Author Archive: Stephanie Hlywak

Mazie K. Hirono Opens Inaugural LibLearnX

By Stephanie Hlywak | January 22, 2022

Both women represent important firsts for the organizations they represent. Hirono is the first female senator to represent Hawaii and the only first-generation immigrant to serve in the Senate; she was born in Japan and came to the US with her mother when she was 8 years old. Wong is the first Asian American president … Continue reading Mazie K. Hirono Opens Inaugural LibLearnX →

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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Sallyann Price writes: “As both academic and municipal libraries work to make their buildings, programming, and collections accessible to all patrons, they’re considering exactly what it means to be a public-serving institution. What are the obligations of a public or private university to its local and global community? How have public libraries extended a sense of welcome to their patrons while safeguarding their rarest and most special collections? A panel discussed these questions January 23 at ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference. ‘In the realm of public libraries, I absolutely think that our mission is to serve everyone in the public, everyone who walks through the door,’ said Maria McCauley, director of Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library and president-elect of the Public Library Association. ‘It’s also our responsibility to make an extra effort to provide equitable service to those who don’t walk through the door for one reason or another.'”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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Carrie Smith writes: “When the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closings and a shift to remote learning, Sarah Evans, assistant professor at University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, and Lance Simpson, research and instructional services librarian at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, knew that more needed to be done to reach rural residents. ‘A lot of folks in rural areas were being cut off or cut out of this setup,’ Simpson notes. So they turned to a medium they knew was effective for connecting with these communities: radio.”
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Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “What is it like living inside a moment? That’s what bestselling author Jacqueline Woodson asked herself during the pandemic—and, in turn, asked attendees of ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference on January 23 from her home in Brooklyn. ‘None of us saw this coming,’ said Woodson. ‘One day we walked into our classrooms, we walked into our libraries, we walked into our jobs, and the next day we didn’t.’ Woodson read from her 2018 middle-grade title Harbor Me, which tells the story of six students who, every week, were allowed to talk among themselves about the pains and struggles they had to hide from the rest of the world. She chose that book, she said, because the young characters also get a sudden change that awakens them, and it ‘is a moment where they are asked to reimagine a world where their voices are heard, where their stories matter.’ “

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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On January 24, the American Library Association division Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures announced its 2022 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists. The lists are composed of notable children’s and young adult science fiction published between November 2020 and October 2021 and organized into three age-appropriate categories. Annotated lists are available at sfnotables.org.

Core, Jan. 24
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On January 24, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at the Youth Media Awards, held at the inaugural LibLearnX virtual conference. The Last Cuentista, written by Donna Barba Higuera, is the 2022 Newbery Medal winner. Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin, is the 2022 Caldecott Medal winner. Read on for more winners and honorees.

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 24
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Sallyann Price writes: “Actor and comedian Molly Shannon is perhaps best known for the larger-than-life characters she created over six seasons as a Saturday Night Live cast member. She talked about the vulnerability that forged those characters—and the real-life personalities that populate her forthcoming memoir Hello, Molly! (Ecco, April)—at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX conference on January 23 in conversation with author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. ‘I have so much respect for what you do and for writers in general,’ Shannon told Sweeney. ‘I think it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, ever. Way harder than performing.’ “

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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Sanhita SinhaRoy writes: “How do you address low morale at your organization? What can you do to foster more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recruitment and retention? In her 15-minute ShopTalk session, “3 Reasons Your DEI Programs Are Not Working,” Elaina Norlin presented research and anecdotes from consulting on DEI issues to attendees of ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference on January 23. Norlin, author of The Six-Step Guide to Library Worker Engagement (ALA Editions, 2021) and professional development and DEI program coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, said that recent studies show 92% of DEI trainings fail on multiple levels and can create more harm than good.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23

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