Author Archive: Larra Clark

Students in the Soufrière (St. Lucia) Young Authors project work on their projects during the weeklong workshop.

Soufrière Young Authors Project

By Larra Clark | April 28, 2017

The Soufrière Young Authors project has published six books since its first workshop in April 2016. Its goal is to produce all of its students’ books and distribute them widely on the 27-mile-long island. Peace Corps volunteer Grace Kilbane and Soufrière Public Library Librarian Catherine Prospere developed the project as a way to increase literacy … Continue reading Soufrière Young Authors Project →

Attendees at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Global Vision Workshop, April 4-5, in Athens, Greece.

IFLA Seeks Global Vision for Libraries

By Larra Clark | April 13, 2017

“Today we begin a very important journey,” said IFLA President Donna Scheeder, stating that the issues facing libraries today require “individual commitment to a collective and joint response to achieve a common vision. If we are to succeed, we must act.” The opening speaker for the President’s Meeting, Dave Snowden, founder and chief scientific officer at … Continue reading IFLA Seeks Global Vision for Libraries →

Marijke Visser, associate director of ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy, looks on as students build Kano computer kits at the ConnectHome anniversary event.

ConnectHome Marks One-Year Anniversary

By Larra Clark | July 21, 2016

The public–private partnership brings together internet service providers, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to narrow the digital divide for families with school-aged children who live in HUD-assisted housing. It builds on the ConnectED initiative to connect 99% of K–12 students to high-speed internet in classrooms and libraries by 2018. In a July 14 media … Continue reading ConnectHome Marks One-Year Anniversary →

ALA at SXSW: A Preview of Events in Austin

By Larra Clark | March 8, 2016

The Center for the Future of Libraries takes the stage March 8 at SXSWedu with “Hacking Education through Libraries,” and Director Miguel Figueroa will be joined by school library leaders to explore ways that librarians can be change agents and address such issues as equity, access, social justice, free-ranging learning, and development of new literacies. … Continue reading ALA at SXSW: A Preview of Events in Austin →

Screenshot from Queens Library's Virtual Library.

Discovery and Delivery: Keep Calm and Make It Real

By Larra Clark | December 7, 2015

Watson joined Queens three years ago as chief innovation and technology officer under his motto of “keep calm and make it real.” Learning about the progress he and his team have made over that time was exhilarating. Taking lessons from his time at Ingram, Borders, and the US Department of Agriculture, Watson focused on breaking … Continue reading Discovery and Delivery: Keep Calm and Make It Real →

Empowering Libraries to Innovate

By Larra Clark | June 18, 2015

At the same time, ALA and libraries have been exploring additional options for empowering our users to discover and publish digital content, considering privacy and preservation concerns, and expanding the lens of focus to other forms of digital content. The most recent round of John S. and James L. Knight Foundation challenge grants intersects in … Continue reading Empowering Libraries to Innovate →

Latest Library Links

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In the May edition of the Libraries Transform Newsletter, we asked libraries to send us their Because statements. Vote for your favorites. A maximum of three can be selected. The winner will receive a $50 gift card for the ALA Store.

Libraries Transform
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Michael Waters writes: “One of the most significant features of the Los Alamos National Laboratory was its scientific library, a secret space that, during the 1940s, housed the secrets of the nuclear bomb. The library had two sections: the main area and the document room—a locked vault containing reports and designs from all the Manhattan Project sites. In 1942, J. Robert Oppenheimer selected statistician Charlotte Serber to operate the library in part because of her lack of librarian experience. He wanted someone who would be willing to bend the rules of cataloging.”

Atlas Obscura, June 23
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Libraries in Alaska are hosting new foodcentric book clubs. Sherry Vogel, Fairbanks North Star Borough adult services librarian, started cookbook clubs at the Noel Wien and North Pole libraries in February. She’d been thinking about the concept and researching it for more than a year. Participants choose a cookbook that fits the theme, select a recipe, and prepare the dish to share at meetings. Themes have included cozy comfort food, Mexican, soups and salads, Mediterranean, and regional Americana.

Fairbanks (Alaska) News-Miner, June 28
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Livraria Ets Haim is the world’s oldest functioning Jewish library. As such, it is no stranger to the prospect of imminent destruction. Founded in 1616 by Jews who fled Catholic persecution in Spain and Portugal, the three-room library is adjacent to Amsterdam’s majestic Portuguese Synagogue in the Dutch capital’s center. The 30,000-volume collection mostly contains manuscripts written by people who fled the Inquisition on the Iberian Peninsula or their descendants.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 27
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Alice Eng writes: “The literature about neurodiversity and libraries is heavily skewed toward libraries accommodating neurodivergent patrons. There is little written about librarians who are neurodivergent and their professional experiences. In this interview, Charlie Remy, an academic librarian who has autism, discusses his autism, his professional experience, and what others can do to create a more inclusive neurodiverse profession.”

In the Library with the Lead Pipe, June 28
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Join us July 24 for a free 60-minute episode of AL Live, where Jason Kuscma, deputy director at Toledo Lucas County (Ohio) Public Library, will discuss how his library uses Analytics on Demand to publicize library services, to market special programs to targeted households, and as a tool to aid managers in understanding their community. Also joining us for the episode will be Liz Bondie.

American Libraries, June 28
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It seemed like a simple exercise. “You’re 4th-graders in my class. Tell me everything you know about ‘Waltzing Matilda.’ Draw or write your own description,” instructed Karla Collins, assistant professor at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Collins was trying to illustrate a crucial lesson—that we make assumptions about what students know—for attendees of “Library Readiness: Steps to Ensure Your Students Are Ready to Learn in the Elementary Library,” her AASL session on Monday.

AL: The Scoop, June 27

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