Blog | American Libraries Magazine

Referenda Roundup 2019: Final Report

How states performed on library measures
By Anne Ford | November 12, 2019
How the CPS Strike Affected Chicago School Librarians

What the 11-day strike could mean for the city’s school librarians going forward
By Timothy Inklebarger | November 8, 2019
Unauthorized Practice of Law in the Library

Considerations for librarians facing legal questions
By Anthony Aycock | November 6, 2019
Special Report: Democracy in Action

Prepping your library for the 2020 elections
November 1, 2019
Connecting with Congress

How libraries can build relationships with elected officials through year-round advocacy
By Lara Ewen | November 1, 2019
Discourse for Democracy

Promoting civic literacy with forums
By Greg Landgraf | November 1, 2019
Civic Involvement

By the numbers
By Diana Panuncial | November 1, 2019
Countdown to the Vote

Libraries ramp up engagement and outreach efforts for 2020
By Emily Udell | November 1, 2019
Check Your Facts

Libraries use tech tools to fight fake news
By Jessica Cilella | November 1, 2019
Media Literacy in an Age of Fake News

Prepare your users for the pitfalls of misinformation
By George M. Eberhart | November 1, 2019
Advocacy Tips from ALA’s Policy Corps
November 1, 2019
Nontraditional Approaches to Reaching Local Leaders

Engaging elected officials through informal and memorable events
By Carrie Smith | November 1, 2019

Latest Library Links

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Jenny Rosenfeld writes: “Recently, the interlibrary loan staff at the Loyola Notre Dame Library tracked the locations around the world from which they borrow and lend library materials. The exercise was prompted by a student who, after being shown ILL by staff members Kate Strain and Zach Gahs-Buccheri, asked, ‘What’s the farthest library that you’ve gotten an item from?’ Turns out the answer was the Dalton McCaughey Library at the University of Melbourne in Australia, which is 10,038 miles from Loyola in Baltimore. What a great example of how ILL makes us one big library with endless shelves.”

OCLC Next, Nov. 14
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LITA and Baker & Taylor are accepting applications for the Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship for those who plan to follow a career in library and information technology, demonstrate potential leadership, and hold a strong commitment to library automation. The successful applicant will receive a $3,000 check and a citation. The application form is open through March 1.

LITA, Nov. 14
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Carrie Smith writes: “Think election season is the only time libraries can engage communities with elected officials? Think again. Not only have some libraries taken year-round approaches to civic engagement, but some also have broken with tradition to create memorable opportunities for interaction. At Manitowoc (Wis.) Public Library, which hosts a free carnival every August, local representatives such as the mayor and aldermen hop into a dunk tank or serve as targets for the water-balloon catapult. Youth Services Manager Julia Lee says getting local celebrities in the dunk tank helps break down barriers between residents and officials.”

American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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Anne Ford writes: “Finding love after 50 isn’t always easy. Social norms change, life events like divorce and death leave emotional scars, and it sometimes feels as if the rest of the world has already paired off. Fortunately, there’s the library—not as a place to make romantic connections per se, but as a resource for older adults who want to learn how to navigate the world of online dating. Several public libraries have begun offering programs that help older patrons safely and effectively meet potential partners on the internet. Among those are Westport (Conn.) Public Library, Skokie (Ill.) Public Library, and Billings (Mont.) Public Library.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
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The New York Times Magazine editors write: “The internet hasn’t lived up to all our dreams for it. But neither, perhaps, does it conform to the nightmares (of misinformation, of alienation, of exploitation) that so many people spin around it now. In this special issue of the New York Times Magazine, we’ve tried to see the internet and its likely future as best we can, from as many angles as we can, in the hope that—after decades of imagining it as a utopia, and then a few years of seeing it as a dystopia—we might finally begin to see it for what it is, which is a set of powerful technologies in the midst of some serious flux.”

New York Times Magazine, Nov. 14
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Joe Puccio writes: “In January 2017, the Library of Congress adopted a set of strategic steps related to its acquisition of digital content as part of its strategic goal to ‘Acquire, preserve, and provide access to a universal collection of knowledge and the record of America’s creativity.’ There have been many notable achievements since then, including registration of newspaper e-prints by the Copyright Office, an increase in the number of publishers participating in Cataloging in Publication, a first-ever formal assessment of library’s purchased and leased electronic resources collection, and a model electronic resources license agreement.”

Library of Congress: The Signal, Nov. 14
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The Jeopardy! rematch we’ve all been waiting for is finally happening: Las Vegas sports gambler James Holzhauer will once again get to face Emma Boettcher, the University of Chicago librarian who took down Holzhauer in the middle of a 32-game winning streak. Boettcher won her semi-final game in the show’s Tournament of Champions on November 11 and Holzhauer did the same on November 12. It will be a two-day final on November 14 and November 15. The winner—who will be determined by the two-day totals in those games—will receive $250,000, second place gets $100,000, and third gets $50,000.

USA Today: For the Win, Nov. 13