Features Archives | Page 2 of 57 | American Libraries Magazine

Library Systems Report 2018

By Marshall Breeding | May 1, 2018

Academic libraries are looking beyond efficiencies in collection management or improvements in library-provided discovery services. Instead, they are addressing broader education needs by inserting relevant resources into platforms that support the curriculum and enhance their institutions’ research activities. Public libraries seek technologies that improve engagement with their communities. These libraries value reliable and feature-rich automation … Continue reading Library Systems Report 2018 →

2018 Annual Conference Must-Dos

By Donna Hunter | May 1, 2018

Use the Annual Conference Scheduler to start planning. Speakers who inspire ALA President Jim Neal welcomes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, filmmaker, immigrant rights advocate, and CEO of Define American Jose Antonio Vargas as his President’s Program speaker (June 24). This year’s slate of Auditorium Speaker Session presenters includes presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin … Continue reading 2018 Annual Conference Must-Dos →

Emerging Leaders 2018

By Phil Morehart | May 1, 2018

Initiated in 1997 as a one-year program under former ALA President Mary R. Somerville and revived in 2006 under former ALA President Leslie Burger, Emerging Leaders recognizes the best and brightest new leaders in our profession. It’s open to librarians of any age who are new to the library profession and who have fewer than … Continue reading Emerging Leaders 2018 →

Notable Dissertations 2018

By Kathy Rosa | May 1, 2018

How were these dissertations selected? Each year I locate and read the many wonderful LIS dissertations out there via university digital archives and online databases. I select dissertations that have practical implications for libraries. Next I look for a variety of methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Those most relevant to current issues and … Continue reading Notable Dissertations 2018 →

Wikipedian -in-residence at the librarian

Bringing Wikipedia into the Library

By Alex Stinson and Jason Evans | May 1, 2018

Wikipedia contributors and librarians share similar skills: an understanding of quality research materials, an interest in effective citation and attribution, and clear public communication. Wikipedia’s “sum of all human knowledge” mission also aligns with the service-focused goals of librarianship, where patron access to public knowledge drives both activities. A difference between the two communities is … Continue reading Bringing Wikipedia into the Library →

Newsmaker: Junot Díaz

By Phil Morehart | May 1, 2018

Islandborn is your first book for kids. What was its inspiration? There were multiple inspirations. A lot of it was being a writer with godchildren, nephews, and nieces always saying, “Hey, will you write us a story?” And knowing that I should write them a story, because when I was growing up a kid of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Junot Díaz →

Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty

By Phil Morehart | April 27, 2018

Twitty serves as honorary chair of Preservation Week, held April 22–28, which focuses this year on cooking and community archiving. American Libraries spoke with him about what can be learned about the past through food and about his work with Preservation Week. What drew you to food and its history? Going to living-history sites like Colonial … Continue reading Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty →

Newsmaker: Jason Reynolds

By Alison Marcotte | April 12, 2018

This year’s theme for School Library Month is “Making Connections at Your School Library.” You’ve said reading the lyrics to Queen Latifah’s 1993 album Black Reign changed your life and inspired you to start writing poetry. When students connect with and see themselves in the music, multimedia, and books they read, it changes their relationship with reading completely. … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jason Reynolds →

National Library Workers Day 2018

By Alison Marcotte | April 10, 2018

And every year since 2004, the American Library Association (ALA) has celebrated librarians, support staff, and others for their valuable contributions on National Library Workers Day (NLWD), which this year falls on Tuesday, April 10. The American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA–APA) asked patrons throughout the US to nominate stellar library workers for their hard … Continue reading National Library Workers Day 2018 →

Catherine Soehner (left) and Ann Darling pose with their book Effective Difficult Conversations: A Step-by-Step Guide (ALA Editions, 2017).

