Author Archive: Willie M. Miller

Tiziana Dearing speaking alongside Chrismaldi Vasquez, Vetto Casado, and Miguel Figueroa.

Social Innovation and Library Transformation

By Willie M. Miller | January 11, 2016

Dearing, Boston College professor of social work and codirector of the Center for Social Innovation, focused her talk on defining the differences between social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and social enterprise; illustrating cases of social innovation; and creating connections with social innovation and the work of libraries. She also invited audience members to participate in the … Continue reading Social Innovation and Library Transformation →

LITA Top Tech Trends

By Willie M. Miller | January 10, 2016

The first panelist to speak was Jamie Hollier, co-owner and co-CEO of Anneal, a technology consulting company. Her first trend was an increase in interoperability related to data. She discussed ways that interoperability was important to communication, data standards, and infrastructure. With data standards, Hollier identified that the medical industry is creating standards for electronic … Continue reading LITA Top Tech Trends →

Andrew P. Jackson leading the discussion with the ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the NCAAL Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo Credit: Willie Miller)

A Conversation on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the ALA

By Willie M. Miller | August 7, 2015

Providing context for the conversation, Dawes mentioned the latest demographic data on librarians, which shows a slight narrowing of the gender gap but a disconcerting widening of the racial and ethnic gap. Jackson started the conversation by asking how library associations can positively affect the local landscape of conference cities. Orlando, Florida, the site of … Continue reading A Conversation on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the ALA →

From left: Tasha Burton and Charles Wade, founders of Operation Help or Hush; Scott Bonner, director of the Ferguson Public Library; and moderator Leah Gunning Francis at the Ferguson One Year Later panel during the National Conference of African American Librarians. (Photo credit: Gerald Brooks)

Connecting Libraries and Social Justice

By Willie M. Miller | August 6, 2015

Reflecting on the tragic shooting death of Michael Brown and the resulting unrest, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and NCAAL illuminate the role of libraries in meeting the needs of communities working towards social justice. In a short film screened during the 90-minute panel session, Ferguson One Year Later: Community Perspectives—Lessons … Continue reading Connecting Libraries and Social Justice →

Tukufu Zuberi giving the NCAAL opening keynote in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo credit: Willie Miller)

A “Sacred Vocation” Explored

By Willie M. Miller | August 6, 2015

ALA President Sari Feldman was there to greet the crowd and demonstrate support of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in its 45th anniversary year. Feldman discussed the expansion of the Spectrum Scholarship Program and affirmed that libraries must “reflect the diverse communities we serve.” She continued, “Libraries must not only be … Continue reading A “Sacred Vocation” Explored →

A memorial to Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

NCAAL Unofficially Begins with a Pilgrimage to Ferguson

By Willie M. Miller | August 5, 2015

The tour, which was offered before the opening session of the 9th Annual National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL), gave librarians insight into the city’s history and culture. The tour started at the “Black Diamonds Walk of Fame,” an alternative to the more widely known St. Louis Walk of Fame on Delmar Boulevard. This … Continue reading NCAAL Unofficially Begins with a Pilgrimage to Ferguson →

Latest Library Links

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Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey and Lexi Lepof write: “On December 3, Knox County (Tenn.) schools received a list from the district of books to be removed from school libraries under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Knox County’s board of education voted in July, passing a policy to remove ‘explicit’ books from everyday student access in response to the new law. Some of the books on the list of nearly 50 titles might surprise parents. Among those to be removed are Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.”

WVLT-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dec. 4
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Joe Foley writes: “Copyright rules vary from country to country and have changed over time. In the US, works created between 1929 and 1963 that gave notice and renewed copyright have 95 years from their first publication date. That means that on January 1, 2025, a host of works from 1929 will enter the public domain. This means that copyright will expire on Buck Rogers, Captain Easy, Horace Horsecollar, Tintin, Hal Foster’s first Tarzan comic strips and, yes, Popeye.” Other notable works entering public domain in the United States include the Marx Brothers’ first film, The Cocoanuts, contralto Marian Anderson’s first record, and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10
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Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 9
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Karen O’Grady writes: “I am the embedded librarian for the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. I am surrounded by nursing faculty, staff, and students rather than by librarians. This has proven to be an incredible gamechanger for the way I see things. Every student in my school knows me by name. I am often stopped in the hallway to answer questions. Every correct answer I give increases my authority and builds trust. Through these casual mini-lessons, this foreign animal called ‘librarian’ slowly becomes an approachable, knowledgeable person.”

College & Research Libraries News, Dec.
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ALA has selected 46 participants for its 2025 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The EL program allows library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. The group will take part in a day-long session during the 2025 LibLearnX conference in Phoenix this January and work for six months, culminating in a poster session at ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia in June, where they will highlight results of their project planning work.

ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, Dec. 4
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On December 9, ALA announced a $25 million bequest by James W. Lewis, of Washington, D.C. The gift, the largest individual bequest in ALA’s history, will fund scholarships for aspiring librarians with demonstrated financial needs. Throughout Lewis’s career at Merrill Lynch, where he leads the Lewis Group as senior vice president and senior relationship manager, he has demonstrated his commitment to libraries and their communities by generously volunteering his time, including as a member of the Board of Visitors at the library of his alma mater, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He also served as a Library Trustee Board member at District of Columbia Public Library for 10 years.”

AL: The Scoop, Dec. 9
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Tess Prendergast writes: “I will never forget the surprised look on one mom’s face during storytime when I dropped a tip—technically called an aside—about how rhyming helps babies differentiate sounds and prepares them for reading. “You mean that all this singing will help her in school?” she asked. “I thought we were just doing this for fun!” Early literacy activities are certainly fun—but also valuable. Many parents and caregivers aren’t aware that simple, everyday activities can benefit their child’s early language and literacy development and have a lasting positive impact on their learning.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

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