At ALA

2y

In April Amber Robbin became marketing and membership manager for Core.
2y

March 31 Mary Jane Petrowski retired as associate director of ACRL.
2y

Kara Malenfant, senior strategist for special initiatives at ACRL, left ALA June 16.
2y

July 10 Greg Landgraf started as senior editor at American Libraries.
2y

Kerry Ward, executive director of Core and interim director of the Communications and Marketing Office, left ALA September 23.
2y

October 24 Jim Takeshita joined the Public Policy and Advocacy Office as public policy associate.
2y

Angela Hubbard, program officer for projects and partnerships for the Association for Library Service to Children, left ALA August 31.
2y

September 26 Rebecca Headrick started as chief information technology officer.
2y
3y

Marleen Coleman joined the Public Policy and Advocacy Office as project coordinator July 11.
3y

Lian Drago, meetings manager for the Public Library Association, left ALA August 12.
3y

June 27 Megan Janicki was promoted to deputy director of strategic initiatives in the Public Policy and Advocacy Office.

Latest Library Links

3h

Former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will appear at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition June 28 in conversation with Emmy Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander. Hayden and Alexander will discuss the current state of libraries and the challenges library professionals are facing not only in America but across the world, from book bans to library funding.

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, June 12
6h

Chris Coward and Jin Ha Lee write: “The government wants to introduce Euphorigen—a dietary supplement that the wealthiest echelon of society takes to boost brain activity and productivity—into the public water supply. But is the drug safe? And can the claims of Euphorigen’s manufacturer be trusted? That’s the mystery at the center of The Euphorigen Investigation, the first of several escape rooms and play-based activities our research team at University of Washington (UW)’s Information School and Center for an Informed Public in Seattle has developed to address the growing threat of misinformation.”

American Libraries Trend, June
24h

Web Behrens writes: “Libraries typically provide books—not publish them. But eight years ago, Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library (AADL) had some voices it wanted the world to hear. And so emerged Fifth Avenue Press, AADL’s publishing imprint, in 2017. Focused on the authors, history, and culture of Michigan’s Washtenaw County, the imprint includes 60 titles spanning literary genres. They range from Light in a Cage (2017), a chronicle of local educator Judy Patterson Wenzel’s experiences teaching in a prison classroom, to Peri Peri Paprika (2024), a sci-fi novel written by Leanne Su, a University of Michigan doctoral student.”

American Libraries Trend, June
1d

Allison Frick and Sara DeSabato write: “It’s vital for young people to see themselves in books and collections. Some books give children language to express what is in their hearts. For those who may not have strong family support, a library can offer a safe, private place to access thoughtfully curated, age-congruent information. That’s why, as a school librarian and a teacher, we felt strongly about helping our school, Friends Select School in Philadelphia, create a Lower School Gender and Sexuality Education committee in 2017.”

American Libraries column, June
1d

Julia Smith writes: “In early May, bestselling author-illustrator Grace Lin published her first novel in nearly nine years. Throughout her more than 25-year career, Lin has garnered many accolades, including a 2010 Newbery Honor, a 2019 Caldecott Honor, and a 2022 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. In advance of her appearance at the upcoming American Library Association 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, she talked with American Libraries about being inspired by myths, the insidiousness of book bans, and finding comfort in the library as a child.”

American Libraries Trend, June
4d

Serra Sowers writes: “Jen Miller, librarian at Northern Guilford Middle School in Greensboro, North Carolina, is turning the page on lost book fees thanks to donations from a community of book lovers. With the end of the school year just days away, it’s a race against time to get books back on the shelves and clear student debt. When her social media account went viral, she started the Book Return Game—using her platform to keep tally of overdue copies and mobilize followers to help her replace books that never came back. Since then, she’s surprised schools locally and across the country with books.”

WXII-TV (Winston-Salem, N.C.), May 31
4d

Felicity Dachel writes: “A Minnesota school district is doing away with a book ban, settling a lawsuit that argued the ban was unlawful. The suit was brought against St. Francis Area Schools by Education Minnesota on behalf of eight students, all of whom have parents working as teachers across St. Francis schools.” The settlement requires the district to replace a policy that required selections align with the now-defunct Moms For Library–affiliated website booklooks.org with one that guarantees the input of qualified media specialists and follows a 2024 Minnesota state law that prohibits libraries and schools from banning books.

KARE-TV (Minneapolis), June 10; Words and Money, June 11; The Minnesota Daily, June 23, 2024

View more Latest Library Links