Call Number Podcast: School Librarians Adapt to the Pandemic

Conversations about the school library during COVID-19

April 20, 2021

In Episode 61, Call Number with American Libraries talks with school librarians about how they changed their work and services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with three school library media specialists for Goochland County (Va.) Public Schools—Sarah Smith from Goochland Elementary School, Sue Vaughan from Randolph Elementary School, and Zoe Parrish from Byrd Elementary School—about how they bootstrapped a bookmobile to provide free titles to kids learning remotely. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart talks with Melissa Jacobs, director of New York City School Library System and the New York Department of Education’s Department of Library Services, about how librarians in the largest school district in the US operated during the pandemic.

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Call Number with American Libraries Podcast · Episode 61: School Librarians Adapt to the Pandemic

Tagged Under

Valerie Wagley, counselor at Fair Oaks Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia, reads to kids at a bookmobile stop in summer 2020. Photo: Kelli Wood

The Road to Normal

Bookmobiles and outreach staffers take on new roles in a year of COVID-19

Call Number Episode 60: Supporting Seniors during the Pandemic

Call Number Podcast: Supporting Seniors during the Pandemic

Episode 60 looks at library services to older adults during COVID-19

Latest Library Links

11m

Skylar Laird writes: “Seven books must be removed from the library shelves and classrooms of South Carolina’s public schools, while three classics can stay, the state Board of Education decided Nov. 5. The decision was the first time the board considered whether to remove or keep books under a new regulation banning books that contain ‘sexual conduct.’ Instead of waiting for parents to challenge the books locally and appeal districts’ decisions, committee members asked department staff to review books that had already faced local opposition or came up during public hearings for the regulation.”

South Carolina Daily Gazette, Nov. 5; The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), June 25
19h

Amy Bushatz writes: “The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Alaska) School District has agreed to pay $89,000 in legal fees to settle a lawsuit alleging it violated students’ constitutional rights by removing 56 books from library shelves early last year, district officials said November 1. Under the settlement, seven books will remain permanently off district library shelves, officials said. The remaining titles were returned to shelves late this summer at nine high schools, four middle schools, and a correspondence homeschool program. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt.”

Mat-Su Sentinel (Palmer, Alaska), Nov. 1
23h

“Kerri Price is no stranger to ALA. In early September, Price returned to the Association to direct the Office for Accreditation, which promotes and advances education in library and information studies, after five years at the nonprofit Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in Chicago. During her previous tenure at ALA, Price spent 12 years working in the Office for Accreditation and the Governance Office. She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 5
2d

Renaud Foucart writes: “The US Department of Justice may be on the verge of seeking a breakup of Google in a bid to make it less dominant. While this is still a distant prospect, it is being considered in the wake of a series of rulings in the US and the European Union which suggest that regulators are becoming increasingly frustrated by the power of big tech. But what would a breakup of these tech giants achieve for consumers?”

LLRX, Oct. 29
2d

Steven Mintz writes: “For decades, a college or university’s quality was measured by the size of its library collection. The library was the campus’s crown jewel, a towering building at the institution’s center, symbolizing academic prestige. But as collections shift online and physical books move into remote storage, the library’s purpose is now in question. For libraries to maintain their central place within the intellectual life of universities, they must become dynamic, multipurpose hubs that not only provide access to a vast array of digital and physical resources but also actively engage in the broader educational and cultural missions of their institutions.”

Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Gamma, Oct. 28
2d

On November 6, ALA issued a statement following the results of the 2024 US election. The full statement reads as follows: “In response to results of the 2024 US election, ALA vowed to continue its defense of the core values of librarianship in the face of political threats. ‘We know that many of our members are concerned that the election results portend attacks on libraries, library workers, and readers,’ said ALA President Cindy Hohl. ‘Whatever happens, ALA will stand up for all Americans’ freedom to read—and we will need everyone who loves libraries to stand with us.’”

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 6
3d

“Over 1.2 million school-aged children were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2021–2022 school year. Kids who are experiencing homelessness and their caregivers can benefit greatly from the services libraries offer, including computer and printing access, programs and classes, books and other materials, and a place to spend time when their housing situation may not be safe or comfortable. Every school district in the US is required by federal law to have a homeless student liaison, usually called a McKinney-Vento liaison. The good news is that it’s usually pretty easy to find your McKinney-Vento liaison.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 2