Author Archive: Phil Morehart

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 →

Films offered by Digitalia Film Library (left, center) and India for Everyone (right).

Libraries Go to the Movies

By Phil Morehart | September 22, 2015

Digitalia Film Library The Digitalia Film Library, a division of Spanish-language e-content provider Digitalia Publishing, allows libraries to bring the world of cinema to their patrons. Digitalia offers contemporary and classic fiction and nonfiction films, documentary programming, animation, and television shows from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France, Mexico, Spain, and the US that can be accessed … Continue reading Libraries Go to the Movies →

AIA/ALA Library Building Awards

By Phil Morehart | September 1, 2015 The following libraries are winners of the 2015 Library Building Awards, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ALA’s Library Leadership and Management Association. The biennial award recognizes distinguished accomplishment in library architecture by an architect licensed in the United States for any library in the US or abroad. The awards were presented at … Continue reading →

2015 Library Design Showcase

By Phil Morehart | September 1, 2015

Renovating History The John Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Built in 1910, the John Hay Library at Brown University was brought into the present with recent renovations. In addition to enhanced research spaces in the main reading room and special collections room, the library added a new ADA-accessible entrance and safety and security … Continue reading 2015 Library Design Showcase →

Digitizing History

By Phil Morehart | July 31, 2015

Cambridge goes online Cambridge Archive Editions (CAE), in partnership with East View Information Services, has digitized its collection of British archival documents from the 18th to the 20th century, including original print volumes and accompanying maps, and made them available as online editions via the East View ebook platform. Twenty-five years’ worth of accumulated CAE … Continue reading Digitizing History →

From Book to the Big Screen

By Phil Morehart | July 1, 2015

The release detailed the efforts of four Mexican teens from an impoverished area of Phoenix, Arizona, who were competing in a national underwater robotics championship against students from MIT and other esteemed universities. He ignored the release initially, but it stuck in his mind for weeks. It was just too odd to believe. Giving in … Continue reading From Book to the Big Screen →

Glenn Greenwald speaks via Skype at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition.

No Place to Hide

By Phil Morehart | June 30, 2015

At “No Place to Hide: Whistleblowers Expose the Surveillance State,” a program held at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco, Greenwald discussed the reverberations of his work with Snowden, the importance of privacy, and the failure of the mainstream media to hold the US government accountable for its actions. Participating via … Continue reading No Place to Hide →

The library at the American University of Afghanistan.

Serving Abroad

By Phil Morehart | June 30, 2015

Rebecca Miller, library director at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, and Leila Gibradze, an instructor librarian at Florida State University who hails from Georgia, shared their experiences living and working outside of the United States, detailing the issues, challenges, and needs affecting librarians and libraries, as well as everyday people, in Afghanistan and … Continue reading Serving Abroad →

Image from Bookless at Madison Public Library in 2012

Becoming a Part of Art

By Phil Morehart | June 30, 2015

Presenters Erinn Batykefer, program coordinator at New Canaan (Conn.) Library, Kara West, library arts and culture exhibition manager at San Diego Public Library, and Rebecca Hopman, outreach librarian at the Corning (N.Y.) Museum of Glass cited Madison (Wis.) Public Library’s 2012 Bookless art event, in which the library invited more than 100 artists to create … Continue reading Becoming a Part of Art →

Tag-Team Laughs from Vowell and Offerman

By Phil Morehart | June 28, 2015

So when Vowell and Offerman learned that they were each scheduled to deliver talks on Saturday during the Auditorium Speaker Series, they decided to combine forces and moderate each other’s talks. It was a win-win decision: The pair was able to let their hair down and discuss their work informally and comfortably, while the capacity … Continue reading Tag-Team Laughs from Vowell and Offerman →

Comics Creators Call for More Diversity

By Phil Morehart | June 27, 2015

The first panel, titled “His, Hers, and Theirs: Gender and Comics” discussed how gender is portrayed in comics, the visibility of different gender identities, and the lack of representation in comics. Asked when she first became aware of gender in comics, artist and comics historian Trina Robbins (From Girls to Grrrlz, Pretty in Ink) noted … Continue reading Comics Creators Call for More Diversity →

