Author Archive: Maryann James-Daley

South by Southwest Interactive panelists Kathryn Finney (left), founder of DigitalUndivided, and Kimberly Bryant, founder and executive director of Black Girls Code Photo: Maryann James-Daley

Closing Tech’s Diversity Gap

By Maryann James-Daley | March 15, 2017

But how are we doing? What is the state of inclusion in technology, and what work is left to do? Two panels at South by Southwest Interactive on March 11 in Austin, Texas, tackled some of these questions. Inclusion and funding “Inclusion and the Digital Neighborhood” panelists Kimberly Bryant, founder and executive director of Black Girls … Continue reading Closing Tech’s Diversity Gap →

The Path to Mars

By Maryann James-Daley | March 14, 2017

At the “Humans, Robots, and Microbes: The Challenge of Mars” panel on March 10, NASA scientists Monsi Roman, Robert Ambrose, and Kimberly Hambuchen and National Geographic Mars miniseries producer Jonathan Silberberg discussed the challenges and opportunities that lie among microbes, humans, and robots in getting to Mars. “Microbes are an incredible factory of harm,” said Roman, microbiologist and … Continue reading The Path to Mars →

People on the streets of Austin, Texas, and on the SxSW exhibit hall floor show their support for libraries with their new lib*interactive tattoos.

Ideas and Inspiration: Day Four of SXSW

By Maryann James-Daley | March 17, 2015

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I had breakfast at the modern marvel that is the Lamar Whole Foods (no kidding, the flagship store is an awe-inspiring stop for out-of-towners) and then started my day with a bunch of my favorite people: librarians! The meet-up welcomed librarians and librarian-friendly technologists from across the globe, and the … Continue reading Ideas and Inspiration: Day Four of SXSW →

The author and a squirrel take a break from South by Southwest.

Libraries, Robots, and Squirrels … Oh My! Day Three at SXSW

By Maryann James-Daley | March 16, 2015

Libraries There were two sessions on Sunday that highlighted the awesome events taking place at libraries across the country: “Coworking, Collaborating, Creating at Your Library,” featuring Larra Clark, deputy director of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy; Jon Marino, director of content and strategy at MapStory; and my colleague at DC Public Library Nick Kerelchuk, … Continue reading Libraries, Robots, and Squirrels … Oh My! Day Three at SXSW →

Geeking Out at SXSW: Day Two

By Maryann James-Daley | March 15, 2015

After my revised Saturday plan to go to an informal librarian breakfast meet-up was derailed, I found myself in the Austin Convention Center, standing in a common area in front of a tray full of Legos. What a wonderful way to jumpstart your day (and brain) with a little free-building. Little did I know that … Continue reading Geeking Out at SXSW: Day Two →

SXSW: Day One

By Maryann James-Daley | March 14, 2015

If I could describe this event/place, I’d say take ALA, subtract a little bit of the cat fanaticism, add some people in squirrel suits, branding on every building in downtown, and a mess of tech and art geeks. Put in a blender and serve. This is my first “South by” (pro tip: You don’t call … Continue reading SXSW: Day One →

Latest Library Links

10h

Sheila Craft-Morgan writes: “Citations are a key measure of the impact of a researcher’s work. However, research in a variety of disciplines has found that women are less likely to be cited than men; citations contain geographic bias; and the Matthew effect—in which those who begin with advantage continue to gain advantage—leads to more citations for prominent scholars in a specific discipline. These findings contribute to the notion that scholarly knowledge comes from a homogenous group of researchers, thereby overlooking the contributions of other groups.”

American Libraries column, June
14h

Mel Baldwin writes: “Regardless of why someone comes into a library, every patron should be free to interact with staff, browse materials, and use the internet without fear of harassment or worse. That freedom depends on libraries upholding patron privacy. With nearly 400 active anti-trans bills pending in state legislatures as of April 2024, it is a dangerous time in the US to be gender nonconforming, someone whose gender expression does not align with the traditional male or female binary. And for trans people of color, studies show the risk of discrimination and violence is higher.”

American Libraries column, June
17h

Greg Landgraf writes: “On a school morning last September, small groups of 5th-graders crowded around tools connected to scientific research—a microscope, a robotic camera, and even a snake named Morgan Freeman—clipboards and pencils in hand. They were at the Melrose branch of Roanoke (Va.) Public Libraries (RPL), judging graduate students from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on their research. The event was RPL’s second Flip the Fair, introduced in 2022 to help graduate students develop skills to effectively communicate their research while engaging local elementary students with STEM topics and the library.”

American Libraries Trend, June
4d

Aaryn Bierly writes: “Disability Pride Month is traditionally celebrated in July to celebrate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The ADA regulates laws regarding service animals, requires employers to accommodate their employees’ physical and medical needs, stipulates the number and placement of accessible parking spaces and restrooms, and more. One in five Americans has some type of disability that makes working more difficult, and the ADA has made working conditions easier for a significant number of Americans. We’ve got several great lists of books for kids and teens of different ages featuring characters with a range of disabilities.”

Herrick District Library (Holland, Mich.), July 1
4d

“Many people already turn to libraries as sources of trusted information ahead of elections, and organizations like ALA and the League of Women Voters are hoping to expand those numbers. We’ve curated a selection of resources, tools, and ideas to help inform your library’s approach to this important work.”

WebJunction, July 3
4d

“A federal appeals court in New Orleans is taking another look at its own order requiring a Texas county to keep eight books that deal with subjects including sex, gender identity, and racism on public library shelves. Llano County officials had initially removed 17 books from its shelves amid complaints about the subject matter. The June 6 order was vacated July 3 after a majority of the 17-member court granted Llano County officials a new hearing before the full court. The order did not state reasons and the hearing hasn’t yet been scheduled.”

Associated Press, July 7
5d

Todd Spangler writes: “In the days after Paramount Global disabled mtvnews.com and mtv.com/news in June—removing a trove of hundreds of thousands of articles about music and pop culture from the internet—the not-for-profit Internet Archive assembled a searchable index of 460,575 web pages previously published at mtv.com/news. The Wayback Machine’s archive of MTV News is not the full complement of what was published over the span of more than two decades. But the new collection at least ensures, for the time being, that much of MTV News’ articles remain accessible in some form.”

Variety, July 2

View more Latest Library Links