Author Archive: Phil Morehart

Kislak Center for Special Collection, Rare Books, and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, designed by Gensler architects.

Bringing Special Collections into Today

By Phil Morehart | June 26, 2016

Representatives from three university libraries gathered June 25 for the Library Leadership and Management Association–sponsored panel discussion “Front and Center: Designing for Special Collections and Archives in the Library” at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, to showcase new special collections libraries that buck the outdated model and look to the … Continue reading Bringing Special Collections into Today →

Newsmaker: Gene Luen Yang

By Phil Morehart | May 2, 2016

What got you into writing and drawing? Gene Luen Yang: I’ve been interested pretty much all of my life. My parents are avid storytellers, and I grew up listening to their stories. I also grew up drawing. Comics was a way of combining those two things. There are themes running through your work—of identity, of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Gene Luen Yang →

All Together Now

By Phil Morehart | March 1, 2016

Explore Chicago Collections is a consortium of 21 institutions located throughout the Chicago area that have pooled resources to offer a richer perspective of the city’s history. “We have all of these incredible archives and libraries here in Chicago,” says Scott Walter, university librarian at DePaul University and member of Explore Chicago Collections’ executive committee. … Continue reading All Together Now →

Emerging Leaders 2016

By Phil Morehart | March 1, 2016

Initiated in 1997 as a one-year program under former ALA President Mary R. Somerville and revived in 2006 under former ALA President Leslie Burger, Emerging Leaders recognizes the best and brightest new leaders in our industry. It’s open to librarians under 35 years of age or those new to the library profession of any age … Continue reading Emerging Leaders 2016 →

Alison Griffin (middle), Vancouver, Canada, looks at books in the exhibit hall along with other attendees.

Overwhelming: The Exhibit Hall at Midwinter

By Phil Morehart | January 11, 2016

It’s easy to forget that, beyond the talking robots, vendors dressed as Star Wars characters, and the authors signing books, a range of innovative, useful, and original products and services are on display. The large number of 2016 Modern Library Awards (MLAs) on display by vendors throughout the hall is testament to the quality of … Continue reading Overwhelming: The Exhibit Hall at Midwinter →

Films for Change

By Phil Morehart | January 10, 2016

An unthinkable tragedy led Colin Goddard, the subject of Living for 32, to become a filmmaker. The title of the film references the 32 people murdered in the mass shooting that devastated Virginia Tech in 2007. Goddard was one of the survivors. (He was shot four times, and three of the bullets remain in his … Continue reading Films for Change →

Building Fantastic Worlds for Tweens

By Phil Morehart | January 9, 2016

Moderated by noted fantasy editor Sharyn November, the forum was lively and often filled with laughter, with the authors feeding off the audience’s enthusiasm for the subject and their respective work. Notwithstanding the light tone, serious topics were addressed. Discussing depictions of young girls and boys in their work and in the fantasy genre as … Continue reading Building Fantastic Worlds for Tweens →

Left to right: Donna Seaman, Terry Tempest Williams, Mark Kurlansky, Ken Burns

The Writer as Witness

By Phil Morehart | January 9, 2016

Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and writer Ken Burns’s response when asked how he chooses the subjects of his work encapsulates “The Writer as Witness,” the theme of the ERT / Booklist Author Forum at the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston. A writer must look both outward and inward to completely, accurately, and honestly tell a … Continue reading The Writer as Witness →

Making Music in Your Library

By Phil Morehart | January 4, 2016

MusicFirst Student App Digital music education company MusicFirst has created an app that streamlines music education for students and teachers, using cloud-based solutions. The MusicFirst Student App allows students to continue their in-school music learning outside of the classroom. When connected to a school or library’s MusicFirst Online Classroom subscription, the app lets students view … Continue reading Making Music in Your Library →

Academic Tools

By Phil Morehart | October 30, 2015

Games to test college-level writing Toolwire develops, delivers, and supports immersive learning tools for online and blended learning courses. It’s a new name in game-based learning, but it is already earning accolades for the new directions it’s taking to enhance the educational gaming experience. Through customer feedback and user testing, Toolwire learned that a game’s … Continue reading Academic Tools →

