Features Archives | Page 72 of 93 | American Libraries Magazine

In Central America, Community-Minded Libraries Become Community Funded

By Carol A. Erickson | February 27, 2013

The homicide rate in Honduras is among the highest in the world. Decades of corruption have gnawed through government and police forces from top to bottom. Trafficking of cocaine and drugs—destined north to Mexico and the United States—is rampant, as is underemployment throughout the country. And as in any culture, Honduran children are especially susceptible … Continue reading In Central America, Community-Minded Libraries Become Community Funded →

10 Great Technology Initiatives for Your Library

By Ellyssa Kroski | February 27, 2013

Today’s hottest web and mobile technologies are offering libraries a new world of opportunities to engage patrons. Ultra-popular social media websites and apps combined with the availability of affordable cloud-based services and the evolution and adoption of mobile devices are enabling librarians to share and build communities, store and analyze large collections of data, create … Continue reading 10 Great Technology Initiatives for Your Library →

Libraries Help Homeowners Fight Foreclosure

By Deniz Koray | February 12, 2013

SoCal’s housing crisis The default rate among county homeowners increased by more than 230% from 2006 to 2008, according to InnoVest Resource Management, which posts monthly housing statistics dating back to 1991 from the San Diego County Recorder’s Office. During that same time, the number of defaults grew from almost 10,300 to more than 34,000. … Continue reading Libraries Help Homeowners Fight Foreclosure →

Manufacturing Makerspaces

By the Editors | February 6, 2013

Kids gather to make Lego robots; teens create digital music, movies, and games with computers and mixers; and students engineer new projects while adults create prototypes for small business products with laser cutters and 3D printers. Many libraries across the US have developed makerspaces—places to create, build, and craft—and they are experiencing increased visits and … Continue reading Manufacturing Makerspaces →

An Interview with Jenica Rogers

February 5, 2013

In 2012, Jenica Rogers, director of libraries for the State University of New York at Potsdam, drew attention in the library community for announcing candidly in September that she would not be renewing her university’s annual subscription to the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) online journals package because of ever-increasing subscription costs. Rogers’s stance sent shock … Continue reading An Interview with Jenica Rogers →

Romania’s New National Library Remains a Dream Yet to Come True

By Hermina Anghelescu and Leonard Kniffel | January 28, 2013

Visible from nearly half a mile away, an enormous rooftop Samsung banner leads the casual observer to suppose that the imposing new building in Bucharest is the Romanian headquarters for the electronics giant. Not so. A small plaque near one of the massive entrance doors says that this is the National Library of Romania. The … Continue reading Romania’s New National Library Remains a Dream Yet to Come True →

North Carolina State University student Tova Williams uses a tablet to tour campus with an eye toward African-American history at the university. Williams is using an app called Red, White, and Black, which started as a collaboration between NCSU’s Digital Library Initiative, the tour’s creators, and the library’s special collections. Photo: Charles Samuels, NCSU Libraries

University’s App Provides Tour of Black History

By Megan Cottrell | January 21, 2013

But Williams was holding history in her hands, thanks to an app developed by North Carolina State University Libraries in Raleigh. The Red, White, and Black app allowed Williams to tour campus with an eye on the history of African Americans at NCSU. Where she used to see just another building, she now sees the … Continue reading University’s App Provides Tour of Black History →

Unlocking the Riches of HathiTrust

January 16, 2013

The constitutionality of digital fair use was upheld this past October, when US District Court Judge Harold Baer summarily dismissed the Authors Guild’s year-old lawsuit against the HathiTrust library collaborative to block the use of its growing repository of millions of full-text book scans. Calling the project “the enduring work of libraries,” HathiTrust Executive Director … Continue reading Unlocking the Riches of HathiTrust →

The Conversation Starts in Seattle

By Stephanie Kuenn | January 7, 2013

Our profession stands at a crossroads: How do libraries meld traditional roles and responsibilities with the changing expectations and needs of the communities they’re in? Joining the many different kinds of conversations at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 25–29, in Seattle, Washington, will help attendees address these and other urgent transformational issues facing libraries. ALA … Continue reading The Conversation Starts in Seattle →

