Author Archive: Megan Bennett

Food cart on wheels whose sign reads "Pier Tamales"

By the Numbers: Small Business

By Megan Bennett | November 1, 2024

With small businesses employing almost half the US workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public libraries contribute significantly to the economy through resources that support small businesses and the entrepreneurs who start them. 5.5 million The record-breaking number of new businesses started in 2023, according to the US Census Bureau. 50% Approximate number … Continue reading By the Numbers: Small Business →

Librarian Corinne Wolfson wearing several buttons from Harvard University's political button collection, surrounded by a collage of buttons reading, "Wearing buttons is not enough," "Teddy is good enough for me (alongside a photo of Teddy Roosevelt), McKinley and protection, Draft beer not people, It's a man's world unless women vote, Boycott non-union lettuce, Proudly for Brooke - a creative Republican, Viva LBJ, Rocky has never lost an election, and an illustration of black and white hands cradling a dove of peace.

Bookend: Put a Pin in It

By Megan Bennett | November 1, 2024

From the iconic to the incendiary, political messages like these have emblazoned buttons and pins since the start of US elections. Since 2012, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (HKS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been archiving political buttons. The collection now includes thousands of items spanning a century’s worth of campaigns and causes. “Pre-internet, this … Continue reading Bookend: Put a Pin in It →

A 1981 concert flier for Dr. Cool and Cold Crush Brothers, archived in the Hip-Hop Collection at Cornell University Library

Music Libraries and Collections

By Megan Bennett | September 3, 2024

1,000 Number of event fliers in the Hip-Hop Collection at Cornell University Library (CUL) in Ithaca, New York. These handmade fliers, made between 1976 and 1984, advertise early live performances by genre trailblazers like Grandmaster Flash and the Cold Crush Brothers. To date, CUL has digitized about half of these fliers. 1,900 Number of items … Continue reading Music Libraries and Collections →

Max Greenfield reads his new book during a June 30 talk at the American Library Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition

Newsmaker: Max Greenfield

By Megan Bennett | August 12, 2024

“It’s totally normal to be scared of a shark if you’re in the water and a shark is swimming toward you,” says Greenfield, an actor most known for his roles on sitcoms New Girl and The Neighborhood. “It’d be weird if you weren’t scared. But if you’re thinking about a shark when you’re lying in … Continue reading Newsmaker: Max Greenfield →

A series of photos of Annual attendees taking photos of themselves or others.

Bookend: Say Cheese!

By Megan Bennett | July 24, 2024

Clockwise from top: Haley White, reference department manager at Springfield-Greene County (Mo.) Library District, takes a selfie with actor and author Max Greenfield during a book signing for his upcoming children’s title, Good Night Thoughts; Newbery Medal–winning author Jerry Craft captures a photo of the crowd during fellow Newbery winner Kwame Alexander’s talk on June 29; … Continue reading Bookend: Say Cheese! →

Council III: Update on Filling President-Elect Vacancy

By Megan Bennett | July 2, 2024

Council approved the meeting’s agenda (CD#8.6), and Drabinski announced memorial resolutions for: Joseph John Harzbecker, Jr. (M#7) Nancy E. Gwinn (M#8) Karen Crane (M#9) William Noel (M#10) Carole J. McCollough (M#11) Phyllis Jean Fisher (M#12) Linda Anne Dougherty (M#13) Delaine Andree Eastin(M#14) Jodie Gambill (M#15) Carolyn V. Neal (M#16) Marcia Goodfellow Schatz (M#17) James (Jim) … Continue reading Council III: Update on Filling President-Elect Vacancy →

(From left) Angela Watkins, Kathleen Nubel, and Christina Gavin participate in the American Library Association's President's Program during June 30 during its Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego.

‘In this Work Together’

By Megan Bennett | July 1, 2024

“That [memory] still moves me to want to help others, especially children in our community,” said Watkins, director of Aztec (N.Mex) Public Library. “There’s nothing like watching the joy on the face of a person when they learn to read.” At the American Library Association’s (ALA) President’s Program, held during ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference and … Continue reading ‘In this Work Together’ →

Max Greenfield discusses his new book during a June 30 talk at the American Library Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition

Putting Anxiety to Sleep

By Megan Bennett | June 30, 2024

“I’m scared of sharks and straight men,” Greenfield recalled Jordan saying in his signature Tennessee twang. Those conversations inspired Greenfield, best known for his roles in the sitcoms New Girl and The Neighborhood, to write his forthcoming book Good Night Thoughts (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, September), which focuses on anxiety and how … Continue reading Putting Anxiety to Sleep →

Allison Frick (left), lower school STEAM librarian, and Sara DeSabato, first grade teacher at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, present “Let's Talk About Sex: Gender and Sexuality Education in Elementary School Using Age Congruent Literature"

Expanding Gender, Sexuality Education

By Megan Bennett | June 29, 2024

“When they think sex education, they think of themselves in middle school where all the girls go into one room, all the boys go into another, and then they learn about completely different things and never talk about it again,” she says. “We want to make it really, really clear that is not what we’re … Continue reading Expanding Gender, Sexuality Education →

Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom

By Megan Bennett | June 29, 2024

The Council rules (CD#5.1) and agenda (CD#8.4) were adopted. The minutes from ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore (CD#2.2) meetings were approved. Interim ALA Executive Director Leslie Burger shared the Executive Board’s actions since LibLearnX (CD#15.1) and the implementation of Council Actions from the January conference (#9.1). Cindy Hohl, ALA president-elect and Committee on Committees … Continue reading Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom →

Photo of the bronze Dr. Seuss and Cat in the Hat statue outside Geisel Library, the main library of University of California San Diego

By the Numbers: Literary San Diego

By Megan Bennett | June 3, 2024

The American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held June 27–July 2 in San Diego. 4 Number of crown-shaped chandeliers designed by author L. Frank Baum for the Hotel del Coronado, located on San Diego Bay. The hotel, where Baum frequently stayed as a guest, is said to have inspired the Emerald … Continue reading By the Numbers: Literary San Diego →

Kelley Woolley poses with items from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance library collection

Bookend: From A to Zoo

By Megan Bennett | June 3, 2024

“I’ve been a huge animal person my whole life,” Woolley says. Today, she oversees the library and archive for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), the nonprofit that runs the zoo and park. Her workplace is one of a handful of zoo libraries across the US that employs a full-time librarian. SDZWA’s 16,000-item library comprises … Continue reading Bookend: From A to Zoo →

Latest Library Links

14h

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
19h

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
2d

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
2d

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
2d

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
3d

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.
3d

Elisabeth B. White writes: “How can librarians ensure their instruction materials are as accessible as possible? One way is through Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, a set of best practices to improve teaching and learning and create inclusive and equitable educational experiences for all students. The guidelines include three principles that instructors must provide via multiple means: engagement (the ‘why’ of learning), representation (the ‘what’ of learning), and action and expression (the ‘how’ of learning). However, to create a truly equitable educational experience, school library workers need to consider accessibility principles as well.”

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.

View more Latest Library Links