The Scoop

Museum and Library Services Act Stalls in House
By Kevin Maher | December 14, 2018
In closed-door meetings in November, the House and Senate negotiated a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to move MLSA (S. 3530) forward. The Senate, with the assent of the library community, accepted changes requested by the House Republican majority prior to the bill passing the Senate on December 4 by unanimous consent. In return, the House committed … Continue reading Museum and Library Services Act Stalls in House →
E-Content Challenges Ahead
By Alan S. Inouye | December 14, 2018
As ALA’s senior director of public policy and government relations, I joined ALA president Loida Garcia-Febo and Sari Feldman, senior policy fellow and past president of ALA and executive director of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library, for separate meetings with Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, the Book … Continue reading E-Content Challenges Ahead →
Lame-Duck Library Advocacy
By Kathi Kromer | December 6, 2018
Passage of the MLSA would reauthorize the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), reinforcing the agency—and America’s libraries—as a priority for the federal government. The proposed MLSA mirrors the previous authorization, which expired in 2016. The new legislation authorizes IMLS through 2025 and contains improvements to enable more libraries on tribal lands to participate … Continue reading Lame-Duck Library Advocacy →
2018 I Love My Librarian Winners Announced
December 4, 2018
“Our nation’s librarians work tirelessly and selflessly to better lives in their communities,” American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo said in a December 3 statement. “I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to this year’s I Love My Librarian Award recipients. I stand in awe of their contributions to transforming lives through courage, … Continue reading 2018 I Love My Librarian Winners Announced →
Sharing Space
By Sally Stieglitz | November 30, 2018
The NASA Social program, originally called NASA Tweetups, began in 2009 and has included thousands of participants for events that range from several hours to two days. NASA “socialites” receive the same access to press events as journalists—with additional exclusive behind-the-scenes access to NASA facilities, scientists, and engineers—and are encouraged to use their social media … Continue reading Sharing Space →

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Dewey Decibel Podcast: Get a Job!
November 27, 2018
First, ALA Editions acquisitions editor and Dewey Decibel contributor Jamie Santoro speaks with Caitlin Williams, author of Be Opportunity-Minded: Start Growing Your Career Now (ALA Editions, 2019), about tips for those on the job hunt and job market trends. Next, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries associate editor Phil Morehart talks with David Connolly, recruitment … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Get a Job! →
California Libraries in Wildfires’ Wake
By Timothy Inklebarger | November 16, 2018
“Miraculously, the Paradise branch of the Butte County Library system is still standing,” says Butte County Library Director Melanie Lightbody, noting that it’s one of the only remaining structures in the town. The remaining five branches in the system are still operational and have become information centers, offering computers, Wi-Fi, and printers to help displaced … Continue reading California Libraries in Wildfires’ Wake →
Focusing on Teen Needs
By Jamie Santoro | November 7, 2018
Three key takeaways from the symposium: Students need computational thinking (CT) to succeed. YALSA 2018 Symposium attendees had an opportunity to experience CT in action in “It’s True: Computational Thinking and Libraries Are a Perfect Match,” an interactive session led by Marijke Visser, associate director and senior policy advocate for the American Library Association’s Public … Continue reading Focusing on Teen Needs →
YALSA 2018 Symposium Celebrates YA Literature
By Jamie Santoro | November 5, 2018
Sabaa Tahir, author of the An Ember in the Ashes series, talked about the first time she saw herself in a book. It was in the 4th grade, she said, and there was a Muslim character in the story—the first one she had ever seen. She said she checked out the book 50 times in … Continue reading YALSA 2018 Symposium Celebrates YA Literature →
Libraries and the 2020 Census
By Tracy Strobel | October 30, 2018
On October 25 at the Chicago Public Library, ALA—alongside partners Forefront, Voices for Illinois Children, and the US Census Bureau—explored how to create the most inclusive count possible. This meeting was part of a Census Solutions Workshop, one of many being hosted around the country. The room was packed with nearly 80 participants, including roughly … Continue reading Libraries and the 2020 Census →
Library Zombie Workshop Is a No-Brainer Success
By Anne Ford | October 30, 2018
That’s what it took to come up with the idea of the Zombie Pandemic Preparedness Workshop, held October 25 at Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library’s (GCPL) Suwanee branch. The workshop taught attendees how to plan and prepare for a real-life pandemic. Participants learned crucial tips such as the importance of having an emergency supply kit … Continue reading Library Zombie Workshop Is a No-Brainer Success →
Hour of Code $500 Mini-Grants Available
By Alan S. Inouye | October 26, 2018
“We hope these grants will build excitement for CSEdWeek and encourage libraries to start their own computational thinking (CT) programs,” says Marijke Visser, associate director and senior policy advocate in ALA’s Washington Office and lead on the Ready to Code team. Libraries Ready to Code, an ALA initiative sponsored by Google, aims to ensure libraries … Continue reading Hour of Code $500 Mini-Grants Available →

