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Branch-Closing Threat Galvanizes Northwestern University’s Neighbors

By Beverly Goldberg | January 24, 2010

The determination of grassroots activists in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois—home to Northwestern University—has motivated the city council to put off shuttering two beloved public library branches as of March 1, and to agree instead to study the efficacy of creating a third branch in an underserved part of town. “This is an unofficial … Continue reading Branch-Closing Threat Galvanizes Northwestern University’s Neighbors →

Best of Midwinter Meeting 2010

Rachel Yoke | January 21, 2010

ALA's Midwinter Meeting 2010 gave conference attendees a chance to socialize while attending events and gathering information. The meeting contained speakers, receptions, and signings, as well as time for relaxation and fun. This essay brings together the best of the photos from the Day In the Life essays, in attempt to tell the complete story … Continue reading Best of Midwinter Meeting 2010 →

Google Settlement Opponents Ask Congress for Nonprofit Alternative

By Gordon Flagg | January 19, 2010

A month before the February 18 final fairness hearing for the proposed settlement of lawsuits challenging Google’s Book Search project, the Open Book Alliance called on Congress to instead help establish a digital book database operated by a neutral, nonprofit organization. In a January 19 letter sent to members of Congress and digitization advocates, OBA … Continue reading Google Settlement Opponents Ask Congress for Nonprofit Alternative →

Monday at ALA Midwinter 2010

Rachel Yoke | January 19, 2010

The last full day of conference was full of celebration and fun, although bad weather finally came to Boston. Early risers attended a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and winners were named at the Youth Media Awards, and speeches were given after awards were won.

Library Community Rallies to Aid Earthquake-Stricken Haiti

By Beverly Goldberg | January 18, 2010

In the days following the devastating 7.0 earthquake that all but toppled Haiti’s capital city and other population centers, news is slowly becoming available about how Haitian libraries and their staff members fared. The library community elsewhere is responding by starting multiple initiatives, which the coincidental convergence of librarians in Boston at the January 15–18 … Continue reading Library Community Rallies to Aid Earthquake-Stricken Haiti →

Sunday at ALA Midwinter 2010

Rachel Yoke | January 17, 2010

The fun and excitement continued on Sunday at ALA's Midwinter Meeting 2010. Some conference attendees spent the day shuttling between venues in relatively warm weather, while others browsed the exhibit hall visiting book signings. The ALA store and the Uncommons proved to be places that attendees like to spend time, and as always attendees enjoyed … Continue reading Sunday at ALA Midwinter 2010 →

Saturday at ALA Midwinter 2010

Rachel Yoke | January 17, 2010

Saturday was an exciting, fun filled day at the ALA's midwinter conference. Early risers were treated to the first installment of the Sunrise Speaker series with author Elizabeth Gilbert. On the exhibit floor many attendees took the opportunity to stop by the multiple book signings, which took place throughout the day. And there was much … Continue reading Saturday at ALA Midwinter 2010 →

Friday at ALA Midwinter 2010

Rachel Yoke | January 16, 2010

Friday, at ALA's Midwinter Meeting 2010, was a day for new sights, discussions, grand openings, and games. Librarians and library lovers met and mingled at happy hours while admiring the Boston skyline. Others attended the opening of the exhibit floor, eager to see the displays. And later in the evening, attendees played games while forging … Continue reading Friday at ALA Midwinter 2010 →

Swanton Library Reopens with Rehired Staff; Trustees Resign

By Gordon Flagg | January 15, 2010

Facing widespread criticism for its firing of the library staff, the entire board of trustees of the Swanton (Vt.) Public Library resigned January 12 after ratifying a year’s worth of decisions it had made in apparent violation of the state’s Open Meeting Law. The following morning the town’s governing selectboard rehired the four staff members, … Continue reading Swanton Library Reopens with Rehired Staff; Trustees Resign →

Vermont Library Remains Shut a Week after Trustees Fire Director

By Gordon Flagg | January 12, 2010

The abrupt firing of the director of the Swanton (Vt.) Public Library, followed by the dismissal of the assistant director, has led to what initially appeared to be a walkout by the remainder of the staff and the subsequent closure of the library. The board of trustees terminated Director Marilyn Barney and Library Assistant Jody … Continue reading Vermont Library Remains Shut a Week after Trustees Fire Director →

