Helen Mae Mullen, 91, a librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia for 44 years, died December 2. Mullen began her career as a children’s librarian and progressed to coordinator of the Office of Work with Children, becoming the first African-American woman to head a department at the library. She served as 1981–1982 president of the Association … Continue reading Mullen, Helen
Carlton C. Rochell, 85, dean of New York University Libraries until his 1999 retirement, died December 23. As dean, he launched the first minicomputer-based online catalog in the country; incorporated the Courant Institute, Business and Real Estate Institute Libraries, and the NYU Archives; founded the Wagner Labor Archives; launched the Elmer H. Bobst Awards for … Continue reading Rochell, Carlton
Kay Webster, 61, coordinator of youth services for 38 years at Greene County (Ohio) Public Library, died November 27. Webster was instrumental in the library’s decision to reinstate its bookmobile in 2001.
That year, Alman, a lecturer at SJSU, and Hirsh secured an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant to facilitate a national conversation on blockchain’s potential in libraries. By the time they hosted a national forum in summer 2018, cryptocurrency markets had soared and then tumbled, and the news had shifted to “crypto winter.” But … Continue reading Blockchain Reaction
American Libraries spoke with three library tech leaders—panelists from the Library and Information Technology Association’s Top Tech Trends panel at the 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—about what apps, devices, software, and best practices their libraries have implemented and how others can, too. Explore immersive technologies Libraries haven’t fully explored the potential of virtual reality (VR), … Continue reading Tech Trends
“What you’re doing in helping us transcribe these letters is bringing to life the letters and the thoughts of people from decades and centuries ago,” Hayden said at the event. Letters to Lincoln is just one of the many projects launched or under development as part of LC’s new five-year digital strategy announced October 1. … Continue reading A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library
In 2017 we started the “Copyright for Creators” series aimed at graduate and undergraduate students and faculty in arts disciplines, as well as creators throughout the university, such as web designers and communicators. Like most VCU Libraries events, this series was free and open to the public, and the topics covered were relevant to this … Continue reading Copyright for Creators
Gates spoke with American Libraries at the 2019 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—where it was revealed that she would serve as this year’s honorary chair of National Library Week. The Moment of Lift is about lifting up women and girls. What do you mean by lift, and why is it so important? I … Continue reading Newsmaker: Melinda Gates
1,000 Approximate number of libraries that participated in Money Smart Week activities in 2018. This year it will be observed March 30–April 6 and will include thousands of free programs and events across the country to help educate consumers on how to better manage their personal finances. 141,740 Number of people who attended Money Smart … Continue reading By the Numbers: Money Smart Week
The idea of alcohol at a library-sponsored event may strike some as unusual. But supporters say that serving alcohol increases event attendance, particularly among younger adults, and cultivates a public image of the library as a hip, up-to-date social setting. “People are used to relaxing with a beer or a glass of wine,” says Marcy … Continue reading Libations in the Library
That might sound like the opening volley of a gender-studies lecture. But when Erin Shea, supervisor of Ferguson Library’s Harry Bennett and Weed Memorial and Hollander branches in Stamford, Connecticut, wondered it aloud at a staff meeting last October, she was waxing practical, not theoretical. Specifically, she was questioning a common procedure followed by her … Continue reading Ditching the Gender Data
Many seniors are prevented from traveling the world—or even just taking a stroll outside—by limited physical or cognitive abilities. But now, thanks to virtual reality, older patrons of Arlington Heights (Ill.) Memorial Library don’t have to feel homebound: The world is coming to them. Mary Jo Lepo, the library’s senior and accessible services manager, first … Continue reading It’s Not Such A Small World After All
