The Scoop

Kennedy’s Retirement and Library Issues
By Anne Ford | July 16, 2018
American Libraries asked Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and an attorney by training, to reflect on Kennedy’s rulings and impact. “Kennedy was certainly a free speech advocate,” says Caldwell-Stone. She points to United States v. American Library Assn., the 2003 case in which the court ruled … Continue reading Kennedy’s Retirement and Library Issues →
OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment
July 10, 2018
“Recent updates to Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights does not establish any new right to conduct hate speech in libraries. ALA does not endorse hate groups and does not seek to normalize hate speech,” said LaRue. “The interpretation reflects the current legal climate libraries face when providing the public with … Continue reading OIF Responds to Library Bill of Rights Meeting Room Amendment →
ALA Honors African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation
July 3, 2018
Resolution to Honor African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation Whereas the system of “Jim Crow” laws and customs officially existed into the 1960s—a century after the official end of slavery in the United States; Whereas virulent racism, disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually … Continue reading ALA Honors African Americans Who Fought Library Segregation →
2018 Best Apps and Websites for Teaching and Learning
June 28, 2018
The apps recognized in 2018 are: Clips Complete Fairytale Play Theatre Engaging Congress Google Spotlight Stories Google Translate GooseChase Hopscotch: Make Games Human Anatomy Atlas 2018 Incredibox Libby Metaverse – AR Browser, Office Lens PBS KIDS Games PBS KIDS Video Periodic Table Pixie Procreate PuppetMaster Recap RelationShapes Science Journal SDG in Action Seeing AI Signed … Continue reading 2018 Best Apps and Websites for Teaching and Learning →
We’re All in It Together
By Carli V. Lowe | June 27, 2018
Jason Kruse, undergraduate engagement librarian at Northwestern University; Amy Wainwright, outreach and student engagement librarian at John Carroll University; Kristen Mastel, outreach and instruction librarian at University of Minnesota; and John M. Jackson, head of outreach and communications for the library at Loyola Marymount University, introduced us to their strategies with a level of enthusiasm … Continue reading We’re All in It Together →

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Preservation Showdown: Environmental Edition
By Carli V. Lowe | June 27, 2018
The debate was moderated by Kara McClurken, director of preservation services at the University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville. The panel took place as part of the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans Monday, June 25. As the debate opened, McClurken explained that some of the debaters had been asked to defend … Continue reading Preservation Showdown: Environmental Edition →
Spectrum’s Significance
By Carli V. Lowe | June 27, 2018
The Spectrum Leadership Institute is a a three-day experience that highlights cross-cultural models of leadership and features national library and community leaders. It is open to participants in the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program, which actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander students to … Continue reading Spectrum’s Significance →
“I Can’t See Not Giving Me to You”
By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2018
Danley is a national and international slam poetry champion, the Maryland Library Association’s 2018 Poet of the Year, and a Kennedy Center master teaching artist. She closed the Auditorium Speaker Series on Monday, June 25 at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibits in New Orleans with a warm and sometimes humorous performance addressing powerful … Continue reading “I Can’t See Not Giving Me to You” →
Top 10 Tweets—Tuesday Edition
By Heather Cho | June 26, 2018
You wore your nice socks. dressed up fancy in my @OutofPrintTees banned books #socks for the last day of #alaac18 pic.twitter.com/QABM6rzfZu — Louisa Lebwohl (@llebwohl) June 26, 2018 You made it to the Closing General Session. https://twitter.com/kjanek/status/1011629531881525248 And you’re happy you did. Almost in tears listening to @violadavis tell us how libraries provide access to … Continue reading Top 10 Tweets—Tuesday Edition →
An AI Lab in a Library
By George M. Eberhart | June 26, 2018
“AI began to be used more in the 1980s, when expert systems were developed to mimic the human decision-making process,” Kim said. The technology has advanced profoundly because the internet “allows a vaster scale of data, and high-speed computing has multiplied the power of processing.” Advances in artificial neural networks have produced a technique called … Continue reading An AI Lab in a Library →
Urging Leaders and Moving Diverse Librarians’ Careers Forward
By Carli V. Lowe | June 26, 2018
Panelists reflected on their paths to their current leadership positions, and shared advice with a room full of current MLIS students and recent graduates. The panel included Anthony Davis from California State University, Fullerton; Nancy Kirkpatrick from Midwest Collaborative for Library Services; Cynthia Hohl from Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library; and Kirk MacLeod from the Open … Continue reading Urging Leaders and Moving Diverse Librarians’ Careers Forward →
2018’s Top Tech Trends
By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2018
Independent technology consultant Marshall Breeding moderated the discussion, which focused on upcoming technological shifts such as: Quantum Computing Jason Bengtson, assistant director of library IT services at Kansas State University Libraries, kicked things off by explaining quantum computing. While traditional, digital computers use bits (which store a 1 or 0), a quantum computer uses qubits, … Continue reading 2018’s Top Tech Trends →

Latest Library Links

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Samuel Hansen writes: “ I am here to tell you about a couple of databases you will likely never lay your eyes on. They have some of the coolest features and are great examples of what we should be pushing all of our research databases to become. The two major mathematics databases are MathSciNet and zbMath. Both of these databases had a previous existence in print form. The first thing you are likely to notice about them is that they do not simply index and abstract, but they also review many of the publications.”

Hack Library School, July 16
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Michelle Kraft writes: “We have heard of the donut hole for Medicare prescription drug coverage, where people experience a gap in their prescription drug eligibility. I think there is also a donut hole for medical information. There are doctors, nurses, and researchers who are affiliated with an institution (but not officially part of the institution), or those in private practice who have privileges but are not employed by a hospital. These people often fall in the donut hole. As hospital libraries disappear and budgets shrink, the hole will get bigger.”

Krafty Librarian, July 16
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Anne Ford writes: “After 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his intention to retire at the end of July. What does his decision—and his potential replacement by Trump nominee Brett Kavanaugh—mean for libraries and other advocates of intellectual freedom? American Libraries asked Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom and an attorney by training, to reflect on Kennedy’s rulings and impact.”

AL: The Scoop, July 16
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The ALA Learning Round Table has chosen Sara White, youth services senior librarian at the Seminole County (Fla.) Public Library, to receive the 2018–2019 Pat Carterette Professional Development Grant. White will use the $1,000 grant to attend the Power Up conference in March 2019.

Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, July 16
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Leslie Nemo writes: “When Jessica Yates became the new adult programming librarian at the Taylor County (Ky.) Public Library, she was surprised by the popularity of its chair yoga class, but she was even more surprised to see older patrons regain their ability to tie their shoes after regular sessions. More libraries are offering fitness classes as they pivot toward the free services today’s patrons want. While national programs haven’t been officially tallied, the research that exists shows library fitness is no small quirk.”

The Outline, July 16
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The winners of the 2017 Shirley Jackson Awards, given in recognition of “outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic” during the previous year, were announced July 15 at Readercon in Quincy, Massachusetts. The award for best novel went to The Hole by Hye-young Pyun, in translation by Sora Kim-Russell. The award for best novella ended in a tie between Samantha Schweblin’s Fever Dream, in translation by Megan McDowell, and Lindsey Drager’s The Lost Daughter Collective.

Book Riot, July 16
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ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo has unveiled a variety of programs and tools to engage, retain, and expand ALA’s international members. From free webinars to opportunities for engagement with librarians from various countries, Garcia-Febo in conjunction with her International Relations Advisory Committee, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the ALA International Relations Office, will work to increase awareness regarding international topics affecting our profession.

International Relations Office, July 16

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