Latest Library Links, February 2, 2015

News from ALA and the profession

February 2, 2015

Ferguson (Mo.) Public Library Director Scott Bonner, after his packed Midwinter talk

The ALA Archives

Building on the Association’s past

Library Leaders Talk Tech

LITA's Top Tech Trends panel tackles big issues

Latest Library Links

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Khamosh Pathak writes: “Canva started out as a humble, online-accessible graphics tool. But slowly, it has morphed into so much more. It’s closer now to a digital publishing suite, constantly evolving based on the needs of its users. Every couple of weeks, there are both new features and new use cases added. You can even use Canva to create websites for free. Canva is filled with many small, interesting features that all have a huge impact on usability, but aren’t found in the most obvious of places. Here are eight such hidden features you need to know about.”

Lifehacker, November 15
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Chris Stokel-Walker writes: “Almost from the time the first tweet was posted in 2006, Twitter has played an important role in world events. The platform has been used to record everything from the Arab Spring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It’s also captured our public conversations for years. But experts are worried that if Elon Musk tanks the company, these rich seams of media and conversation could be lost forever. Given his admission to employees in a November 10 call that Twitter could face bankruptcy, it’s a real and present risk.”

MIT Technology Review, November 11
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Bill Furbee writes: “Every year, voters from small towns and big cities alike decide on ballot measures that affect libraries. This year was no different—and as in past years, American Libraries and the Public Library Association have partnered to look at some of the wins and losses across the country. One alarming trend: Organized groups of politically driven voters who oppose libraries carrying materials written by, about, and for LBGTQ people are banding together to reject levies that fund libraries—and fighting to get referenda on the ballot that defunds libraries altogether.”

American Libraries feature, January/February 2023
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Tracy Shapley Towley writes: “I spent the first 40 years of my life as a wannabe crafter. Crafting looked cool, craft books looked cool, but for some reason I did not think it was for me. Then I turned 40 and this switch magically flipped in my brain. It started with lots of in-person classes. And then the pandemic hit. In-person classes were canceled right when I had an enormity of time on my hands. And that’s when I discovered the joy of craft books.”

Book Riot, November 25
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The Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table of ALA and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation are pleased to accept applications for the 2023 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries. Two $3,000 grants will provide support to libraries to expand their graphic novel collection, services, and programs, and a third will support initiation of a new graphic novel service or program. Grants also include a $1,000 travel stipend for a library representative to attend the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.
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The American Library Association has selected 46 members of its 2023 class of Emerging Leaders. The Emerging Leaders program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. Emerging Leaders will participate in a virtual daylong session during LibLearnX, six months of online learning and networking, and a poster session highlighting the results of their project planning work during the ALA 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago.

ALA, November 18
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Diana Panuncial writes: “When Jessica Fitzpatrick, librarian at Mayde Creek High School in Houston, first walked onto the school’s football field, she could sense the student-athletes’ confusion. “They were very hesitant,” she recalls. “The librarian doesn’t come to football practice.” Fitzpatrick had noticed that one student group seldom visited the library: athletes. She reached out to football coach J. Jensen and collaborated with him to create a book study program for his players, designed to help boost literacy, ignite a love of reading, and provide a space to decompress.”

American Libraries column, November/December