Hayden didn’t use any privileges of her new position to access Parks’s notes, however, because LC has digitized the collection and posted it online. “I pulled it up on my iPad,” she says. “To think that a kid in Baltimore who just experienced the unrest there could look at Parks’s handwritten thoughts about unrest, that … Continue reading America’s Librarian
The recent shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was much on the minds of members and speakers. ALA President Sari Feldman and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table both released statements leading up to the conference about how members could support victims and their families and ensure their libraries are safe spaces … Continue reading Annual Returns to Orlando
“In the library sector, we always want to make sure that we are addressing the needs and interests of those who we serve in our communities, and in most of our communities, the older adult population has increased,” says Fatima Perkins, director of community outreach and advocacy at the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging … Continue reading An Aging Population Reshapes Library Services
A Soldier’s Life, Declassified The day’s clear viral victor was Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) announcement of the acquisition of the declassified journals and military records of soldier James “Logan” Howlett. “Logan’s journals provide valuable insight into his early life in Canada, including work as a miner in a British Columbia stone quarry, a fur … Continue reading April Foolswatch 2016
April 20: Coverage of Carla Hayden’s confirmation hearings for Librarian of Congress will air live on C-SPAN.org beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET. “If confirmed, Dr. Hayden would be the first woman and the first African American to hold the position—both of which are long overdue,” said President Obama in announcing his intent to nominate Hayden. Hayden … Continue reading Librarian of Congress Nominee No Stranger to Historic Moments
Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard Law School professor and cofounder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, urged attendees to first define the core purpose of libraries in his “Creativity, Innovation, and Change: Libraries Transform in the Digital Age” presentation. “The book as we know it, as an artifact,” he declared, “is on its way out.” … Continue reading Midwinter 2016 Wrap-Up
What do you see as the key issues facing libraries right now? I think nonprofits, and particularly libraries, are stepping back and examining how we become community anchors and develop meaningful, deep, and sustained partnerships with other players in the community, rather than acting as a single entity trying to reach target populations. Balancing digital … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kathryn Matthew
“We used to have an event in Glen Ellyn called BookFest involving local merchants and the library,” says Susan DeRonne, adult department director at Glen Ellyn Public Library (GEPL). “[It] had a tent where self-published authors could sell their works, and it became more and more popular in its last years.” GEPL is one of … Continue reading Solving the Self-Published Puzzle
In the wake of this news, attorney Roberta Kaplan keynoted the Opening General Session. Kaplan successfully argued United States v. Windsor, the 2013 case that ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. She referred to Windsor as the “big kick in the butt” that moved the Supreme Court forward on a series of … Continue reading Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015
Diversity was a major theme of this year’s meeting. It culminated at the Youth Media Awards ceremony, where ALA President Courtney L. Young observed the need for all children to have access to materials that reflect their experiences. “Our country is a melting pot of cultures, yet the percentages of children’s books released each year … Continue reading Midwinter 2015: Members Talk Diversity and Technology
The basic concept of a seed library is fairly simple: Gardeners “check out” seeds to plant in their own gardens, and when the growing season is done, they save seeds from the plants they grew and return them for other gardeners to use next year. In practice, seed libraries adapt this basic concept to the … Continue reading Not Your Garden-Variety Library
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from an article in the January/February 2015 issue of American Libraries. The rise of seed exchanges—now numbering more than 300 across the US—has been accompanied by plenty of enthusiasm from librarians and patrons. But Cumberland County (Pa.) Library System’s Simpson Seed Library attracted a whirlwind of controversy and misinformation … Continue reading Seed Libraries and State Laws
