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Appointments & Retirements

Bracken, John

December 4 John S. Bracken became executive director of the Digital Public Library of America in Boston.
Culbertson, DeeAnna

In November DeeAnna Culbertson became director of Madison (Ohio) Public Library.
Dilger, Jeannie

Jeannie Dilger became executive director of Palatine (Ill.) Public Library January 8.
Fifarek, Aimee

The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, appointed Aimee Fifarek as director in January.
Foote, Diane

The Illinois Library Association named Diane Foote as executive director, effective November 14.

At ALA

Muller, Karen

Karen Muller, director of the ALA Library and knowledge management specialist, retired in December.
Rosa, Kathy

Kathy Rosa has been promoted to director of the Library and Research Center, which merges the Office for Research and Evaluation and the ALA Library.
Barac, Ligia

Ligia Barac became senior administrative assistant for ALA Finance and Accounting December 18.
Bruzan, Ron

ALA Director of Staff Support Ron Bruzan left ALA November 6.
Franklin, Brian

Brian Franklin joined the Public Library Association as program manager in December.

Cited

Polanka, Sue

Sue Polanka, associate university librarian for public services at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, received the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award from the Academic Library Association of Ohio October 27.
Weihs, Jean

Jean Weihs, retired director of the Library Techniques Program at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, was appointed to the Order of Canada for her contributions to library science, particularly the standardization of nonbook cataloging.
Zellmer, Linda

Linda Zellmer, government information and data services librarian at Western Illinois University in Macomb, received the Geoscience Information Society’s 2017 Mary B. Ansari Distinguished Service Award.
Blalock, Patricia

Patricia Swift Blalock, former director of Selma–Dallas County (Ala.) Public Library, was inducted posthumously into the Alabama Social Work Hall of Fame September 22. She was as a social worker before her career as a librarian and worked to integrate the library in the early 1960s. She died in 2011.
Valenzano, Danielle

Hartford (Conn.) Public Library awarded the Caroline M. Hewins Scholarship to Danielle D. Valenzano, a library assistant in the children’s department at Milford (Conn.) Public Library. The $4,000 scholarship is given to an individual who plans to specialize in library work with children.

Obituaries

Summers, Lorraine

Lorraine Summers, 70, assistant state librarian of Florida until her 2001 retirement, died November 14. Summers served on ALA Council, as president of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies and the Southeastern Library Association, and on the board of the Florida Library Association. She started her career as extension director at Gainesville (Fla.) Public Library before joining the State Library of Florida as federal projects coordinator.
Vogelsong, Diana

Diana Vogelsong, 66, reference librarian and acting university librarian at American University Library in Washington, D.C., until her retirement in 2011, died June 23. Vogelsong was a volunteer at Sandy Spring Museum, cataloging and scanning pictures for its collections, and was an active recorder of family genealogy.
Dickerson, Eugene

Eugene Dickerson, 59, cataloging team leader at the US Department of State’s Ralph J. Bunche Library in Washington, D.C., died December 16. Dickerson was a longtime member of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) who served on numerous Continuing Resources Section and ALCTS division committees. He also taught serials cataloging for the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program.
Jones, Wyman

Wyman Jones, 87, Los Angeles city librarian from 1970–1990, died October 9. As director, he oversaw the recovery after arson fires at the Central Library in 1986. Prior to joining Los Angeles Public Library, he served as director of Fort Worth (Tex.) Library.
Landers, Lora

Lora Landers, 90, who retired as deputy director of Hennepin County (Minn.) Library in 1987, died November 29. Landers began her career at New York Public Library in 1949, worked for the Department of the Army 1954–1956, and for Minneapolis Public Library 1957–1965. In 1987, she received the Minnesota Library Association’s President’s Award and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award.

Latest Library Links

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Aurora (Ill.) Public Library officials apologized April 22 after a poetry exhibit drew harsh criticism for including an Islamophobic display encouraging violence against Muslim women. The display featured the poem “Hijab means Jihad” by Lewis University philosophy professor George Miller superimposed over a Confederate flag. The poem was described as satire by both Miller and library officials. Library Board President John Savage had the exhibit removed on April 22.

Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, Apr. 22
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ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions will host a new 90-minute workshop, “Avoid Programming Burnout: Tap into Your Interests to Stay Engaged” with Katie LaMantia and Emily Vinci, on June 20. LaMantia and Vinci offer practical strategies for avoiding burnout in the best possible way—by incorporating your authentic self into programs. Registration is through the ALA Store.

eLearning Solutions, Apr. 20
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The RUSA Emerging Technology Section is transforming to better serve itrs members. Known for discussion groups about hot topics and engaging programs about leadership, systems, and user experience, ETS is bringing a revitalized structure and slate of committees together to focus on equipping public-service librarians to implement tech-savvy solutions that work for all kinds of libraries and users.

RUSA, Apr. 19
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A swastika and the word “heil” were scrawled on a bulletin board at the Glencoe (Ill.) Public Library. The vandalism was found April 10 in a second-floor room in the library and reported to police the next day, library executive director Andrew Kim said in a statement. Kim said he did not believe the graffiti indicates a larger bias problem in the village. After the discovery, library staff turned the “heil” into the word “hello” and made the swastika into another design.

Chicago Tribune, Apr. 20
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The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, announced April 19 that it is publishing “the most complete documentary collection ever produced” of the sixteenth president’s first 33 years. The digital collection covers much of Lincoln’s early years in Springfield, including the establishment of his law office and his four terms in the Illinois General Assembly. The oldest item archived is a “ciphering book” Lincoln used as a student that shows him learning how to do math.

Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register, Apr. 19
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Earth Day is April 22. It began in 1970 and is now celebrated in more than 150 countries. The day is intended to raise awareness about the environmental issues facing the world. Writing on the environment has a long legacy. The genre took a dramatic turn in the 20th century with the publication of a series that highlighted the dangers faced by various environments and species. The 19th-century themes of appreciation and understanding were joined by concern for the environment’s future and demands for conservation.

AbeBooks' Reading Copy, Apr. 16
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Jacob Nadal writes: “Every spring, libraries all across the US celebrate Preservation Week. The Library of Congress has a special role in this. Our vast scope of collecting requires us to support an extensive program of preservation services and research. From time to time, though, Congress gives the library special direction to attend to preservation issues of concern for the American people. It is a particular honor to share an example of this in the form of the Veteran’s History Project.”

Library of Congress Blog, Apr. 20