Top Ten Tweets–Sunday (Day 3)

By Crystal Carrazco | February 12, 2018

Sunday was a busy day before the big #ALAYMA announcements on Monday.

It began with Junot Diaz’s amazing speech and Q&A.

Thanks to Junot for his inspiring words for librarians of color! – and for attending the @reformanational fundraiser last night. 🇩🇴 #alamw18 pic.twitter.com/9Eba9PPmMH

— Madeline Peña (@madelinepena) February 11, 2018

Afterwards, a few lucky folks got a picture with him!

https://twitter.com/JoChenCham/status/962822448528875520

In the Networking Uncommons, people de-stressed by playing a too-real game of Cards Against Librarianship.

Indeed. #CardsAgainstLibrarianship #librarylife #alamw18 #neilgaiman https://t.co/1ZNps0kEQ5 pic.twitter.com/VDubskI54A

— Ariel Factor Birdoff (she/they)✡️📚🏳️‍🌈BLM ACAB (@Madam_Pince) February 11, 2018

Others opted for meeting with colleagues and brainstorming instead!

Thanks to @MelissaZD for organizing a storytime deep dive discussion at the #alamw18 Uncommons. @ClaudiaHaines pic.twitter.com/I06AyAAw81

— Michelle Y (@michelleyreads) February 11, 2018

After some sessions and networking, it was time to hit up the exhibit floor for even more swag.

Every time I think I'm done in the exhibit hall, I find something else. #alamw18

— Sarah Ryan (@SMRreadsbooks) February 11, 2018

We then head to the unsung heroes.

Shout-out to the @USPS! The unsung heroes of #alamw18 #ALAMW18 thanks for helping a girl get all that swag home! pic.twitter.com/mJR9nf4vzd

— Reba Tierney (@Rebrarian) February 11, 2018

It was also one of the last days to show off all the fun ribbons you grabbed at the ALA Lounge.

https://twitter.com/libraryvoice/status/962732024002826240

In the afternoon, the President’s Forum sparked discussion and debate on neutrality of libraries. (But not before some ’90s songs.)

Getting ready for hot takes on neutrality in libraries and listening to these 90’s dance songs. #alamw18

— Annie Pho (she/her) (@catladylib) February 11, 2018

After the forum, it was socializing time!

GLBTRT social! #alamw18 #librarians #blushbludenver pic.twitter.com/mbtwKm6nVw

— Sukrit Goswami (@SukritSpeaks) February 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/hybridlib/status/962850045623242752

Jessica, we hope your friends brought you back stuff. Support your #alaleftbehind friends!

https://twitter.com/teacher2library/status/962773791112708096

CRYSTAL CARRAZCO is membership/marketing assistant at the American Library Association.

Tagged Under

Are Libraries Neutral?

President’s Program tackles heavy subject from multiple angles

Council II Discusses ALA Reorganization Ideas

Latest Library Links

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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14