Author Archive: Jennifer Putnam Davis

You Don’t Always Need Money to Run a Successful Program

By Jennifer Putnam Davis | June 26, 2017

How? By developing partnerships with other units like faculty, student life, and even the local community. “Being creative is also a significant factor,” said April Sheppard, assistant director for public services at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. In her portion of the discussion, Sheppard described how a monthly game night developed through donations from various publishers. This … Continue reading You Don’t Always Need Money to Run a Successful Program →

To Reveal Research Topics, Play This Card Game

By Jennifer Putnam Davis | June 25, 2017

Instead, Baglier and her colleague, associate university librarian Michelle Leonard, have developed a simple card game called Keywords to Mastery to help their students connect the right keywords to topics and find appropriate library resources. This interactive session, sponsored by ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table, introduced Keywords to Mastery to attendees, who were broken up into … Continue reading To Reveal Research Topics, Play This Card Game →

From left: Marguerite Avery, April Hathcock, and Jamie LaRue (speaking) at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Intellectual Freedom and Open Access: Working Toward a Common Goal?

By Jennifer Putnam Davis | June 25, 2017

Marguerite Avery, senior acquisitions editor at Trinity University Press in San Antonio, Texas, spoke from a publisher’s point of view. Avery eagerly joined this conversation because, “framing intellectual freedom and open access is seldom discussed over intellectual property and open access,” she explains. Avery defines intellectual freedom as “being able to seek and receive all … Continue reading Intellectual Freedom and Open Access: Working Toward a Common Goal? →

New Instruction Librarians Find Many Hats to Wear

By Jennifer Putnam Davis | June 24, 2017

Miller, head of library learning services at Pennsylvania State University Libraries in State College, spoke about the startling statistics found by several studies, which reveal that many instruction librarians receive no in-house training, preparation, or support for teaching, but are simply “thrown into the fire.” Miller herself found this to be true for about 68 percent of … Continue reading New Instruction Librarians Find Many Hats to Wear →

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Amy Katzenberger became director of ALA’s Development Office in early September. Among other fundraising activities, Katzenberger and her team have been shepherding the campaign for the Association’s 150th anniversary, which will culminate in 2026. Prior to joining ALA, Katzenberger worked at Riley Children’s Foundation in Indianapolis as director of foundation relations, where she secured millions of dollars in grants. Before Riley, she served as chief program officer for the American Camp Association. Early in her career, Katzenberger worked in ALA’s Conference Services department as a meetings and scheduling manager. She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 12
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Kyle Werner writes: “State Librarian Michael Lynn Scott has been arrested and charged with dissemination of obscene material for allegedly sending lewd images to someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy but was actually a deputy. Police arrested Scott, 54, on November 6. He had been the state librarian since 2014. Scott was reported to have been messaging a minor on the messaging app KiK according to a criminal complaint. The conversation, allegedly initiated by Scott, began on August 13, police said. Brenda Hall was appointed the interim state librarian on November 7.”

Des Moines Register, Nov. 8
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Nick Tanzi writes: “Whenever an emerging technology arises, there are inevitably those who will question the value and relevance of the library. Throughout my career, I have heard some version of the refrain ‘Why do I need the library when I have:’ the World Wide Web, Google, ereaders, the iPad, or ChatGPT. In each instance, the library adopted and/or adapted to these technologies. As we enter the age of artificial intelligence, we can expect the same skeptical voices challenging the relevance of our institutions. A closer look at the library and our brand reveals that their value has only grown.”

The Digital Librarian, Nov. 7
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Shannon Young writes: “In June, Prince George’s County (Md.) Memorial Library System embarked on a partnership with Maryland Public Television (MPT) to develop programs that empower families and caregivers to cultivate healthy media habits. MPT’s Early Learning Media Ambassador initiative is tailored for early childhood educators interested in helping families and caregivers learn how to use media effectively. Material provided by MPT includes Media STEPs, which outline strategies like selecting appropriate content, talking about what children are seeing, exploring new things that they learned, and playing in both virtual and physical environments.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 9
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Alejandro Marquez and Brady Niemitalo Woods write: “While loneliness is a common experience, it is not evenly distributed. Some are more likely to experience loneliness. Factors include low income, parenthood, singleness, and age. LGBTQ people, minorities, and women are more likely to experience loneliness than the average. Libraries have long served as community spaces where people can connect, learn, and engage with others. Yet in a digital age, the sense of isolation among library users has become a growing concern. In this blog post, we explore the issue of loneliness in libraries and discuss strategies for librarians to address it.”

ACRLog, Nov. 11
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ALA announced on November 11 the candidates running for leadership positions. The candidates for 2026–2027 ALA president are Lindsay Cronk, dean of libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans; Andrea Jamison, assistant professor of school librarianship at Illinois State University in Normal; and Maria McCauley, director of libraries at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library are . Larry Neal, library director of Clinton-Macomb Public Library (CMPL) in Michigan, and Joel Thornton, associate dean of collections and scholarly communication for University of Utah in Salt Lake City, are candidates for the 2025–2028 ALA treasurer. ALA also announced 21 councilor-at-large candidates. Members interested in running by petition may do so by completing a candidate biographical information form and a petition form with the signatures of no fewer than 200 ALA current personal members (25 members for Council positions) by December 13.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 11
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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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