel … Continue reading Rough Seas Ahead →

Members of the Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Committee worked their way through a pile of audiobooks in order to create a final list by Sunday.

An Enthusiastic Earful

By Erika L. Jenns | January 13, 2016

Before this session, I had given little thought to the intricacies of the voices I hear when listening to audiobooks, but now my ears will prick up at the sound of the reader taking a breath. My appreciation for sound effects has grown, and my admiration for vocal imitation has spiked. For each clip, the … Continue reading An Enthusiastic Earful →

Amy Wainright, LMaO co-convener, encouraged new members to join the LMaO Facebook group

Overflowing Interest in Outreach

By Erika L. Jenns | January 10, 2016

As a relatively new group, much of the discussion at the session was focused on reaching existing and potential members. The group has a discussion list, acr-iglmo@lists.ala.org, as well as a Facebook page, both of which co-convener Amy Wainright encouraged all attendees to join. The group falls under the ACRL umbrella, but not all members … Continue reading Overflowing Interest in Outreach →

Attendees at the Collection Development Discussion Group

Collaboration and Competition in Collection Development

By Erika L. Jenns | January 10, 2016

To start the discussion, Priddle asked attendees to discuss any new or interesting collections, either at their own institutions or that they had heard about elsewhere. Lois Black, the special collections curator at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, mentioned a donation of 1,100 volumes from an alumnus to her institution. The donation was comprised largely … Continue reading Collaboration and Competition in Collection Development →

Beth Kilmarx (left) and Charlotte Priddle, RBMS Curators and Conservators Discussion Group co-conveners

Just Lines in a Spreadsheet?

By Erika L. Jenns | January 10, 2016

Nearly every special collections repository sends some items to an offsite storage facility. As a result, curators and conservators are dealing with issues related to access to and transport for those materials on an almost daily basis. When attendees were asked to raise a hand if their institution sent special collections materials, manuscript or print, … Continue reading Just Lines in a Spreadsheet? →

Kelly Coyle-Crivelli opens the Penguin Random House Book Buzz Theater session.

Something for Everyone

By Erika L. Jenns | January 10, 2016

Warcraft: Bonds of Brotherhood by Paul Cornell Axiom by Mark Waid Hellboy in Mexico by Mike Mignola; illustrated by Richard Corben, Mick McMahon, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá, and Dave Stuart Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch The Blacklist Vol 1: The Gambler by Nicole Dawn Phillips Archie Vol. 1 by Mark Waid; illustrated by Fiona … Continue reading Something for Everyone →

Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services explains merger between OLOS and Office for Diversity

Moving Beyond the OLOS / Diversity Office Merger

By Erika L. Jenns | January 9, 2016

In its role facilitating the merger, ALA’s Committee on Organization has put forth two changes to the OLOS Advisory Committee, changing its name to the “Equity and Inclusion Office Advisory Committee” and establishing its new mission (reprinted in full below). Unsurprisingly, the announcement of this merger caused concern among the members in attendance at the … Continue reading Moving Beyond the OLOS / Diversity Office Merger →

Dale McNeill, Tiffany Allen, and Elisa Topper at the "Art of Asking: Salary Negotiation for Library Workers" panel.

How to Ask for More: Tips on Salary Negotiation and Beyond

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

The session featured three other speakers: Dale McNeill, assistant director of public services, San Antonio Public Library; Elisa Topper, director, McCook (Ill.) Public Library; and Tiffany Allen, director of library human resources, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To begin, each panelist offered quick tips for salary and benefits negotiation, and then Geraci directed … Continue reading How to Ask for More: Tips on Salary Negotiation and Beyond →

Latest Library Links

4h

Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
8h

Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
1d

John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
1d

Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
2d

Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
2d

Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
3d

ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. 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

View more Latest Library Links