President Obama Taps Camila Alire for NEH Council

July 3, 2012

President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate 2009–2010 ALA President Camila A. Alire to the National Council on the Humanities. Following confirmation by the Senate, Alire would join the board of 26 distinguished private citizens in advising the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“We look forward to the Senate confirming Dr. Alire for this well-deserved nomination,” said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA’s Washington Office. “She will give the National Endowment terrific advice.”

Alire is dean emerita at both the University of New Mexico and Colorado State University. Currently professor of practice in the managerial leadership PhD program at Simmons College in Boston, she has served as president of ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries and ALA affiliate Reforma, The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. Alire also chaired the Colorado Humanities Board of Directors from 1999 to 2000.

Alire was awarded ALA’s 2011 Achievement in Library Diversity Research Honor for her contributions to the profession and her promotion of diversity within it. That same year, she received the Joseph W. Lippincott Award for outstanding participation in professional library activities.

More details about Alire’s career are available here.

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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.
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In Episode 94, Call Number celebrates Preservation Week, to be held this year April 28–May 4. The week’s events aim to raise awareness of the role libraries and cultural institutions play in protecting historic and culturally significant collections. Segments include Traci Sorell, honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week, discussing the role of preservation through storytelling; Kathleen Monahan, special collections public services supervisor at Boston Public Library, addressing the importance of security in preservation; and Rosie Grayburn and Melissa Tedone, cofounders of the Poison Book Project, talking about their research on potentially toxic bookbinding materials from the 19th century.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 15
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American Libraries Trend, Mar./Apr.