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The Scoop

Annual Thursday: Wait, Wait…
July 10, 2009
ALTAFF Spokesperson Paula Poundstone at Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!

AL Focus visited ALTAFF Spokesperson Paula Poundstone July 9 before a taping of National Public Radio's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! attended by 500 librarians. The conversation covered Poundstone's role as ALTAFF spokesperson, her kids' reading habits, The Three Stooges, the dreaded acronym game, and the horrors of math. See more ALA videos at alfocus.ala.org.
July 10, 2009
Recession Drives Membership Numbers Downward
July 7, 2009
Civil Rights Pioneer, Librarian E. J. Josey Dies at 85
July 6, 2009
AL Focus Videos: Transcriptions Now Available
June 29, 2009

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Why Community Spirit Is Just the Ticket
By Beverly Goldberg | June 24, 2009
Chatting with Arne Duncan
June 23, 2009
ALA Presidential Candidate Question Responses: Stevens on GLBT Employment Rights

ALA Presidential Candidate Roberta Stevens responds to Karen Schneider's question on enforcing ALA policy on GLBT rights. More ALA videos available at alfocus.ala.org. Question: Karen Schneider: Hi, Im Karen Schneider. I blog at freerangelibrarian.com. Ive been an ALA member since 1992. I served on ALA Council three times. And Ive served on numerous task forces, committees, interest groups, yada yada. My question to the candidates for ALA office is on policies about equal opportunity in employment.
June 12, 2009
Judy Krug Memorial

A memorial video to intellectual freedom legend Judith Krug, the long-time director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and Freedom to Read Foundation, featuring messages from colleagues, interviews featuring Judy, and photos of Judy from throughout her career. Transcript (opens in new window or tab).
June 12, 2009
Kate DiCamillo interview

Kate DiCamillo, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, sat down with Booklist's Ilene Cooper to talk about seeing her creations become major motion pictures, the surreal moments that came along with the Despereaux phenomenon, and her latest projects. Also, there's tons of laughing.
June 12, 2009
Avi interview

Legendary author Avi speaks to Booklist about Poppy and Ereth—his newest and most autobiographical book—as well as how he ended up with his famous name, how his lack of a distinctive style helps him as a writer, his thoughts on how the Newbery Award could improve, and which of his books is the “best.” Hint: It’s a trick question.
June 12, 2009
Read This Now

ALA's book and media awards represent some of the best works of the year. In this video, the chairs of many of the committees charged with choosing the award winners discuss the winning books and why they were selected. For more information, see the accompanying "Read This Now" article in the May 2009 issue of American Libraries, as well as ALA's main awards page at ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/. For more ALA videos, see alfocus.ala.org.
June 12, 2009

Latest Library Links

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Paula Mauro writes: “While Banned Books Week ended on September 28, writer, director, producer—and Banned Books Week honorary chair—Ava DuVernay stresses the importance of continuing the work of amplifying marginalized voices. ‘This banned book effort is an agenda by people who want to make some of us less free, to silence the voices of some of us,’ DuVernay tells American Libraries. ‘We can overcome this, but we have to work together.’ DuVernay recorded a video conversation with Banned Books Week Youth Honorary Chair Julia Garnett.”

AL: The Scoop, Oct. 2
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On October 3, the ALA Executive Board released a statement on what library professionals can do to support communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The full statement highlights opportunities to donate to local relief efforts and the ALA Disaster Relief Fund, which will distribute funds in cooperation with ALA chapters, volunteer time to local libraries and relief organizations, and advocate for policies and funding to ensure libraries can continue critical work during and after disasters.

AL: The Scoop, Oct. 4
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Florian Kastner writes: “JPG was developed to compress photos with lossy compression, which greatly reduced file sizes–a decisive advantage in the early days of the internet when storage space and bandwidth were still scarce resources. With the enormous progress in computer and software technology, the possibilities for image compression have also developed further. Today, modern image formats offer far better compression without compromising image quality. For many photographers, designers, and website operators, it’s becoming increasingly unattractive to rely on the outdated JPG format.” AVIF, JPEG XL, WebP, and HEIC/HEIF are likely to take its place.

PC World, Sept. 27
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Nick Dedeke writes: “In an earlier article, I discussed a few of the flaws in Europe’s flagship data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Building on that critique, I would now like to go further, proposing specifications for developing a robust privacy protection regime in the US. If a country like the US developed a different privacy approach, it would bring choice and a new perspective into this important segment of protection of the privacy of data subjects.”

Ars Technica, Sept. 28
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Brian Stephens writes: “Lack of high-speed internet is a significant problem in almost 75% of communities served by the nation’s K–12 schools, according to Funds For Learning’s annual E-Rate Applicant Survey. A key change to the E-rate program’s rules aims to narrow the ‘homework gap’ by making Wi-Fi hotspots that schools and libraries loan to students and patrons eligible for E-Rate discounts. For funding year 2025, Wi-Fi hotspots are eligible for Category One discounts. However, schools and libraries must follow a slew of requirements in order to take advantage. Here’s a closer look.”

THE Journal, Sept. 24
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Danielle Costello writes: “Unsurprising to anyone who has ever known me, when I think about my favorite games, I have a very hard time deciding on a rank order. Favorites to me exist on a wide, joyful, and ever-increasing plane. Since I’m hoping to keep this list to a reasonable length, I’m sharing some of my favorite categories of games and some standout examples. Please enjoy!” The list includes examples of board games, role-playing games for groups and individuals, and video games in several genres.

ALA Games & Gaming Round Table, Sept. 30
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “Library workers are finding the joy in library work they have missed over the past few years. What is more joyous than finding that book you read as a child and sharing it with your kids? Or finding just the right story that pulls on your heartstrings or takes you on an adventure? Sometimes, it’s a song in storytime that brings on a smile or a chance to learn about a fantastic wine or how to fix a car.”

Public Libraries Online, Sept. 25

View more Latest Library Links