Trends Archives | Page 11 of 11 | American Libraries Magazine

Detroit Public Library Provides Food to Fight Child Hunger

By Megan Cottrell | February 24, 2014

“Our kids come to our library branches starving,” says Merritt, executive director of the Friends of the Detroit Public Library Foundation. “They can’t concentrate.” Luckily, the person who asked the question was also someone who was poised to help—Brian Glowiak, vice president of the Chrysler Foundation, the charitable arm of the Detroit-based car company. The … Continue reading Detroit Public Library Provides Food to Fight Child Hunger →

Taking Aim at the Reality of Guns in Libraries

By Beverly Goldberg | January 14, 2014

The complexities involved are exemplified by a court case in Michigan, Capital Area District Library v. Michigan Open Carry (CADL v. MOC). The library sued MOC in 2011 for conducting open-carry protests inside CADL despite firearms being forbidden there. MOC prevailed in the lower courts, and the state supreme court declined to hear CADL’s appeal … Continue reading Taking Aim at the Reality of Guns in Libraries →

Libraries on the Vine

By Phil Morehart | December 3, 2013

“We avoided it for awhile,” says Gail Shackleton, director of library services at Appleby College, a 7–12 grade school in Ontario. She and library technician Stefania Mulyk administer the library’s social media presence, which already includes Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube. They waited to adopt Vine until four months after the app’s introduction because of … Continue reading Libraries on the Vine →

Several libraries and nonprofits are making adaptive toys available for checkout to children with special needs. (Photo: National Lekotek Center)

Toy Libraries: A Place to Play

By Megan Cottrell | December 3, 2013

Eannel, then director of the children’s library, tapped the mom on the shoulder and told her she had something for her son. A short while later she brought out a Side-Lyer toy—a device made for children with special needs, with beads and lights that make sounds and vibrate when lightly touched. “Within a minute, he … Continue reading Toy Libraries: A Place to Play →

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ACRL has announced the recipients of its 2019 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award: Swarthmore (Pa.) College Libraries, the College of Western Idaho Library in Nampa, and Case Western Reserve University’s Kelvin Smith Library in Cleveland. Sponsored by ACRL and GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO, the award recognizes the staff of a college, community college, and university library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution.

ACRL Insider, Jan. 23
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Heather Thomas writes: “Theodosia Burr Alston, the beloved daughter of disgraced Vice President Aaron Burr, left the port of Georgetown, South Carolina, on the schooner Patriot in 1812 and was never seen again. Throughout the 19th century, newspapers titillated readers with lurid stories of her alleged fate, including captivity, murder, and deathbed confessions of former pirates. Yet her tragic disappearance has remained a mystery for over 200 years. Theodosia was one of America’s first great women of learning and achievement. Her disappearance remains one of early America’s greatest unsolved mysteries.”

Library of Congress: Headlines and Heroes, Jan. 22
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Karin Greenberg writes: “This past weekend I read an outstanding essay in The New York Times Book Review section by Brian Morton, the director of the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. In it, he describes an encounter with a college student who had been reading The House of Mirth. Upon seeing a description in which one of Edith Wharton’s characters describes another in an anti-Semitic way, the student threw the book in the garbage. The current psychological environment in our world is volatile, with people’s emotions often clouding their ability to think critically about important issues. One of the main benefits of reading is that it expands people’s views.”

Knowledge Quest blog, Jan. 23
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ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions will host a new four-week facilitated eCourse in collaboration with the Office for Intellectual Freedom, “The First Amendment and Library Services” with Theresa Chmara as the instructor, starting on March 4. Chmara will introduce you to the legal principles behind the First Amendment, their practical implications in daily life, and how those principles affect library work. You will learn basic legal concepts, your rights as library employees, the rights of library patrons, and what the First Amendment does and does not obligate the library to provide. Registration is through the ALA Store.

eLearning Solutions, Jan. 23
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Timothy Inklebarger writes: “The partial federal government shutdown has entered its second month, with no end in sight. Some librarians on furlough expect to be compensated for the paychecks that stopped arriving when the shutdown began on December 22, 2018. But others, working on contract, may never get paid for the lost hours. Virginia Sanchez, librarian at Yosemite National Park in California, has spent four years working to modernize the park’s research library. Now she’s applying for unemployment.”

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 23
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Ross Sempek writes: “The Vancouver (B.C.) Public Library was recently criticized by Trans advocates for hosting a talk by Meghan Murphy, founder of Feminist Current and unabashed independent thinker. Some of the anger behind Murphy’s appearance is based in the belief that by hosting her, the library is endorsing her point-of-view, and thus alienating the Trans community. However, libraries do not endorse or support any of the speech within its buildings. This does seem odd, as their collections and programming are lovingly curated to serve the needs of their communities.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Jan. 23

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