Hanna’s new memoir Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (Ecco, May) chronicles the challenges and triumphs of her life before, during, and after navigating the male-dominated genre during the 1990s, spurring the Riot Grrrl movement and paving the way for other women artists. American Libraries caught up with Hanna ahead of the … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kathleen Hanna
May is National Inventors Month 135,850 Number of items in the Edison Sheet Music Collection, housed at University of Michigan Library in Ann Arbor. Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph in 1877, spearheaded this collection as a way for his phonograph company to select vocal and instrumental scores to record. 44 Number of agricultural bulletins … Continue reading By the Numbers: Inventors
In the small town of 9,000 people, it was a place to gather with other young actors—and the only place with internet access. “‘Okay, let me check my email,’” she recalls. “’Let me check my bank balance; yep, it’s still low.’” Sloan says library staff were “very confused” about what was happening: “Why are 10 … Continue reading Newsmaker: Dulcé Sloan
“I have a copy of the Magic School Bus that I might have checked out in 1991 from the library in Sandy Springs,” Sloan said. “It’s somewhere in my mom’s house. If you want to go to Stone Mountain, maybe you can find it. I think I have the fine in my purse if you … Continue reading Protect Yourself
“And by Uncle Jimmy, I mean the James Baldwin,” Love, a bestselling author and education activist, said April 4 during her Big Ideas session at the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center. In 1963, the novelist and civil rights activist said to a group of New York City educators, “To any citizen of this country who figures … Continue reading ‘Going for Broke’
“It is an idea that there’s no place where I end and you begin,” explained Shola Richards, opening keynote speaker of the 2024 Public Library Association (PLA) conference in Columbus, Ohio, on April 3. Richards—author of professional development books Go Together: How the Concept of Ubuntu Will Change How We Work, Live, and Lead (Sterling … Continue reading How We Work
75% Percentage of recycled material required for each item featured in Mattapoisett (Mass.) Free Public Library’s RE-ART show, held in September 2023. Among the pieces local artists submitted: a robe constructed with upcycled quilts and a purse made from a vintage book. 1,000 Number of volunteers who support the annual book sale hosted by Friends … Continue reading By the Numbers: Recycling
Adlesic is codirector and producer of The ABCs of Book Banning, a 2023 film that has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary Short category. Sheila Nevins, famed documentarian and current head of MTV Documentary Films, led the project, and journalist-turned-filmmaker Nazenet Habtezghi also codirected. American Libraries spoke with Adlesic and Habtezghi … Continue reading Newsmakers: Trish Adlesic and Nazenet Habtezghi
Anyone can lead from wherever they are, she says, by having influence and the ability to bring colleagues together. “Management is making sure people do things the right way,” said Alcántara-Antoine, CEO of Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library. “Leadership is making sure they’re doing the right things.” Alcántara-Antoine was one of three renowned figures in … Continue reading Lead from Wherever You Are
This is one of the scenarios library workers were asked to ponder during “Upholding Trans Patron Privacy and Information Access,” presented January 21 at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore. Privacy is “not just a service aspect,” said Glen J. Benedict, access services librarian at the University of the District of Colombia … Continue reading Protecting Trans Patrons
Johnson wishes it wasn’t the case for their 2020 book, All Boys Aren’t Blue, but they admit they are proud to have created a work that’s helped readers find healing, gain empathy for those who don’t look like them, and, notably, “pissed people off.” “I’m very proud of that,” said Johnson, who spoke at the … Continue reading ‘The Fight Has Chosen Me’
The Council II agenda was adopted (CD#8.2) and Drabinski addressed memorial resolutions honoring Hwa-Wei Lee (M-#1), George Needham (M-#2), Candy Morgan (M-#3) , Betty-Carol Sellen (M-#4), Adonna “Donna” C. Fleming (M-#5), and Donna Louise Gilton (M-#6). She also announced tribute resolutions recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Sustainability Round Table (T-#1) and honoring retiring Maryland … Continue reading Council II: Resolution to Condemn Destruction of Gaza Libraries Passes
