Author Archive: Erika L. Jenns

Penguin’s Book Buzz

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

The following is a list of the titles they announced, with release dates, and in some cases, a blurb from the presentation. Adult The Hours Count By Jillian Cantor October 2015 The Gates of Evangeline By Hester Young September 2015 “A supernatural thriller.” Fates and Furies By Lauren Groff September 2015 “A story of a … Continue reading Penguin’s Book Buzz →

Outreach in Five Minutes

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

San Francisco Public Library Teen Librarian Mary Abler’s presentation, “Outreach—Keep It Simple, Stupid,” provided tips for doing effective, active outreach immediately. Abler emphasized the importance of spending just a little bit of time doing outreach activities that we already know will work in our libraries. While serving a two-year residency at Los Angeles Public Library, … Continue reading Outreach in Five Minutes →

Closing the Gap

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

The session, sponsored by the Library Information and Technology Association, offered two examples of public libraries that are experimenting with lending Wi-Fi hotspots to users in high-need communities in an effort to close the broadband adoption gap. Swarthout began the session by explaining how NYPL came to be a lender of Wi-Fi hotspots. He cited … Continue reading Closing the Gap →

Lucy Sanna, Bruce Henderson, and Meg Waite Clayton

Experiencing WWII Through Fact and Fiction

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

At the PopTop Stage on Saturday, Clayton, Sanna, and Henderson described their books, their characters, and their writing processes. Clayton’s forthcoming book, The Race for Paris, tells the story of female photojournalists during WWII. Inspired by a biography of Margaret Bourke-White, Clayton began work on her novel 15 years ago and refers to it as … Continue reading Experiencing WWII Through Fact and Fiction →

Building the New Nostalgia

By Erika L. Jenns | June 27, 2015

Dale Dougherty, founder and executive chairman of Maker Media; Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America; John Palfrey, head of school at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; and Meaghan O’Connor, assistant director for programs and partnerships at the District of Columbia Public Library offered insightful remarks. Each tried to answer that … Continue reading Building the New Nostalgia →

From Preserving Materials to Facilitating Access

By Erika L. Jenns | June 26, 2015

At the forum, the Center for Research Libraries’ Director of Technical Services Amy Wood delivered a recap of a meeting convened by CRL at the University of California, Berkeley, the day before. At that meeting, representatives from large print serials archiving programs examined data collected on various programs and assessed the progress that has been … Continue reading From Preserving Materials to Facilitating Access →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.

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