Author Archive: Larra Clark

From left: ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo; Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby; and Annie E. Casey Foundation President and CEO Lisa Hamilton at the US Census Bureau’s Census Day press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., April 1, 2019.

ALA Joins Groups Opposing Census Citizenship Question

By Larra Clark | April 2, 2019

“Accurate and reliable census information features in an astonishing array of decisions, from where voters cast their ballots, to where small businesses choose to invest, to how the federal government allocates money, to how emergency responders prepare for natural disasters, among many others,” the brief states. The brief argues that the US Commerce Department’s addition … Continue reading ALA Joins Groups Opposing Census Citizenship Question →

2020 Census (Image: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries)

Census Resources for Libraries

By Gavin Baker and Larra Clark | January 15, 2019

Libraries across the country will offer information about the Census and provide technology access to residents completing it online for the first time. Some questions to consider: Will your library need additional computers for residents to complete their Census questionnaire online? Will you work with other community stakeholders to present meetings or programming to inform … Continue reading Census Resources for Libraries →

Complete Count Committees bring local stakeholders together to educate their community on the importance of the census. Image: Kentucky Youth Advocates

Getting Ready for the 2020 Census

By Gavin Baker and Larra Clark | September 11, 2018

CCCs provide information to community members about the Census. State, local, or tribal governments or community-based organizations form the committees and invite public officials and community leaders to participate. Most CCCs include representatives from a broad range of industries and organizations because so many segments of a community have a stake in ensuring a fair, … Continue reading Getting Ready for the 2020 Census →

ALA Urges Commerce Department to Reject Census Citizenship Question

By Gavin Baker and Larra Clark | August 9, 2018

The comments submitted by the coalition elaborate on the harm that would result from adding such a question to the 2020 Census, including diminished data accuracy, an increased burden of information collection, and an added cost to taxpayers. The submission also points to the US Census Bureau’s own January 19 technical review, in which Associate … Continue reading ALA Urges Commerce Department to Reject Census Citizenship Question →

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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Applying an informal and practical approach, Mona Kerby’s new second edition of An Introduction to Collection Development for School Librarians, published by AASL and ALA Editions, provides beginning librarians with the essential steps to effectively manage a vibrant school library collection. Kerby argues that building a quality collection is no longer enough and offers strategies to ensure that learners actively engage with the materials. Supported by the National School Library Standards and ALA/AASL/CAEP standards for university preparation programs, this resource introduces the key collection development components.

ALA Editions, June 19
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Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Library is hoping to cater to the bookworms who may not have access to materials. Its mobile library program, Library2Go, makes it easy for avid readers to borrow books and rent movies without ever leaving their homes. The service, once known as the Bookmobile, was recently revamped, making it accessible to everyone. “Our mission is to go to those who normally can’t get to the branch, whether it be physical needs, disabilities, or monetary,” said Deshaun Johnson, a Library2Go staffer. The service has expanded to provide wireless printing, provide library cards, and mobile hot spots.

WTVT-TV, Tampa, Fla., June 16
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Haroon Janjua writes: “The tribal district of Darra Adam Khel, located about 85 miles west of Islamabad, Pakistan, is best known for its sprawling weapons bazaar. But a local book lover, Raj Muhammad, hopes it becomes known as the home of the Darra Adam Khel Library. Located near a gun shop that his father built 12 years ago, the library opened in August 2018, and Muhammad considers it a labor of love as well as a message to the area and the wider world. Uninterested in his father’s firearms business, he opened the library to give people in the area better access to books and education.”

New York Times, June 18
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “Penguin Random House comprises the vast majority of ebooks published, and Macmillan and Hachette comprise nearly all the rest. These companies have recently revised their contracts with the public library. Libraries will now have to purchase ebooks that are only good for two-year contracts and then will have to devote the resources to see what books they want to buy again and which ones they do not. This is a far cry from the old policy which only had the library make a one-time purchase for every ebook they wanted. Publishers don’t want to devalue their front-list books and want people to buy them, instead of borrow them.”

Good e-Reader, June 19
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Scientists who study specific types of animals or plants can be challenged by the fact that species information is often limited to only one or two libraries in faraway places. The Biodiversity Heritage Library, headquartered in the Smithsonian Libraries in Washington, D.C., was formed in 2007 as a consortium of institutions dedicated to making taxonomic information openly available through its digital portal. Martin R. Kalfatovic, BHL’s program director, estimates that its 20 member libraries and 22 affiliates have scanned upwards of 147,000 titles, ranging from the 15th century to the present, with information on more than 180 million species.

American Libraries Bookend, June
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A committee has ruled that nine books challenged by the Florida Tea Party and Citizens Alliance should remain, at the very least, on high school library shelves in Ocala, Florida. The committee included three parents, one of whom was a School Advisory Council president. The committee also featured a secondary school librarian, a high school principal, a district curriculum administrator, and three high school staff members. Superintendent Heidi Maier believes that only two of those nine, Killing Mr. Griffin and Angela’s Ashes, should be allowed in middle school libraries.

Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner, June 18
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The Schenectady (N.Y.) City School District’s summer bookmobile made its debut June 15 at the 19th annual Juneteenth festival in the city’s Central Park. Kristina Graves, a Schenectady school librarian and media specialist, said the selection of books offered by the bookmobile fits in perfectly with the Juneteenth theme of celebrating cultural diversity. Some of the titles on display at the bookmobile spoke to the themes of racial and religious oppression and equality. Kerri Messler, K–12 English language arts and library coordinator for the district, said it’s important for the district to curate its book collection with selections acknowledging diversity.

Schenectady (N.Y.) Daily Gazette, June 15

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