Latest Library Links

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Hundreds of people joined in with protest action at Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea libraries in the UK on December 15 and took out the maximum of 14 items allowed per patron. Their action came after Essex County Council announced it wanted to close the libraries unless volunteers are willing to run them. Rosalind Scott, one of the Wivenhoe protest organizers, said: “The book borrowing machines were not working and that meant there were long queues but it became like a big party and demonstrated we need our librarians.”

Colchester (UK) Daily Gazette, Dec. 18
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Katherine Martinko writes: “Visiting libraries wherever you go is a wonderful way to get to know a city. But not all libraries are created equal. They can be big, small, public, private, academic, national, kid-oriented, quiet, or lively. So how does one go about finding the best libraries to visit that suit one’s interests and company? A new blog called Library Planet, launched at the beginning of December by two Danish library lovers, Christian Lauersen and Marie Engberg Eiriksson, allows travelers to share descriptions and photos of the libraries they visit all around the world.”

TreeHugger, Dec. 14
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Bryan J. McCormick, director of Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, Wisconsin, writes in a letter to the editor: “Dear Speaker Paul Ryan, I am asking for you to please hear bill S3530 in the House, reauthorizing funding for the Museum and Library Services Act. In Wisconsin, funding has been used to set up our statewide delivery of library materials, strengthen our broadband networks, provide access to databases for research, and digitize historical documents, as well as many other worthwhile projects. I feel that the return on investment for this program is one of the highest that receives federal funding.”

Janesville (Wis.) Gazette, Dec. 17
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A panel created by President Trump to help prevent future school shootings called December 18 for getting rid of Obama administration guidance aimed at making sure nonwhite students aren’t disciplined more harshly than their peers. In its report, the Federal Commission on School Safety also encouraged schools to “seriously consider” arming certain school staff members, in partnership with local law enforcement to ensure proper training. But it did not suggest arming school staff—a measure supported by Trump—become a federal mandate.

Education Week, Dec. 18
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On the morning of September 2, the world woke to the news that Brazil’s National Museum in Rio de Janeiro had caught fire, destroying one of Latin America’s oldest and most important scientific and cultural institutions. Princeton University’s newly established Brazil LAB (Luso-Afro-Brazilian studies), along with the Princeton University Library and Princeton University Press, is partnering with the Postgraduate Program in Social Anthropology based at the National Museum to replace damaged or lost books and materials in the Francisca Keller Library, the principal anthropology library in Brazil.

Princeton University, Dec. 17
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The ALA Intellectual Freedom Manual Review Working Group, which reviewed all documents in preparation for the next edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, recommended consideration of updating the Library Bill of Rights in a narrow manner to add an Article VII focused on the concept of ensuring privacy and confidentiality for library users. The Intellectual Freedom Committee would appreciate feedback on this article draft by December 21. Comments can be posted on the Google Doc draft itself.

ACRL Insider, Dec. 14
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Georgina Trebbe writes: “I recently became curious about how the word ‘literacy’ has been paired with other words to create terms all librarians use within their practice. Curiosity surfaced when I read the term ‘innovation literacy.’ Thinking I had hit upon a new concept, I was eager to share. I quickly added innovation literacy to my list of literacies offered within the courses I teach. But something gnawed at me. Did I really understand how the word literacy was consistently being used when defining a specific term? I needed to gain a better understanding of the word.”

Knowledge Quest blog, Dec. 18

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