A Q&A with Midwinter Speaker Peter Block

By Jordan Brandes | January 7, 2013

[leadAuthor and consultant Peter Block says empowerment, stewardship, and accountability are at the heart of what makes libraries function. As a bestselling author of Flawless Consulting, The Empowered Manager, and Community, Block writes books that deal with providing an alternative to mainstream cultural beliefs. He says connected communities can change the world, and libraries are … Continue reading A Q&A with Midwinter Speaker Peter Block →

Seattle: Food Heaven

By Connie Adams | January 2, 2013

Seattle offers an amazing food culture. In this guide, we’ve highlighted restaurants near the convention center as well as ones worth a short walk/taxi/bus ride. We’ve also indicated which spots are good for a few folks and those that may be better for a big gang, as well as price ranges. To help you narrow … Continue reading Seattle: Food Heaven →

Dine Around Seattle

By Lindsay Rosales | January 2, 2013

Looking to hit the town and explore Seattle over a great dinner with old and new conference friends? Look no further—join us for the evening for Dine Around Seattle. Dine Around Seattle gives conference-goers a chance to sign up—for a single seat or as a group—to several local hot-spot restaurants on Friday, January 25. ALA … Continue reading Dine Around Seattle →

Latest Library Links

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WZTVKaitlin Miller writes: “A Wilson County [Tennessee] high school is warning teachers to skip classroom libraries and closed the school library over concerns surrounding a new state law. Under the law, any brief mention of sex, nudity, or excess violence can lead to a book ban. The Wilson County Director of Schools says they are temporarily closing the library at Green Hill High School in Mount Juliet to sort through books to make sure they get rid of the those that are required to be banned. What makes this law different than a previous law is the context of the material does not matter.”

WZTV-TV (Nashville), Aug. 5
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Jake Peterson and Jeff Somers write: “From the moment ChatGPT introduced the world to generative AI in late 2022, it was apparent that you can no longer trust that something you’re reading was written by a human. You can ask an AI program like ChatGPT to write something—anything at all—and it will, in mere seconds. So how can you trust that what you’re reading came from the mind of a person, and not the product of an algorithm?” The six-part series also includes stories on identifying chatbots and AI-generated music, speech, video, and pictures.

Lifehacker, Aug. 12
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Jaime Eastman writes: “As library professionals working with children, we often emphasize play. Last month, I wrote about defining our play space standards. This month, I’m tackling the next step: creating tools and resources to support staff in our play spaces. When you’re familiar with early literacy and child development concepts, play is intuitive. It’s part of what we do. For some staff, though, those connections aren’t as obvious. We wanted to create resources that not only meet staff where they are but also support our unique and changing communities. Here’s what we did.”

ALSC Blog, Aug. 7
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Becky Spratford writes: “President Obama’s annual list of his favorite books of the summer just dropped. I understand that sharing his list could be problematic at some libraries due to the partisan nature of American life. To that end, I suggest you do some searching and find other summer lists. No matter how you do it, the middle of August is a great time to start the conversation with your patrons about what books they most enjoyed over the summer. Never underestimate how much people like being asked to share things they enjoyed.”

RA For All, Aug. 13
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Ashley Belanger writes: “After US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google has a monopoly in two markets—general search services and general text advertising—everybody is wondering how Google might be forced to change its search business. Specifically, the judge ruled that Google’s exclusive deals with browser and device developers secured Google’s monopoly. These so-called default agreements funneled the majority of online searches to Google search engine result pages, where results could be found among text ads that have long generated the bulk of Google’s revenue.”

Ars Technica, Aug. 7; Aug. 5
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Jennifer Chen writes: “When news broke that Sweet Valley High creator Francine Pascal had died, fans took to social media to express how much her super popular series had meant to us. I spoke with several contemporary young adult authors and reminisced about the books, memorable characters, and how our own novels were inspired by Pascal’s California paradise.”

Publishers Weekly, Aug. 8; July 28
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Olivia Nordyke writes: “Dozens of previously banned book titles from the Mat-Su Borough School District in Palmer, Alaska, are being returned to school library shelves. After removing 56 books from library circulation, the school district came under fire for not reviewing the books prior to their removal. [On August 6], Judge Gleason of the US District Court of Alaska ordered the school district to return all but seven of the 56 titles before the start of the school year. The books will remain available in libraries until a final decision is reached at a trial set for April 2025.”

KTUU-TV (Anchorage, Alaska), Aug. 7; ACLU of Alaska, Aug. 7

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