Apps for That

By Phil Morehart | June 22, 2015

Search Axis with Boopsie Boopsie, a mobile platform-as-a-service provider for more than 4,000 libraries worldwide, has joined forces with digital content, print book, and entertainment product distributor Baker & Taylor to simplify searching for and finding a library’s e-content. The Boopsie mobile app is now integrated with Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 digital media library. … Continue reading Apps for That →

Latest Library Links

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Mackenzie Aucker writes: “Shikellamy (Pa.) Area High School students in the construction trades program are giving a tour of the school’s library they’re renovating. The Shikellamy School Board supported and decided to have the construction trades students do the project—costing around $350,000 to renovate. The high school’s old library was outdated, and so was the technology. Once the library renovation project is complete, it’ll come with many rooms and different amenities. Students hope to have the renovation project completed by the end of September.”

WNEP-TV (Scranton, Pa.), May 16
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Michelle Gagnon writes: “Let’s face it—sometimes you want your crime fiction shaken, not stirred, with a twist of absurdity and a garnish of gallows humor. If you prefer your murder mysteries served with sass, sarcasm, and a healthy dose of chaos, the campy and comedic thriller is where it’s at. And personally, when I fall in love with characters, I want them to stick around for many, many books. These are stories where the danger is real—but so are the laughs.”

Crime Reads, May 15
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Kyle McClenagan writes: “Following the May 3 election results, Katy (Tex.) Independent School District (ISD) students and community members are asking school board members to repeal the Houston-area district’s controversial book and gender policies. The board appointed trustee Lance Redmon as its new president Monday after Katy ISD voters ousted former president Victor Perez, who had championed the policies and campaigned on conservative principles. In August 2024, the board approved a library policy that bans books ‘adopting, supporting, or promoting gender fluidity’ from elementary and junior high libraries in Katy ISD.”

Houston Public Media, May 14
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Seung Min Kim writes: “President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress has morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers. Republican leaders have delivered rare pushback against the president, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente.” The Associated Press reported that it is unclear whether Trump’s nominee for acting librarian of Congress, Todd Blanche, is currently in that role or if Principal Deputy Librarian Robert Newlen is in charge. The Authors Guild has created a petition demanding the reinstatement of fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, and library colleagues from around the world have expressed their support for American librarians in facing federal and other challenges.

Associated Press, May 16, May 15; Authors Guild, May 13; ALA International Relations Office, May 20
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Cali Lichter writes: “For five years, Lowell (Mich.) Area Schools (LAS) Library Media Director Christine Beachler says she has been the target of untruthful, personal social media attacks. After a video of Beachler during a library tour in February, posted by self-described parental rights advocate Stefanie Boone, went viral, she says it pushed it over the edge. On May 13, Beachler filed a civil lawsuit in 17th Circuit Court, asking for damages and for Boone to take down all her posts referencing Beachler.” A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $25,000 to support Beachler’s legal fees.

WZZM-TV (Grand Rapids, Mich.), May 13, 14
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Ginny Monk writes: “Ebook contracts for libraries often come with terms that mean the library has to repurchase the book after it’s been borrowed 26 times or every couple of years, whichever comes first. Connecticut Senate Bill 1234 wouldn’t allow simultaneous restrictions on the loan period and the number of times people can borrow the book.” The Connecticut legislature gave final approval to the bill May 15, sending it to Gov. Ned Lamont for his signature. If he does sign it, the bill will only take effect if one or more other states with a total population of 7 million pass similar legislation. Connecticut library associations celebrated the bill’s passage.

Connecticut Mirror, May 15; Connecticut Library Consortium, May 15
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While ALA welcomed the preliminary injunction ordering the administration not to implement President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, it raised alarm over the administration’s cancellation of the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act grant program as of May 9. The congressionally authorized program was designed to close the digital divide by establishing grants to support broadband access and digital skills training for underserved communities. ALA is collecting information regarding Digital Equity Act grant cancellations to identify the impact of this loss of funding for libraries, and urges library workers who have received grant termination notifications to report their program cancellation and share the impact this loss of funding will have on their library.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 15

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