The proximity of Chicago to southern Wisconsin gave embattled officials of the West Bend Community Memorial Library, located some 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee, a platform to offer their hard-earned insights at "Intellectual Freedom on the Front Lines: West Bend Library Supporters Share their Story." The program was cosponsored by ALA's Freedom to Read Foundation … Continue reading When Challenges Coalesce
Chicago native and Black Entertainment Television Sunday Best finalist Shari Addison led a capacity crowd in "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" to begin the 40th Annual Coretta Scott King Book Awards Breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Chicago July 14. Despite the early hour, attendees were greeted by a star-studded array of inspiring thank-you speechs from … Continue reading Coretta Scott King Awards Celebrate 40th Year
Harvard-trained neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor captivated the audience Monday as she described the massive, debilitating stroke she suffered in 1996 at age 37 and her "journey into and back out of the silent abyss of the wounded brain." On the morning it happened, she "could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of my … Continue reading Her Stroke of Insight
Bookmobiles were again on view Sunday, parked outside McCormick Place, at ALA's third annual Parade of Bookmobiles event. Visitors could examine both the exteriors and interiors of vehicles from the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee, Illinois; Kenosha (Wis.) Public Library; Aurora (Ill.) Public Library; Fossil Ridge Public Library District in Braidwood, Illinois; Fountaindale (Ill.) Public … Continue reading A Stationary Parade of Bookmobiles
Do antiquities still belong in museums located far in time and space from the makers of the artifacts they house? Or do they belong to the government that happens to be in control of the land where the culture once flourished? At the ALCTS President's Program on Monday, James Cuno, president and director of the … Continue reading Who Owns Antiquity?
“It’s no wonder that I grew up not merely a storyteller, but a storyteller bewitched by notions of abandoned children” explained Wicked author Gregory Maguire matter-of-factly at the first of ALA Annual’s Auditorium Speaker series for 2009. Telling how he was placed in an orphanage for a time after his mother Helen Maguire died giving birth … Continue reading Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Beginnings
At the final session of the ALA Council today, Committee on Legislation member Bernard Margolis reported that due to the location of Annual Conference 2010 in Washington, D. C., National Library Legislative Day, held annually in May, will become Library Advocacy Day instead. The event is being planned for June 28 during the conference. The switch … Continue reading Legislative Day Will Become Advocacy Day for D.C. Annual 2010
“We expect to close the revenue/expense gap in ’09,” said James Neal, chair of ALA’s Budget Analysis and Review Committee, “but the conference revenue picture will be critical.” The Annual Conference saw an attendance bump-up in Chicago, he noted today at the final meeting of the ALA Executive Board, but the final numbers will tell. … Continue reading Executive Board Learns Chicago May Set Attendance Record
ALA’s Social Responsibilities Round Table celebrated its 40th anniversary July 13 at the Alternative Media Reception co-organized with the Alternative Press Center. The party, held at Hyde Park’s funky Experimental Station, included a Mediterranean food buffet, impromptu speeches, jazz from the three-piece combo Brian Sandstrom and Friends, three kinds of vegan cake, and some far … Continue reading SRRT Turns Forty
At the BIGWIG Social Software Showcase July 13, eight presenters gave brief talks on trends in social software in a “speed-dating” format, where each presenter had 10 minutes to talk to a roving audience. I was most interested in hearing Jason Griffey’s talk on Google Wave, a product that, I admit, I hadn’t paid much … Continue reading BIGWIG Showcase: Google’s New Wave Changes Everything
"We expect to close the revenue/expense gap in ’09,” said James Neal, chair of ALA’s Budget Analysis and Review Committee, “but the conference revenue picture will be critical.” The Annual Conference saw an attendance bump-up in Chicago, he noted today at the final meeting of the ALA Executive Board, but the final numbers will tell. … Continue reading Executive Board Learns Chicago May Set Attendance Record
"It's no wonder that I grew up not merely a storyteller, but a storyteller bewitched by notions of abandoned children" explained Wicked author Gregory Maguire matter-of-factly at the first of ALA Annual's Auditorium Speaker series for 2009. Telling how he was placed in an orphanage for a time after his mother Helen Maguire died giving birth … Continue reading Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Beginnings
