The Scoop

April Foolswatch 2018
By Greg Landgraf | April 5, 2018
A purrfect library Noting the popularity of Bertie, the library cat at the University of Nottingham (England) Hallward Library and inspired by Nottingham’s Kitty Café, Hallward Library announced that it would turn its top floor into the #Cattic, where students can study surrounded by cats. “We’re working closely with our vet school to ensure the … Continue reading April Foolswatch 2018 →
11 Questions with Lorelle Swader
April 2, 2018
As AED, Swader will provide leadership and management for the following ALA groups: Office for Accreditation Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment Office for Intellectual Freedom Library and Research Center Public Programs Office Membership Development Office Member and Customer Service She will also help coordinate and liaise … Continue reading 11 Questions with Lorelle Swader →
A Free and Public-Serving Internet
By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018
“When I was 8 years old, I won one of those bookmark contests,” he told the crowd at his Big Ideas session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. Wu still has the joke book he won for his prize-winning entry. “It was probably one of my proudest achievements of all … Continue reading A Free and Public-Serving Internet →
New Library Leaders: Lessons Learned
By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018
Alcantara-Antoine—who at first didn’t pursue director-level leadership because she thought she was too shy and “didn’t see many directors who looked like [her]”—was one of four panelists sharing candid experiences and advice at the Public Library Association Conference’s “Wonderful World of Being a First-Time Director” session on March 22. Panelists included current first-time directors at … Continue reading New Library Leaders: Lessons Learned →
Hasan Minhaj Plays an Away Game
By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018
“Do you want to perform in a Costco warehouse for a bunch of librarians while a volleyball tournament is going on behind you?” he observed his environs, poking fun at being the Closing Session speaker of the Public Library Association (PLA) Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. “This is going to be amazing,” he said … Continue reading Hasan Minhaj Plays an Away Game →

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Careers over Jobs
By Terra Dankowski | March 26, 2018
“The skills for filling out a résumé and application become obsolete once someone gets a job,” said Levandowski, paraphrasing a quote she had read from Elisabeth Sanders-Park, author and president of WorkNet Solutions, a career consulting firm. “Helping a job seeker isn’t the end,” she said. “Workforce development can get people on a career path … Continue reading Careers over Jobs →
WIC, Wellness, and Libraries
By Amanda Davis | March 26, 2018
Staff members of Houston Public Library (HPL) discusses the WIC food and nutrition center in one of their branches in the session “What Having a WIC Center in Your Library Brings (Besides Crying Babies)” on March 22. Drew Alvey, manager of HPL’s Stimley-Blue Ridge branch, spoke of the WIC center project consisting of three overlapping … Continue reading WIC, Wellness, and Libraries →
Staffing for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
By Amanda Davis | March 23, 2018
Public libraries are challenging themselves to provide relevant and necessary services to their ever-changing communities, and it is increasingly important for library staff to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. So, inspired by a 2016 report by the American Library Association (ALA) Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, a group of five … Continue reading Staffing for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion →
Spending Bill Includes Big Increases for Libraries
March 23, 2018
“We are thrilled that Congress has passed an FY2018 omnibus spending bill today that includes significant federal funding increases for our nation’s libraries! “One year ago, the White House proposed eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and slashed millions of dollars in federal funding for libraries. Twelve months and tireless advocacy efforts … Continue reading Spending Bill Includes Big Increases for Libraries →
Find Your Sister Library
By Terra Dankowski | March 23, 2018
The book in question was on heart health, and it helped a patron reclaim his life—so much so that he wanted to make a sizable donation to the Alexandria Library that would establish a travel fund for librarians. “I did not think it would happen,” said Thornley, who previously worked at Alexandria Library. “We didn’t … Continue reading Find Your Sister Library →
Rethinking Relaxation
By Terra Dankowski | March 23, 2018
“Priorities, boundaries, mysticism,” said Gilbert. “This is the path I’m taking.” Gilbert, whose partner Rayya Elias died this year after a two-year battle with cancer, recounted how a deliberate approach to Elias’s illness and embracing the trauma helped her reframe what she wanted from her life. “It was extraordinary how galvanizing it was,” she said. … Continue reading Rethinking Relaxation →
Objective Truth Will Save Democracy
By Terra Dankowski | March 22, 2018
Yates, former deputy attorney general in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Obama administration and former acting attorney general, is perhaps best known for refusing to defend President Trump’s ban on travel from six majority-Muslim countries and her testimony before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism about Russian interference in the 2016 … Continue reading Objective Truth Will Save Democracy →

Latest Library Links

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Two Houston schools extensively damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 are the recipients of catastrophic disaster relief grants offered as part of AASL’s Beyond Words: The Dollar General School Library Relief Fund. Thompson Intermediate School and Moore Elementary School both suffered devastating losses to the school libraries in the hurricane and its aftermath. The grant program has provided relief to public school libraries nationwide that have suffered material losses because of a major disaster.

AASL, June 15
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Ale Teller writes: “The Newberry Library’s collection of road maps and travel ephemera total 250,000 items, one of the largest troves of such material in the world. Over the past 30 years, Newberry map catalogers have individually cataloged 20,000 road maps and travel brochures. Since fall 2017, library staff are applying archival methods to an unprocessed swathe of the collection, grouping similar types of items into folders according to region, state, county, or place rather than giving each piece of ephemera its own catalog record.”

Newberry Library, June 6
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In a small claims court ruling, Jessamyn West, librarian at the Randolph (Vt.) Technical Career Center, has won a $600 judgment against credit ratings agency Equifax. In September, West walked into the Orange County Courthouse in Chelsea, Vermont, and filed papers asking the judge to compel Equifax to pay her nearly $5,000 in connection with its massive 2017 data breach. Her mother had died that year and, as co-executor of the estate, West had run into various problems verifying her online identity during what already was a distressing experience.

Lebanon (N.H.) Valley News, June 13
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Jami Treman writes: “As a first-year National Library Legislative Day coordinator for Minnesota, I was equally thrilled and anxious to lead our state’s delegation this year. After diligent, patient persistence, I was lucky enough to schedule time with all 10 of our congressional offices. One of our three asks at NLLD was to extend an invitation to our legislators to visit a local library when they’re back home in the district to witness firsthand the impact libraries have on communities, particularly to see broadband access in action.”

District Dispatch, June 15
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Linda W. Braun writes: “‘You need to get out of the library to build relationships and find out what teen interests are.’ Workshop participants frequently hear me say that, and the response to my statement is almost always agreement. Yet I find, over and over, that public library staffers prioritize getting teens into the building over getting themselves out. At least in part, library staffers continue to stay inside because of systemic barriers. What are some of these barriers?”

American Libraries column, June
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ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions will host a new session of its 90-minute workshop, “How to Fix the 25 Most Common Library Website Problems” with Laura Solomon, on August 15. In this workshop, you’ll discover not only the inherent challenges your patrons may face with website issues, but you’ll also learn ways to fix them and even rate how hard those fixes are. Registration is through the ALA Store.

eLearning Solutions, June 15
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On December 17, 2004, Betty Jean “BJ” Gooch, special collections librarian at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, was tased and tied up as two former students stole rare books from the library. She found herself unable to talk about it for many years, and has never before spoken to the media. The trauma came not just from being tied up and threatened, but the added violations of two sacred things: the workplace she regarded as a home and the special relationship she had teaching students about so many of the library’s treasures.

Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, June 14

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