Author Archive: Stephanie Hlywak

From left: ALA Past President Loida Garcia-Febo; PLA Executive Director Barb Macikas; ALA Past President Sari Feldman; Alan S. Inouye, ALA senior director of public policy and government relations; and Tim Cherubini, executive director of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, outside the offices of Macmillan Publishers on October 30, 2019. Photo: Daniel Root

Library Advocates Deliver Ebook Petition to Macmillan

By Stephanie Hlywak | October 30, 2019

“I traveled from the nation’s capital to New York City, the publishing capital, to stand for the vast number of readers who will be impacted by this discriminatory embargo,” said Alan S. Inouye, the American Library Association’s (ALA) senior director of public policy and government relations. He was joined by past ALA Presidents Loida Garcia-Febo … Continue reading Library Advocates Deliver Ebook Petition to Macmillan →

Wrapping Up Digital Book World 2019

By Stephanie Hlywak | September 13, 2019

On September 12, Burleigh discussed the robust ebook and audiobook lending ecosystem. Rakuten Overdrive began servicing libraries in 2003, before publishers were fully on board with selling to the market. Fast forward 16 years, and Burleigh said one of the best things libraries do for publishers and authors is to offer discoverability. For every borrower … Continue reading Wrapping Up Digital Book World 2019 →

All Things Considered host Michele Norris addresses attendees at the Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Cleveland April 10. Photo: Laurie DeWitt/Pure Light Images

ACRL Opens with Michele Norris

By Stephanie Hlywak | April 11, 2019

That authority and confidence was on full display as she danced onto stage April 10 at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in Cleveland to the Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster.” Noting that it was the first time she’d been asked to select her own “walk out” music, Norris joked she would be … Continue reading ACRL Opens with Michele Norris →

Latest Library Links

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When Greg Hall and Morgan Matens met and fell in love as graduate students over a dozen years ago (he was studying library science; she was studying set design), they had no idea they’d wind up working together. Hall is now children’s librarian at Nashville Public Library (NPL), where Matens is a puppeteer with Wishing Chair Productions, NPL’s in-house puppetry troupe. Sheltering in place together, the couple has collaborated on weekly Facebook videos that bring NPL’s puppets to families across the country. The runaway hit so far is the music video “Curbside Baby,” set to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and featuring a DJ mouse who raps instructions for curbside library services.

American Libraries Bookend, Sept./Oct.
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A new project is helping people see the faces of educators and child care workers who have to wear masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 while at work. Waterloo (Ont.) Public Library launched the button project. Teachers, caregivers, long-term care home staff, and child care workers can send in a photo of themselves, and the library will put it on a button for free, which the person can wear at work.

CBC News, Sept. 14
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In an age of social distancing, public librarians, school librarians, teachers are working together more closely than ever to help students and parents navigate a school year unlike any they’ve experienced. At Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library, librarians administering the Brooklyn Connections program are not only faced with the challenge of reimagining their outreach to the 35 schools and thousands of 4th–12th graders they serve but are also grappling with students’ day-to-day struggles amid the pandemic.

AL: The Scoop, Sept. 18
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As libraries reopen, finding ways to reduce face-to-face interaction will minimize the risk of spreading disease for both library workers and patrons. From managing curbside pickup to integrating printer payment systems that minimize cash transactions, these platforms and apps are helping libraries improve their services during the pandemic.

American Libraries column, Sept./Oct.
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Youth Matters columnist Linda W. Braun writes: “In May, when I learned about the strategic leadership frameworks VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) and VUCA Prime (vision, understanding, clarity, agility) that are often used in business, I began to better understand the ways in which library staffers responded to COVID-19 building closures. I noticed that youth library workers were, understandably, operating in reactive mode.”

American Libraries column, Sept./Oct.
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When Boston College Libraries was forced to close its doors this spring during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodrigo Castro, head librarian for access services, made a list. “I started identifying the tasks that individuals could do remotely versus tasks they could do onsite,” he says. “When you are in this situation, your workforce needs to become flexible.” Castro is one of many library leaders who found themselves managing their teams remotely because of the pandemic, developing new approaches to meet unprecedented challenges and continue providing vital services to the community.

American Libraries Trend, Sept./Oct.
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Winston Szeto writes: “The Dewey Decimal Classification has long been the standard of organizing library collections around the world, but a First Nations tribal council in B.C.’s Central Interior says it will ditch the system because of its colonial legacy. The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is transitioning to the Brian Deer Classification System, which was developed by the late Kahnawake Mohawk librarian Alec Brian Deer in the 1970s. Its taxonomy is based on the geographical locations of Indigenous communities.”

CBC News, Sept. 16

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