The Scoop

Asian Americans and Libraries
By Haruko Yamauchi | May 18, 2018
Clarke was one of seven featured librarian panelists at “Supporting the Asian Pacific American Community: Librarians on Diversity, Inclusivity, and Civic Engagement,” a round table held at Pratt Institute’s School of Information in New York City on May 14. Panelists included Clarke’s coeditor Raymond Pun and five of the book’s chapter authors, who discussed issues … Continue reading Asian Americans and Libraries →
Library Supporters Gear Up for “Year-Round Advocacy”
By Shawnda Hines | May 11, 2018
In addition to the participants in Washington, D.C, hundreds of library supporters also registered to participate virtually by connecting with legislators via phone calls, emails, and social media this week. In opening remarks on May 7, ALA President Jim Neal introduced a recurrent theme throughout the livestreamed event: “The thing about advocacy is that it’s … Continue reading Library Supporters Gear Up for “Year-Round Advocacy” →
Dewey Decibel Podcast: Disaster Response
May 9, 2018
First, American Libraries Associate Editor Terra Dankowski talks with Miriam Centeno, a collections care coordinator at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Libraries, who traveled to Puerto Rico to help train librarians in preservation and collections care following Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Centeno shares what she saw and learned during her trip to the storm-damaged … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Disaster Response →
Michelle Obama Named Opening Speaker for Annual
May 7, 2018
On May 7, the American Library Association (ALA) Conference Services Division issued the following press release: Jim Neal, president of the American Library Association, announces that Former First Lady Michelle Obama will open the 2018 ALA Annual Conference. Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is a lawyer, author, and the wife of the 44th President, Barack Obama. Through … Continue reading Michelle Obama Named Opening Speaker for Annual →
ALA Announces Election Ballot Measure Results
April 11, 2018
The proposed amendment to ALA Policy A.4.1.1, which would require ALA’s next executive director to hold an ALA-accredited master’s degree, was not approved. A minimum of 25% of ALA members was required to vote in order to carry the amendment forward. A total of 10,405 voted on this question, representing 20.79% of the eligible voters—3,890 … Continue reading ALA Announces Election Ballot Measure Results →

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Brown Wins 2019–2020 ALA Presidency
April 11, 2018
Brown received 6,066 votes, while her opponent, Peter Hepburn, head librarian of College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, California, received 4,066 votes. As ALA president, Brown will be the chief elected officer for the oldest and largest library association in the world. She will serve as president-elect for one year before stepping into her role … Continue reading Brown Wins 2019–2020 ALA Presidency →
Dewey Decibel Podcast: Money Talk
April 9, 2018
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart talks with Lori Burgess, director of operations at Fond du Lac (Wis.) Public Library and the recipient of a 2012 Wisconsin Financial Literacy Award, about her library’s programs and why financial literacy education is important. Next, Morehart speaks with Heather McCue, a children’s librarian … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Money Talk →
State of America’s Libraries 2018
April 9, 2018
During this time of rapid social change, libraries of all types are providing welcoming spaces to an increasingly diverse population; working with the community to offer social service support and health resources, career, and small business development assistance; and combating fake news by providing tools to assess and evaluate news sources. The function of libraries … Continue reading State of America’s Libraries 2018 →
Making Space for Libraries on Capitol Hill during National Library Week
By Emily Wagner | April 6, 2018
To invite members of Congress and their staffers into the world of library makerspaces, the Washington Office is working with DC Public Library (DCPL) to bring its Fab Lab to Capitol Hill in an event hosted by Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.Mex.) on Wednesday, April 11. Luján is a participant of the Congressional Maker Caucus, … Continue reading Making Space for Libraries on Capitol Hill during National Library Week →
April Foolswatch 2018
By Greg Landgraf | April 5, 2018
A purrfect library Noting the popularity of Bertie, the library cat at the University of Nottingham (England) Hallward Library and inspired by Nottingham’s Kitty Café, Hallward Library announced that it would turn its top floor into the #Cattic, where students can study surrounded by cats. “We’re working closely with our vet school to ensure the … Continue reading April Foolswatch 2018 →
11 Questions with Lorelle Swader
April 2, 2018
As AED, Swader will provide leadership and management for the following ALA groups: Office for Accreditation Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment Office for Intellectual Freedom Library and Research Center Public Programs Office Membership Development Office Member and Customer Service She will also help coordinate and liaise … Continue reading 11 Questions with Lorelle Swader →
A Free and Public-Serving Internet
By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018
“When I was 8 years old, I won one of those bookmark contests,” he told the crowd at his Big Ideas session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. Wu still has the joke book he won for his prize-winning entry. “It was probably one of my proudest achievements of all … Continue reading A Free and Public-Serving Internet →

Latest Library Links

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Donna Bryson writes: “Fantasy fiction was largely dominated by white men in decades past, but today diverse writers are bringing new voices to the conversation, imagining futures based on more inclusive readings of the past and creating multiethnic worlds that can help people understand their own. Certainly, speculative fiction writers since at least Octavia Butler have looked beyond Europe for inspiration. But no longer can they be dismissed as niche. Audiences and readers are flocking to well-drawn worlds inspired by African and Asian countries.”

Christian Science Monitor, May 21
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ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions will host a new session of its 90-minute workshop, “How to Respond to a Security Incident in Your Library” with Steve Albrecht on July 26. Albrecht will take the top 10 security, behavior, crime, and emergency-related incidents that occur in libraries and describe the issues, the concerns, and the responses surrounding them. Registration is through the ALA Store.

eLearning Solutions, May 25
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ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions will host a new 90-minute workshop, “Sensory Storytime Programs” with Jennifer Roy, on July 25. With as many as 1 in 59 children with autism, libraries across the country have begun to recognize and meet the need for an alternative storytime offering. Roy will offer practical strategies so you can better connect with this target audience. Registration is through the ALA Store.

eLearning Solutions, May 25
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The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect May 25, and is likely to have a significant impact on the way libraries around the globe manage personal data. To help libraries consider what they need to do in response to the GDPR, the Association of Research Libraries has published an issue brief on the topic by Anne T. Gilliland, scholarly communications officer for University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Association of Research Libraries, May 24
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What role should public libraries play in civic engagement? That was the question posed to a cross-section of leading thinkers—invitees from public libraries, civic media, technology, collective action, and the arts—at a gathering hosted by the University of Washington Information School’s Technology and Social Change Group. A new TASCHA report documents the ideas shared at the forum by such participants as Brian Bannon (Chicago Public Library); An-Me Chung (Mozilla); and Diego Merizalde (Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia).

University of Washington Information School, May 25
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Maura Brannigan writes: “The fashion industry has been riding a nostalgia wave for several years. For many brands of price-points high and low, this poses a challenge: to create newness while reissuing pieces it designed 10, or 50, or more years ago. How do fashion houses package their past while also contemporizing it, looking to the future? They hire an archivist like Olivia Mueller, archivist at Gap Inc., an MLS graduate of Pratt Institute with an advanced certificate in archives.”

Fashionista, May 17
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Several major US media websites were blocked to Europeans on May 25 as the European Union’s new data protection law kicked in. The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, and other publications owned by Tronc chose to black out readers rather than comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. News sites owned by Lee Enterprises, which include the Arizona Daily Sun and Star papers and the Times of Northwest Indiana, were also unavailable in Europe. Websites run by media firm A+E Networks, including History.com and FYI, were also down.

CNBC, May 25