Martin’s relationship with Texas A&M began in the 1970s, when he first visited AggieCon, a science fiction and fantasy convention held at the university, says Jeremy Brett (right), curator of the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection. In 1993, Martin began shipping items to the archives, which now include more than 50,000 pieces. The … Continue reading Bookend: An Archive of Ice and Fire
With the goal of reconciliation and justice, institutions across the US are increasingly undertaking formal measures to review who they’ve memorialized—evaluating names of buildings and monuments to determine connections to white supremacy and other forms of discrimination. Unsurprisingly, university librarians and archivists are finding a role in these discussions, providing historical materials on the buildings … Continue reading What’s in a Building Name?
The impact of even this early wave of artificial intelligence (AI)—including voice assistants and machine learning (ML)—is still uncertain in many fields, but it is time to include AI on our professional agenda and in our national conversation. In talking with librarians working in this area, it’s clear that while AI can be useful, it … Continue reading Exploring AI
Libraries rarely design services to specifically exclude certain patron groups, but exclusion is often the unfortunate result of not considering the unique needs and circumstances of all community members. For example, after my son was born, I noticed that my local library offered programs for babies and toddlers only on weekday mornings. This made their … Continue reading Unintentional Inequity
Transforming Libraries: A Toolkit for Innovators, Makers, and Seekers, by Ron Starker, begins with the premise that libraries are at a tipping point in the evolutionary process, from being book warehouses to serving as centers for collaboration and learning. Starker analyzes issues that are changing libraries, including their historical context, the specific challenges each faces, … Continue reading Become Future Ready
It is an exciting time to be a member of the American Library Association (ALA). ALA can and will play an important role at this critical juncture in the history of our profession and our country, and it must stand united to speak with one voice: to advocate for the education of an informed citizenry; … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Julius C. Jefferson Jr.
Conceived in 1996 by author Pat Mora, with support from Reforma and the Association for Library Service to Children, Día is a celebration of children, literacy, and diversity. This year will mark 20 years that San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) has been proudly supporting Día in our community, with the goal of connecting kids to … Continue reading Spreading ‘Bookjoy’
The American Library Association (ALA) and libraries are in a unique position to help, heal, and lead. We must bring more civility and critical thought into the world through kindness, empathy, and love. Libraries are on the front line, doing an outstanding job of serving the underserved. But there is also an opportunity to bring … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA President: Lance Werner
ALA is at a critical time with changes in Association leadership positions, increased operational costs, flat-to-decreasing membership, and declining revenue. Librarians and library workers have a variety of choices for professional development, service, and engagement, so ALA needs to adapt to the changing expectations of the library profession if it is to remain relevant and … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA Treasurer: Maggie Farrell
ALA’s treasurer does what you might expect, but there’s more to the job than many realize, especially in the coming three years. Of course, I will dedicate myself to ALA’s financial success. But I will also help make sure ALA invests its assets to align with key priorities: advocacy; information policy; professional and leadership development; … Continue reading Meet the Candidates for ALA Treasurer: Andrew K. Pace
Surely, I thought, students will want to pour into the library, begging for the latest bestsellers. Imagine my surprise when one of the first students to enter the library asked, “Does anyone ever check books out?” After examining the stats, I found that students did not check out very many books. During my first nine … Continue reading Transform the High School Library
For example, Google’s Android operating system records, measures, and collects information and sends that data to servers. These servers use billions of data points collected from tens of millions of users as input for their machine learning systems. When you ask an Android phone to show you pictures from the beach, a complex set of … Continue reading AI and Machine Learning