On the Road with Lafayette

By Phil Morehart | October 29, 2015

The Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who fought for the US in the American Revolutionary War, is a ubiquitous but overlooked character in American history. He touched many significant events, people, and places: the Revolution, Herman Melville, Marie Antoinette, and also our modern parks, cities, and roads. The name “Lafayette” is everywhere in the US, … Continue reading On the Road with Lafayette →

Laughlin Withdraws Candidacy for 2017–2018 ALA Presidency

By Phil Morehart | October 16, 2015

“I will forever count the nomination as the high point of my career,” Laughlin said in an October 16 statement. “I was looking forward to meeting many librarians and supporters and learning more about ALA during the next few months, and potentially becoming spokesperson and cheerleader-in-chief for the implementation of ALA’s exciting new strategic plan. With … Continue reading Laughlin Withdraws Candidacy for 2017–2018 ALA Presidency →

Latest Library Links

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Bobbi L. Newman writes: “This week, an article from the BBC caught my attention: ‘Without support, many menopausal workers are quitting their jobs.’ Supporting employees going through menopause is important for those experiencing it and for everyone’s wellbeing. It reflects a commitment to employee wellbeing and a strategic approach to workforce management. Libraries can adopt strategies to support employees experiencing menopause, enhancing their wellbeing and workplace productivity. Remember, with all wellbeing, the goal is to support and empower staff to make the choices that best improve their health. Here are some practical approaches.”

Librarian by Day, Apr. 19; BBC, Apr. 9
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Libraries have a long history of helping to deliver on a wide variety of development goals, from literacy and school readiness to research productivity and urban cohesion. Their unique potential has been recognized not just by the governments or others that traditionally fund them, but also by a range of other funders, private and public alike. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has created a dataset to help librarians easily discover examples of private philanthropic grants, as well as other funding sources, that other libraries have been able to leverage.”

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Apr. 22
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Jackie Jennings writes: “It feels like the debate over whether #BookTok is bad has been raging since the moment the term was first coined. I’m starting off with a strong stance: BookTok is indeed bad. However, the problem with BookTok is not crappy books or bogus influencers. The problem with BookTok is TikTok itself. BookTok isn’t actually a community driven by fans, writers, influencers, or even publishers: it’s part of a social media corporation, controlled by the most mysterious, fickle god of all, the algorithm.” Not surprisingly, librarian recommendations can overcome some of BookTok’s limitations.

Jezebel, Apr. 18; Book Riot, Apr. 22
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ALA announced the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline grant program April 22. Over the next two years, 10 pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, or referral to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, as appropriate. State or school library associations or agencies wishing to either establish an Intellectual Freedom Helpline in their state or expand existing efforts may apply for $10,000 grants through July 14.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 22
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In celebration of the release of his latest nonfiction title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians, bestselling author James Patterson is honoring select American Bookseller Association and American Library Association members with bonuses. He announced plans April 11 to give $200 each to 250 library workers across the country. The deadline for ALA members may nominate members to receive bonuses through April 30. Winners will be announced at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego.
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “In early 2020, when the world shut down for COVID, many people got interested in houseplants. Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library’s Crofton Library embraced this trend and then some!” While preparing to reopen after the COVID shutdown, the library installed plants at the information desk to discourage patrons from sticking their heads through gaps in newly installed acrylic shields. They were well received and cared for, and the library gradually added more plants and built educational tools, programming, and partnerships around the plants.

Public Libraries Online, Apr. 18
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Rodney Freeman writes: “I am proud to be a librarian—and rare. Less than 7% of librarians in the US are Black. Libraries symbolize the literacy that was denied to so many of our ancestors. For our enslaved forebears, something as fundamental as learning to read was illegal and dangerous, but they did it anyway. Separate but ‘equal’ schools and ‘colored’ libraries filled with cast-offs from white libraries were key features of the Jim Crow era. Today we are seeing the same impulse to distort access to information into a tool to suppress and control, and to make some people ‘other.’”

Newsweek, Apr. 16

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