A Conversation with Authors Catherine Soehner and Ann Darling

By Phil Morehart | March 21, 2018

What made you want to write about this topic? We wanted to write it because we were both terrible at having difficult conversations. Catherine’s initial attempts led to people being angry and defensive. Or she chose to ignore problems, which made these situations worse. Ann had conversations but failed to address the real issues, so … Continue reading A Conversation with Authors Catherine Soehner and Ann Darling →

In a Virtual World

By Miguel Figueroa | March 1, 2018

Throughout this period of growth and expansion, libraries and librarians have once again demonstrated their adaptability to new information formats and user needs with moves that reflect the various directions VR has moved. Whether it is classroom use of Google Expeditions, new educational spaces and lending programs on academic campuses, or a demonstrated commitment to … Continue reading In a Virtual World →

National Library Week promotional materials through the ages. Photos: ALA Archives

“Wake Up and Read” to “Libraries Lead”

By Greg Landgraf | March 1, 2018

The American Library Association (ALA) and the American Book Publishers Council formed the National Book Committee (NBC) in 1954 to fight these trends. One of their ideas: a National Library Week (NLW). The concept wasn’t new. As Larry T. Nix’s Library History Buff blog notes, at the 1922 ALA Annual Conference ALA’s Publicity Committee had … Continue reading “Wake Up and Read” to “Libraries Lead” →

Latest Library Links

15h

On July 17, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) announced his intent to sign the discharge petition demanding a vote on a Congressional Review Act measure to undo the FCC’s 2017 Net Neutrality repeal. Coffman also introduced a 21st Century Internet Act that would ban blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization and would eliminate all questions of jurisdiction. The bill would modify the Communications Act of 1934 and add a new Title VIII full of stipulations specific to internet providers.

Free Press, July 17
15h

Schelly Talalay Dardashti writes: “Every genealogist knows that family trees may include errors. Sometimes they are due to simple human mistakes: recording data heard orally, transcription errors from other records, tragic events that might skew relatives’ memories, or bad handwriting. Sometimes they result from information provided by relatives who did not know the truth or who realized that the correction will be too expensive (gravestone errors). Here are some tips to avoid repeating and compounding errors in your research.”

MyHeritage Blog, July 11
15h

Danika Ellis writes: “In the eight years since I started the Lesbrary, a queer women book blog, it has expanded into a part-time job. I now make about 20% of my annual income through book blogging. It took a lot of trial and error to get here, though. I wasn’t able to find a lot of resources about monetizing book blogs, so I thought I would put together a post about what has worked for me, in case it can be of help to anyone else.”

Book Riot, July 17
15h

Tom Bober writes: “Daily visits from our mail carrier reminded me of the book Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell. Based on a true story that took place in 1914, May wants to visit her grandmother. Train tickets being expensive, the parents entrust May to her uncle, a mail carrier, as they mail May to her grandmother. The practice of mailing children wasn’t entirely uncommon in the 1910s. Introducing students to primary sources along with the picture book can give them an idea of why the mail service was used in this way.”

Knowledge Quest blog, July 17
16h

Starting July 16, a card from the New York, Queens, or Brooklyn Public Library systems offers patrons 13 and older free admission into some 33 museums and other cultural institutions. Participants include the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Frick Collection, the Morgan Library and Museum, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and the Museum of Modern Art. Library cardholders can visit culturepass.nyc, select a date and institution, and download passes for up to four guests.

New York Times, July 16
16h

Only 1% of British children’s books feature a main character who is black, Asian, or minority ethnic, according to a 2018 study by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. Of the 9,115 children’s books published in 2017, researchers found that only 391 (4%) featured POC characters. Only 1% had a main character from an ethnic minority, and a quarter of the books submitted only featured diversity in their background casts.

The Guardian (UK), July 16
17h

ALA has selected Theresa M. Boulrice as the recipient of the 2018 Tony B. Leisner Scholarship. The $3,000 scholarship, named for a former member of the ALA Council, is awarded to a library support staff member pursuing a master’s degree in library and information studies. Boulrice works as a senior clerk at the Springfield (Mass.) City Library. She plans to attend Simmons College in Boston.

Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, July 16

View more Latest Library Links