A demographic revolution has disrupted the way we age, she said. In fact, the nation’s fastest growing age segment is made up of people over the age of 85. The second fastest is those over the age of 100. Jenkins said she wants to encourage people to look at aging as something to look forward … Continue reading Aging, Disrupted
Theisen’s online video series, Staxpedition, tries to break down these barriers. “We have a will and an enthusiasm, but none of us knows anything about video, and we just really wanted to make them,” she said. Joining Theisen on the panel were Susie Kirk of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and Richert Schnorr of … Continue reading How Do You YouTube?
So Hofschire and her colleagues created a one-page legal-size infographic that summed up more than two decades of data. While it was only a general snapshot, she says, “This was the piece that our users needed to start that conversation with their stakeholders.” And it had a tremendously positive impact. That was three years ago. … Continue reading Data Visualization for the
Rest of Us
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Williams credits his mother, who is a librarian and teacher, for being the biggest influence in his life. Williams is featured in a new READ poster, available at the ALA Store. He responded via email to questions from American Libraries while on tour in Europe. American Libraries: In 30 … Continue reading Newsmaker: Pharrell Williams
At Monday’s “Diverse Books Need Us” program, four panelists—an author, a small publisher, a librarian, and a nonprofit advocate—talked about this topic and ways in which librarians can support the call for more diverse books. Joy Triche, founder of Tiger Stripe Publishing, started the company because she “felt the absence of diverse books for many … Continue reading Diverse Books Need Us
Whenever she’s with librarians, she said she thinks of a Richard Wright essay titled “The Library Card,” in which Wright gets a white coworker to lend him a library card and then forges notes to borrow a book. The notes say things like, “Will you let this boy borrow some books by H. L. Mencken?” … Continue reading Edwidge Danticat: The Power of Books and Librarians
In the first video, he discusses the picture books he grew up with and their evocative powers, as well as his own writing process and how he engages young readers’ imaginations. In the second video, Klassen talks about visiting schools, encouraging students to draw and write, and the roles that librarians can play in connecting … Continue reading An Interview with Caldecott Winner Jon Klassen
Art historian, curator, and Harvard professor Sarah Lewis began her keynote to the roomful of librarians by saying that at age 8, she and her sister “Dewey decimaled” the entire collection of books at their apartment while their mom had stepped out. Lewis, author of the acclaimed debut book The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of … Continue reading Sarah Lewis: The Art of Striving
The four panelists, representing authors, editors, and publishers, emphasized the importance of timelines. “Time management and project management is a big deal,” said Brad Eden, dean of library services at Valparaiso (Ind.) University. A timeline for editing a book needs to factor in calls for proposals, giving authors deadlines, and establishing the editor’s own deadline … Continue reading Get Published
The one-hour, standing-room-only program—titled “The Key to Getting Interviews: Great Cover Letters and Résumés”—was led by ALA Human Resources director Dan Hoppe, who has received thousands of résumés and cover letters over the course of his 18-year HR career. A cover letter, he says, is a “call to action” and should be tailored to the … Continue reading Want to Get Hired?
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews knows how to entertain a crowd. And the hundreds of librarians at the February 2 Wrap Up/Rev Up celebration at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Chicago couldn’t have agreed more. Many danced as Andrews and five members of the New Breed Brass Band opened the celebration with upbeat New Orleans jazz. … Continue reading The Long and Short of Trombone Shorty
“Let me tell you a story,” he began, reading from his new children’s book, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm (Reading Rainbow, 2014). “It’s by one of my favorite authors,” he joked. The book’s plot addresses the issue of finding comfort and support in tough times. Burton said the theme was partly inspired by one … Continue reading LeVar Burton Delights
