The Opening Session celebrated its host state with appearances from Cleveland Cavaliers announcer Olivier Sedra and some animal ambassadors from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. It also recognized the state’s history as the “birthplace of aviation” with an aerialist tribute to the Wright Brothers and a video message from astronaut and former US Senator John … Continue reading Connections, Collaboration, and Community
As ALA’s most ambitious international professional development collaboration to date, the library conference will be hosted at the 35th SIBF, November 8–10 at the Sharjah Expo Centre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The shared location provides an opportunity for attendees to combine professional development with exploring and acquiring materials for their libraries. In 2015, … Continue reading SIBF/ALA Library Conference Turns Three
More than 4,000 librarians from Germany and other countries participated in the largest library event in Europe. The US was the honored country, and Kent Logsdon, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Berlin, joined Feldman in thanking BID President Heinz-Jürgen Lorenzen and the German library community for the distinction. The US–German partnership … Continue reading ALA and Germany Unite
The citation began as an initiative of Loriene Roy, 2007–2008 ALA president. Since its inception, 38 groups have been presented with the honor. The four 2016 winners were recognized for designing and implementing highly visible, innovative services that greatly improve existing library services for users. The projects draw attention to the potential of library service … Continue reading International Library Innovators
RDA Toolkit usage RDA Toolkit subscriptions are an obvious method for assessing the growing internationalization of the standard. In 2015, the toolkit had 2,840 subscribers who purchased 8,866 users in 64 countries across six continents. That’s good global coverage, but this topic calls for closer scrutiny. RDA was developed by a collaborative group of representatives … Continue reading Is RDA a Global Standard?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VT) has been running student service opportunities to Malawi for several years, so it was no coincidence the university was one of the first to hear about the fire. The student service initiatives, known as TEAM Malawi, are part of a multidisciplinary program based on a community wellness model … Continue reading Rebuilding in Malawi
Even if our undergraduates wanted to listen to a CD or watch a DVD, they probably couldn’t, as many of their tablets and laptops don’t include an optical disc drive. This is occurring at the same time that many faculty use the “flipped classroom” model, which requires students to engage with material, including videos, outside … Continue reading Streaming Video in Academic Libraries
Welcome to the 2016 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries. These are shining examples of innovative architectural feats that address user needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways. New construction dominated this year’s submissions, but renovated and repurposed spaces were a close second, showing how today’s libraries are both … Continue reading 2016 Library Design Showcase
The following libraries are winners of the 2016 Library Interior Design Awards, sponsored by ALA and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The biennial competition honors international library interior design. Winners demonstrate excellence in aesthetics, design, creativity, function, and satisfaction of the client’s objectives. The competition is managed by the Library Leadership and Management Association … Continue reading ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards
Kelvin Watson ERNEST A. DIMATTIA JR. AWARD FOR INNOVATION AND SERVICE TO COMMUNITY AND PROFESSION of $5,000 recognizes a public librarian who demonstrates leadership in anticipating emerging trends in services, products, and technologies that will enhance the library’s position in its community. Donor: The DiMattia Family Watson, chief innovation and technology officer of Queens (N.Y.) … Continue reading 2016 ALA Award Winners
On an instinctive level, teen services librarians know that it is important to provide teens with dedicated space in the library. As their advocates, teen services librarians must be able to: articulate why a dedicated teen space is important make a case for teen space to managers, coworkers, and community members express how space is … Continue reading A Place of Their Own
Your new book, This Is Me: A Story of Who We Are and Where We Came From, explores themes of immigration and origin. Was there anything about the current climate in this country that compelled you to cover these themes? This is not a political book. Every person has an immigrant story in their family, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jamie Lee Curtis
