Author Archive: Terra Dankowski

Presenters at “Reclaiming Subject Access to Indigenous Knowledge,” a session during the International Federation of Library Associations’ 2016 World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio.

Removing Barriers to Indigenous Knowledge

By | August 18, 2016

Librarians from the Philippines, Canada, and the United States discussed their research on the barriers to accessing indigenous materials, ideas to modify metadata and subject headings, and obstacles to implementing new cataloging and classification systems. Cristina Villanueva, librarian at the University of the Philippines Baguio, presented her findings on classifying and indexing Philippine indigenous materials, … Continue reading Removing Barriers to Indigenous Knowledge →

Marty Sklar, former president of Disney Imagineering, headlines the Association for Library Service to Children President's Program at ALA's Annual Conference on Monday. Photo: Cognotes

Inspiring Creativity with Design and Space

By | June 29, 2016

Medlar wanted his Charlemae Rollins President’s Program to celebrate the places the organization chooses for conferences and what’s special about them. “Among the special things here [in Orlando, Florida] are these theme-park spaces,” he said. With that, he turned the program over to Marty Sklar, former president of Walt Disney Imagineering, who spoke about his … Continue reading Inspiring Creativity with Design and Space →

The Inclusive and Impactful Teen Services panel.

Making Teen Services Inclusive and Impactful

By | June 28, 2016

How do we as librarians effectively serve today’s teens? That question was at the center of “3-2-1 Impact!: Inclusive and Impactful Teen Services,” Young Adult Library Services Association President Candice Mack’s President’s Program. Six speakers presented their programming successes at the American Library Association’s 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition on Monday, in hopes that their stories would inspire colleagues and enable them to have similar impact in their communities.

Jazz Jennings speaks with Chris Shoemaker.

Jazz Jennings Speaks to Self-Acceptance and Survival

By | June 28, 2016

Find your tribe. That’s what teen author, speaker, and trans rights activist Jazz Jennings, at the onset of her Auditorium Speaker Series session at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition on Monday, encouraged those in the LGBTQ community who do not have the support of their families to do.

Robbie Barber

Marketing Your Library

By | June 27, 2016

Robbie Barber, media and education tech instructor at Woodland Middle School in Decatur, Georgia, kicked off her “Marketing Your Library: Developing Relationships Through Public Relations” session in a unique way: She shared her failures.

Jodi Shaw, Mary Beth Lock, Madeleine Charney, Raymond Pun

Striving for Sustainability

By | June 27, 2016

You might not give much thought to urban agriculture, campus conversations, reusable mugs, or student programs in the context of libraries or climate change, but the four librarians presenting “Planting the Seeds: Libraries and Librarians as Change Agents for Sustainability in Their Communities,” a session sponsored by the Sustainability Round Table at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, think these all have a role in combating environmental problems.

Jacquie Welsh, Leo Hayden, and Susan Woodwick

Preparing Inmates for Life After Prison

By | June 27, 2016

Jacquie Welsh was looking to undertake a project during her two-year residency at Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), so she asked herself the question: “How can we innovate to make our libraries more accessible and more just?” What resulted was Pathways, a program designed to provide resources to those reentering the community after prison.

Richard Kong, Barbara Gubbin, Kate Park

Libraries That Listen

By | June 26, 2016

Moderated by Dick Waters, principal consultant with Godfrey’s Associates, the program offered both Friends group and library director perspectives on how leveraging what your customers and advocates tell you can create change. Kate Park, executive director of Friends of the Dallas Public Library, talked about how when she started in 2012, the 23 Friends groups … Continue reading Libraries That Listen →

"Harnessing Research and Data to Advance Readers' Advisory Services" panel

Improving Readers’ Advisory with Data and Research

By | June 25, 2016

When you hear the phrase “readers’ advisory,” do you think of the single librarian recommending books to the individual user in the library? The three presenters at “Harnessing Research and Data to Advance Readers’ Advisory Services,” a program sponsored by the Reference and User Services Association at the American Library Association’s 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition, challenged attendees to start thinking about readers’ advisory in a more holistic, aggregate, and data-informed way so that they could better serve their communities.

Michael Eric Dyson Delivers Energetic Opening Session

By | June 25, 2016

Dyson dazzled the crowd with his punchy, poetic style, tackling social issues and recent events, and expressing his love for libraries and books. “I’m a Luddite—I like the feel of the papyrus,” Dyson said. “I like the smell of the page, the decaying fragmented text that immediates intelligence. I am a fan of books.” He … Continue reading Michael Eric Dyson Delivers Energetic Opening Session →

At the Open Textbook Network’s Summer Institute, members build community and address obstacles to advancing open educational resources on campus. Photo: University of Minnesota

Pushing for Open Textbooks

By | May 31, 2016

But with prices skyrocketing—the cost of textbooks has increased 73% since 2006, according to a 2016 report by the Student Public Interest Research Groups—some libraries and networks are using creative incentives to get OERs into the classroom. Texas A&M University Libraries, in partnership with the school’s student government, has established what it believes to be the … Continue reading Pushing for Open Textbooks →