Newbery Award Winner Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

By Beverly Goldberg | January 6, 2010

Katherine Paterson, two-time Newbery Award winner for Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved, has been appointed the 2010–11 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council's Every Child a Reader initiative. Paterson succeeds Jon Scieszka, who became the first-ever … Continue reading Newbery Award Winner Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature →

Author Wesley Adamczyk Documents World War II Soviet Deportation of Poles to Siberia

January 4, 2010

In 1940, author Wesley Adamczyk was deported at age 7 from his native Poland to Siberia with his family. He was among more than a million poles who were exiled, imprisoned, or enslaved at hard labor. His father was murdered by the soviets in the Katyn Massacre; his mother died of disease and starvation while … Continue reading Author Wesley Adamczyk Documents World War II Soviet Deportation of Poles to Siberia →

Latest Library Links

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M Roberts writes: “August 4 marked one year in my role at Vanderbilt. The time has flown by! One of my goals for the summer was to reflect on my first year as a librarian and to plan for the second year based on what I’d learned. Although I haven’t had as much time for that reflection as I’d hoped, for my final post as a First-Year Academic Librarian blogger, I wanted to share a few lessons learned that I’m planning to build on during the upcoming year.”

ACRLog, Aug. 10
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Lauren Quinlan writes: “Between 1893 and 1919, Andrew Carnegie gave away $60 million of his fortune to fund 1,689 public libraries across the country. These ‘Carnegie libraries’ became cultural centers in towns big and small and were instrumental in constructing the blueprint of small-town America as we know it today. These towns were often so proud of these monuments of culture that they distributed postcards celebrating the new library. Many of these postcards, along with thousands of other postcards of libraries around the world, are housed at the ALA Archives.”

ALA150, Aug. 11
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Jeff Lang writes: “For too many of us, conversations about accessibility in scholarly communication begin and end with alt text. While text descriptions are an important accommodation, they represent just one element of a much broader challenge: ensuring that research can be understood by the widest possible audience. The goal is not simply to make content available, but to communicate ideas effectively across different abilities, contexts, and modes of engagement. This is the foundation of open science and a core tenet of universities, funders, scholarly societies and many others.”

Katina, Aug. 4
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Austyn Szempruch writes: “With Florida’s homestead exemption amendment appearing poised to be voted into law in November, the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners are looking to be proactive in making the cuts necessary for staying under budget. The tentative 2027 budget was set to shutter West Hernando Library to save upwards of $500,000. Due in large part to more than a thousand emails, and the fervent opposition of more than 30 residents at the county’s special budget meeting August 6, the board unanimously voted 4–0 for a budget that included keeping the popular local library.”

Hernando (Fla.) Sun, Aug. 7
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Lauren Busser writes: “Designing a new website is about more than just aesthetics. It’s also a time to consider what is and isn’t currently working for your audience. Analytics can help you make some suggestions, but engaging your audience in the design process can help uncover aspects of your website that you’ve never considered. Over the last two years, I have been engaging the community at Fairfield (Conn.) University to aid in redesigning the DiMenna-Nyselius Library website. These are a few exercises we conducted that got us talking about ways to make meaningful change.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Aug. 10
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Betsy Gomez writes: “ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has released two reports providing additional detailed insights from 2025, the year with the highest level of library censorship ever documented in the US. The reports are derived from additional analysis of the 2025 data that was announced during this year’s National Library Week. One report focuses on censorship activities that took place at public libraries, and the other examines censorship at school libraries. Each report includes an overview of significant changes and trends, data on threats to intellectual freedom at public libraries or schools, and details on the censorship of books.”

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Aug. 5
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Comic-Con International announced the winners of the 38th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards July 24. Topping this year’s winners is Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC) by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez, which won Best Limited Series and Best Penciller/Inker and shared the prizes for Best Cover Artist (Rodriguez) and Best Lettering for Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The only other title with multiple wins was This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare), by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux, which received awards for Best Publication for Teens and Best Writer.

San Diego Comic-Con International, July 24

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