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Chicago, My Kind of Town

By Laurie D. Borman | June 26, 2013

One of the best perks of working at ALA is picking up “gently used” advance reading copies (or ARCs, as they’re known) of yet-to-be-published books. Every few weeks, Booklist editors share with the ALA staff piles of bound galleys and ARCs that have been considered for review by the magazine. When these books arrive in … Continue reading Chicago, My Kind of Town →

Chicago: 2013 Annual Conference Preview

By Mariam Pera | June 4, 2013

ALA welcomes our colleagues, vendors, and other attendees to Chicago for the Association’s 137th Annual Conference June 27 to July 2. From the first year Chicago played host—in 1893, during the World’s Columbian Exposition—to now, 120 years later, we remain as committed as ever to the profession. The conference theme, “Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves,” plays out … Continue reading Chicago: 2013 Annual Conference Preview →

Tastes of Chicago

By American Libraries staff | June 4, 2013

We Chicagoans love our food. In a town best known for its deep-dish pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches, we also take pride in our city’s more recent culinary accomplishments, which have helped transform Chicago into a dining destination for foodies worldwide. And while there’s no dearth of restaurant guides to help you maneuver … Continue reading Tastes of Chicago →

Rethinking, Reinventing

By Keith Michael Fiels | June 1, 2013

In late April, the ALA Executive Board and the Budget Analysis and Review Committee met to review the status of the current 2013 ALA budget and to approve a preliminary budget for the 2014 fiscal year that begins September 1, 2013. The continuing impact of the recession on libraries and projected revenues this year and … Continue reading Rethinking, Reinventing →

Representing ALA

By Maureen Sullivan | June 1, 2013

It has been a privilege this year to serve as your president. The experience exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I especially enjoyed representing ALA in the larger world. One of the special joys was working closely with Immediate Past President Molly Raphael and President-Elect Barbara Stripling to ensure continuity across our terms to … Continue reading Representing ALA →

ALA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

By Mariam Pera | April 16, 2013

On April 16, ALA staff members gathered for a reading of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as part of a worldwide celebration marking its 50th anniversary. ALA was one of 207 sites around the world where King’s letter was being read aloud today. Although part of a larger, international … Continue reading ALA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of “Letter from Birmingham Jail” →

Latest Library Links

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Brett Zongker and Deb Fiscella write: “The 2025 National Film Registry has been announced, showcasing a group of 25 films spanning 118 years and including fan favorites such as The Thing, Clueless, The Big Chill, and The Incredibles. The Library of Congress’s annual addition to the list of films to be preserved for their cinematic and cultural heritage starts with the 1896 silent film, The Tramp and the Dog, and stretches to the 2014 Wes Anderson picture The Grand Budapest Hotel. Since Congress established the registry in 1988, 925 films have been added.”

Library of Congress, Jan. 29
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Tony Phillips writes: “In today’s fast-paced world, where everyone seems to be in a rush, displaying data in a way that can be easily interpreted and analyzed—such as in a heat map—is essential. Excel lets you automatically color-code figures to demonstrate their relationship with one another, using darker colors for higher numbers and lighter colors for lower numbers, for example. This means you can see trends and anomalies at a glance.”

How-To Geek, Feb. 2
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The RAILS regional library system in northern Illinois has published advocacy tools for libraries to build awareness about the challenges of e-book and audiobook pricing. These documents include an advocacy flier, sample social media graphics, and sample copy that libraries can use to make their communities aware of this growing problem. Libraries are also welcome to download a Canva template to customize graphics with their own logos.

RAILS, Jan. 30
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Jerry Lawson writes: “When people think about malware, they often imagine someone clicking a suspicious attachment or downloading a shady file. In reality, one of the most dangerous forms of infection requires no obvious mistake at all. It’s called a drive-by download, and it remains a quiet but serious threat. It occurs when malicious code is installed on a device simply by visiting a compromised website—often without any prompt or warning. No defense is perfect, but layered precautions significantly reduce exposure.”

LLRX, Jan. 29
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Angele Latham and Scott Broden write: “Nearly 3,000 books that were flagged as possibly running afoul of federal standards on gender topics have been temporarily saved from removal from public library shelves across Rutherford County, Tennessee, on February 2. Instead, the board approved recommendations from Rutherford County Library Board Director Luanne James that would move 450 books out of the juvenile collection. The statewide review was spurred by an October letter from Secretary of State Tre Hargett, which directed most public libraries in the state to review their juvenile collections conform to a Trump executive order on gender topics.”

The Tennessean (Nashville), Feb. 3, Dec. 3
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Catherine Paolillo and Christopher Marcum write: “This study gathered feedback from student employees on the elements of our retention program that they see as critical to retaining them throughout their time on campus. Consistently positive feedback regarding flexible schedules and a supportive interview experience highlights the effectiveness of our hiring practices. Strong appreciation for the structured onboarding and training process indicates that our efforts to provide consistent and thorough preparation are successful. However, more work is needed to assess our need for direct day-to-day supervision for all students and to improve our performance appraisal process and specific work-preparation activities.”

Library Leadership and Management, Vol. 39, No. 2, Feb. 1
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Ariel Barreras writes: “Like many of you, I currently have Pokémon on the brain! In December, I wrote about how I was preparing to start a Pokémon Club at my library. In this post, I will share the setup for my first session and what I have learned after completing round one of Pokémon Club. The first session of a new program can be a tricky one, with kids and the librarian trying to figure out what works best. Throughout the session, I was taking notes on what worked and what needs work.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 31

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