Dewey Decibel Podcast: Insider’s Guide to New Orleans

Things to do during the 2018 ALA Annual Conference

June 19, 2018

On Thursday, June 21, it begins: the American Library Association’s 2018 Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans. Thousands of librarians, library workers, book vendors, students, and scholars will descend upon the Crescent City for five days of programs, speakers, exhibit hall wanderings, and more. It’ll be a packed, long weekend, but the action isn’t limited to the confines of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. New Orleans is a city known for its pleasures, be it food, music, historical sights, or nightlife.

So what to do? Episode 27 features must-see and must-eat recommendations from two folks who know New Orleans well. First, American Libraries Associate Editor Terra Dankowski talks with David Slater, director of culinary development for famed New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants. David shares his favorite places to eat and drink in the city.

Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Shellie Lister, a librarian and public relations and community coordinator at St. Tammany Parish Library, which produces an excellent podcast on New Orleans culture and literacy. Lister discusses the city’s literary landmarks as well as some off-the-beaten-path sights to enjoy.

If you have feedback for the Dewey Decibel team, email deweydecibel@ala.org. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, or what you’d like to see us cover. Follow us on Twitter and leave us a review on iTunes.

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Shrimp and grits at Surrey’s. Photo: Paul Broussard

Big Easy Eats

Dining, New Orleans–style

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews will appear at Annual Conference on June 22. Photo: Mathieu Bitton

2018 Annual Conference Preview

New Orleans | June 21–26, 2018

Latest Library Links

13h

Sheila Craft-Morgan writes: “Citations are a key measure of the impact of a researcher’s work. However, research in a variety of disciplines has found that women are less likely to be cited than men; citations contain geographic bias; and the Matthew effect—in which those who begin with advantage continue to gain advantage—leads to more citations for prominent scholars in a specific discipline. These findings contribute to the notion that scholarly knowledge comes from a homogenous group of researchers, thereby overlooking the contributions of other groups.”

American Libraries column, June
17h

Mel Baldwin writes: “Regardless of why someone comes into a library, every patron should be free to interact with staff, browse materials, and use the internet without fear of harassment or worse. That freedom depends on libraries upholding patron privacy. With nearly 400 active anti-trans bills pending in state legislatures as of April 2024, it is a dangerous time in the US to be gender nonconforming, someone whose gender expression does not align with the traditional male or female binary. And for trans people of color, studies show the risk of discrimination and violence is higher.”

American Libraries column, June
21h

Greg Landgraf writes: “On a school morning last September, small groups of 5th-graders crowded around tools connected to scientific research—a microscope, a robotic camera, and even a snake named Morgan Freeman—clipboards and pencils in hand. They were at the Melrose branch of Roanoke (Va.) Public Libraries (RPL), judging graduate students from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on their research. The event was RPL’s second Flip the Fair, introduced in 2022 to help graduate students develop skills to effectively communicate their research while engaging local elementary students with STEM topics and the library.”

American Libraries Trend, June
4d

Aaryn Bierly writes: “Disability Pride Month is traditionally celebrated in July to celebrate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The ADA regulates laws regarding service animals, requires employers to accommodate their employees’ physical and medical needs, stipulates the number and placement of accessible parking spaces and restrooms, and more. One in five Americans has some type of disability that makes working more difficult, and the ADA has made working conditions easier for a significant number of Americans. We’ve got several great lists of books for kids and teens of different ages featuring characters with a range of disabilities.”

Herrick District Library (Holland, Mich.), July 1
4d

“Many people already turn to libraries as sources of trusted information ahead of elections, and organizations like ALA and the League of Women Voters are hoping to expand those numbers. We’ve curated a selection of resources, tools, and ideas to help inform your library’s approach to this important work.”

WebJunction, July 3
5d

“A federal appeals court in New Orleans is taking another look at its own order requiring a Texas county to keep eight books that deal with subjects including sex, gender identity, and racism on public library shelves. Llano County officials had initially removed 17 books from its shelves amid complaints about the subject matter. The June 6 order was vacated July 3 after a majority of the 17-member court granted Llano County officials a new hearing before the full court. The order did not state reasons and the hearing hasn’t yet been scheduled.”

Associated Press, July 7
5d

Todd Spangler writes: “In the days after Paramount Global disabled mtvnews.com and mtv.com/news in June—removing a trove of hundreds of thousands of articles about music and pop culture from the internet—the not-for-profit Internet Archive assembled a searchable index of 460,575 web pages previously published at mtv.com/news. The Wayback Machine’s archive of MTV News is not the full complement of what was published over the span of more than two decades. But the new collection at least ensures, for the time being, that much of MTV News’ articles remain accessible in some form.”

Variety, July 2