Author Archive: Mary Mackay

ALA Annual Chicago Conference and Exhibition

2017 ALA Annual Conference Must-Dos

By Mary Mackay | May 1, 2017

Use the Annual Conference Scheduler to start planning. Speakers who inspire Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology, will be the featured speaker at the Opening General Session (June 23). ALA President Julie B. Todaro welcomes actor, producer, designer, and library and literacy … Continue reading 2017 ALA Annual Conference Must-Dos →

The Expo Centre Sharjah, site of the SIBF/ALA Library Conference

The View from Sharjah 2016

By Mary Mackay | November 15, 2016

The conference offered participants the chance to learn from international experts from the MENA region as well as from the US. In response to 2015 attendee feedback, the 2016 conference offered more interactivity and focus on specific topics, including in-depth facilitated discussion sections addressing how to build stronger library associations in the MENA region; the … Continue reading The View from Sharjah 2016 →

Making the Most of Midwinter

By Mary Mackay | November 1, 2016

This year, in addition to the events and sessions you’ve come to expect from Midwinter, you’ll have a chance to be part of the new Symposium on the Future of Libraries. Staying ahead of the curve Sponsored by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Center for the Future of Libraries, the new Symposium on the Future … Continue reading Making the Most of Midwinter →

2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida

2016 ALA Annual Conference Must-Dos

By Mary Mackay | May 2, 2016

Use the Preliminary Program to start planning how you’ll be “transforming our libraries, ourselves” at the 2016 ALA Conference and Exhibition. Focus on the future Join ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries for Library of the Future sessions examining trends in the neuroscience of attention in education (Steelcase), the use of feasibility studies for designing … Continue reading 2016 ALA Annual Conference Must-Dos →

Attendees at the second annual SIBF/ALA Library Conference, November 10–12 in Sharjah, UAE.

Librarians Gather at Sharjah/ALA Conference

By Mary Mackay | November 17, 2015

SIBF Director and Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority Ahmed Al-Ameri said he was thrilled to welcome this second conference, which he sees growing in the future. “I am confident this mutual cooperation between the SIBF and ALA will be helpful in skill development of the industry’s professionals,” he said. ALA President Sari Feldman’s opening … Continue reading Librarians Gather at Sharjah/ALA Conference →

Latest Library Links

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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14

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