Features Archives | Page 69 of 92 | American Libraries Magazine

Wanna Write a Good One? Library as Publisher

By James LaRue | June 25, 2013

Children’s departments began to appear in public libraries around 1900. Today, it‘s hard to imagine a public library without one. In many libraries, children’s materials account for more than a third of circulation. Now we have dedicated children’s librarians, children’s acquisitions people, and children’s programming experts. We have a host of early literacy specialists using … Continue reading Wanna Write a Good One? Library as Publisher →

Ebooks in 2013

By Clifford A. Lynch | June 24, 2013

Sadly, ebooks have not only failed to deliver on much of their promise, they have become a vast lost opportunity. They are becoming a weapon capable of considerable social damage; a Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll … Continue reading Ebooks in 2013 →

Working Directly with Publishers: Lessons Learned

By Rochelle Logan | June 12, 2013

Not all publishers are created equal. It seems publishers are becoming the bad guys because many of the biggest companies have placed various restrictions on our use of their content. However, lumping all trade, reference, and scholarly publishers together is not fair to those who have been willing to work with librarians. Nor is it … Continue reading Working Directly with Publishers: Lessons Learned →

ALA, Future of Libraries, Digital Content, and Ebooks

By Barbara K. Stripling and Marijke Visser and Robert Wolven and Sari Feldman | June 12, 2013

Just over a year ago, the ALA Executive Board directed the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) to pursue more aggressive strategies to get ebooks into the hands of library patrons at a reasonable cost and under reasonable terms to libraries. This was to take the form of developing stronger messaging with the media, … Continue reading ALA, Future of Libraries, Digital Content, and Ebooks →

I’m Crazy for Ebooks

By Alan S. Inouye | June 5, 2013

We have made progress. I know this because I now experience the condition of ebook derangement syndrome. In early 2012, the urgent questions revolved around why the Big Six wouldn’t do business with libraries or, for those publishers who did, why the terms were so unfavorable. We really focused on these issues last year and … Continue reading I’m Crazy for Ebooks →

Chicago: 2013 Annual Conference Preview

By Mariam Pera | June 4, 2013

ALA welcomes our colleagues, vendors, and other attendees to Chicago for the Association’s 137th Annual Conference June 27 to July 2. From the first year Chicago played host—in 1893, during the World’s Columbian Exposition—to now, 120 years later, we remain as committed as ever to the profession. The conference theme, “Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves,” plays out … Continue reading Chicago: 2013 Annual Conference Preview →

Tastes of Chicago

By American Libraries staff | June 4, 2013

We Chicagoans love our food. In a town best known for its deep-dish pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches, we also take pride in our city’s more recent culinary accomplishments, which have helped transform Chicago into a dining destination for foodies worldwide. And while there’s no dearth of restaurant guides to help you maneuver … Continue reading Tastes of Chicago →

Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries

By Barbara Jones | May 21, 2013

Along with calls for ammunition and assault-weapon restrictions, as well as heightened school security nationwide, came renewed concerns about violent videogames. The Obama administration directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January to study the causes of gun violence, including the effects of violence in videogames, the media, and social media on real-life … Continue reading Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries →

Greetings from America’s National Park Libraries

By Maryann Hight | May 15, 2013

“The National Park libraries,” says Nancy Hori, supervisory librarian at the National Park Service (NPS) Pacific West Regional Library in Seattle, “are in some of the most beautiful and sacred areas of the United States. The remote locations, often in historical buildings without climate control, present many challenges for keeping materials safe and secure.” As … Continue reading Greetings from America’s National Park Libraries →

A Year in the Life of Librotraficante

By Phil Morehart | May 14, 2013

Librotraficante has had a rollercoaster year. Led by Houston-based author and activist Tony Diaz, the organization (whose name means “book smuggler” in Spanish) formed last year in response to Arizona House Bill 2281 (PDF file), which outlaws teaching courses in Arizona public schools that promote the overthrow of the United States government, foster racial and … Continue reading A Year in the Life of Librotraficante →

A Conversation with Alice Walker

By Donna Seaman | May 8, 2013

Walker’s books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, and 15 million copies have been sold. A world-traveler and tireless and courageous activist as well as a bestselling author, she has been recognized with numerous honors, including a National Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Lennon/Ono Grant for Peace, which she donated … Continue reading A Conversation with Alice Walker →

Cultivating a Special Collection

By Nancy Richey and Sue Lynn McDaniel | May 1, 2013

One telling image embodies the ridicule he endured. In it, his face and that of his wife Mildred are superimposed on a drawing of two monkeys’ bodies. Movie stills and ephemera from the making of Inherit the Wind (1960) document the celebrity status achieved by his attorney, Clarence Darrow (fictionalized as the thinly veiled Darrow … Continue reading Cultivating a Special Collection →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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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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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

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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