Archives

Coulon, Mary

July 23, 2015

Mary Coulon, librarian at Jefferson Parish (La.) Public School System’s Ruppel Academy for Advanced Studies, retired after 40 years with the system in May.

Clark, Cynthia

July 23, 2015

Cynthia D. Clark, former associate dean of libraries at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, died May 24. At Adelphi, she oversaw significant changes in technical services staffing and workflow, coordinated the relocation of collections to remote storage, facilitated the expansion of digitized collections, and managed enhancements to the library website and discovery systems. … Continue reading Clark, Cynthia →

Feil, Libby

July 23, 2015

June 1 Libby Feil became director of Jaffrey (N.H.) Public Library.

Dickson, Chelsee

July 23, 2015

Chelsee Dickson was promoted to librarian at Chattahoochee Technical College’s Mountain View Campus in Marietta, Georgia, in June.

Robinson Barr, Linda

July 23, 2015

Linda Robinson Barr joined Austin (Tex.) Community College as head librarian, technical services and library automation.

Oljace, Beth

July 23, 2015

Beth Oljace, 61, librarian for Anderson (Ind.) Public Library for 33 years, died May 19. She started in the Technical Services Department before moving to the library’s Indiana Room, where she supported genealogy research. She received the community’s Andrew Carnegie Award in 2013, honoring outstanding contribution to the improvement of public library services to the … Continue reading Oljace, Beth →

Campbell, Sarah

July 23, 2015

Portland (Maine) Public Library named Sarah I. Campbell as executive director effective July 11.

SirsiDynix booth at ALA 2015 Annual Conference and Exhibition

A Look at Tech

By Marshall Breeding | July 23, 2015

One current trend in library technology aims to improve the engagement of patrons with libraries or to provide tools to help users work more effectively. In many respects, the technologies on display reinforced the theme of the “Library Systems Report 2015,” operationalizing the innovations brewing in recent years, including the increased adoption of Semantic Web technologies … Continue reading A Look at Tech →

Past President Courtney L. Young cuts the ribbon after the Opening General Session on June 26.

Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015

By Greg Landgraf | July 22, 2015

In the wake of this news, attorney Roberta Kaplan keynoted the Opening General Session. Kaplan successfully argued United States v. Windsor, the 2013 case that ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. She referred to Windsor as the “big kick in the butt” that moved the Supreme Court forward on a series of … Continue reading Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015 →

Counterclockwise from top right: Keith Lu, bookmobile driver and library tech, waves a rainbow flag from the SFPL bookmobile; collections management assistant Alan Wong (center) and collections librarian Erin Dubois (right) strike a pose while waiting for the parade to begin; adult services librarian and bookmobile librarian Connie Porciuncula wears a pink wig in front of the TechMobile; Annemarie Dompe, student at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, holds a sign for Radclyffe Hall’s 1928 book The Well of Loneliness in front of the bookmobile; SFPL city librarian Luis Herrera rides a balloon-covered bike, and SFPL deputy city librarian Michael Lambert rides a skateboard ahead of SFPL’s marchers. (Photos: San Francisco Public Library)

Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride

July 14, 2015

Counterclockwise from top right: Keith Lu, bookmobile driver and library tech, waves a rainbow flag from the SFPL bookmobile; collections management assistant Alan Wong (center) and collections librarian Erin Dubois (right) strike a pose while waiting for the parade to begin; adult services librarian and bookmobile librarian Connie Porciuncula wears a pink wig in front … Continue reading Bookend: Librarians Show Their Pride →

Geary, Mary Kay

May 23, 2015

Mary Kay Geary retired as public services librarian at the Northwestern University Transportation Library in Evanston, Illinois, April 29.

Lowrie, Jean

May 23, 2015

Jean Elizabeth Lowrie, 96, who served as ALA president in 1973-74, died November 9, 2014. Lowrie worked at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo from 1951 until her 1983 retirement, serving as librarian, professor, and eventually director of the School of Librarianship from 1970-83. She also served as 1963-64 president of the American Association of School Librarians … Continue reading Lowrie, Jean →

Latest Library Links

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Mackenzie Aucker writes: “Shikellamy (Pa.) Area High School students in the construction trades program are giving a tour of the school’s library they’re renovating. The Shikellamy School Board supported and decided to have the construction trades students do the project—costing around $350,000 to renovate. The high school’s old library was outdated, and so was the technology. Once the library renovation project is complete, it’ll come with many rooms and different amenities. Students hope to have the renovation project completed by the end of September.”

WNEP-TV (Scranton, Pa.), May 16
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Michelle Gagnon writes: “Let’s face it—sometimes you want your crime fiction shaken, not stirred, with a twist of absurdity and a garnish of gallows humor. If you prefer your murder mysteries served with sass, sarcasm, and a healthy dose of chaos, the campy and comedic thriller is where it’s at. And personally, when I fall in love with characters, I want them to stick around for many, many books. These are stories where the danger is real—but so are the laughs.”

Crime Reads, May 15
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Kyle McClenagan writes: “Following the May 3 election results, Katy (Tex.) Independent School District (ISD) students and community members are asking school board members to repeal the Houston-area district’s controversial book and gender policies. The board appointed trustee Lance Redmon as its new president Monday after Katy ISD voters ousted former president Victor Perez, who had championed the policies and campaigned on conservative principles. In August 2024, the board approved a library policy that bans books ‘adopting, supporting, or promoting gender fluidity’ from elementary and junior high libraries in Katy ISD.”

Houston Public Media, May 14
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Seung Min Kim writes: “President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress has morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers. Republican leaders have delivered rare pushback against the president, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente.” The Associated Press reported that it is unclear whether Trump’s nominee for acting librarian of Congress, Todd Blanche, is currently in that role or if Principal Deputy Librarian Robert Newlen is in charge. The Authors Guild has created a petition demanding the reinstatement of fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter, and library colleagues from around the world have expressed their support for American librarians in facing federal and other challenges.

Associated Press, May 16, May 15; Authors Guild, May 13; ALA International Relations Office, May 20
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Cali Lichter writes: “For five years, Lowell (Mich.) Area Schools (LAS) Library Media Director Christine Beachler says she has been the target of untruthful, personal social media attacks. After a video of Beachler during a library tour in February, posted by self-described parental rights advocate Stefanie Boone, went viral, she says it pushed it over the edge. On May 13, Beachler filed a civil lawsuit in 17th Circuit Court, asking for damages and for Boone to take down all her posts referencing Beachler.” A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $25,000 to support Beachler’s legal fees.

WZZM-TV (Grand Rapids, Mich.), May 13, 14
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Ginny Monk writes: “Ebook contracts for libraries often come with terms that mean the library has to repurchase the book after it’s been borrowed 26 times or every couple of years, whichever comes first. Connecticut Senate Bill 1234 wouldn’t allow simultaneous restrictions on the loan period and the number of times people can borrow the book.” The Connecticut legislature gave final approval to the bill May 15, sending it to Gov. Ned Lamont for his signature. If he does sign it, the bill will only take effect if one or more other states with a total population of 7 million pass similar legislation. Connecticut library associations celebrated the bill’s passage.

Connecticut Mirror, May 15; Connecticut Library Consortium, May 15
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While ALA welcomed the preliminary injunction ordering the administration not to implement President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, it raised alarm over the administration’s cancellation of the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act grant program as of May 9. The congressionally authorized program was designed to close the digital divide by establishing grants to support broadband access and digital skills training for underserved communities. ALA is collecting information regarding Digital Equity Act grant cancellations to identify the impact of this loss of funding for libraries, and urges library workers who have received grant termination notifications to report their program cancellation and share the impact this loss of funding will have on their library.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 15

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