Silverthorn, Karen
March 1, 2022October 5 Karen Silverthorn retired as adult services librarian at Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
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Connor, Jean L.
March 1, 2022Jean L. Connor, 102, who served as reference librarian for several public libraries and as an administrator in library development for the New York State Education Department, died November 9. She received a citation for reference librarianship from the American Library Association’s (ALA) Reference and Adult Services division. Connor also published two books of poetry, … Continue reading Connor, Jean L.
Flash, Kenya S.
March 1, 2022Kenya S. Flash, 41, who was librarian for political science, global affairs, government information, and the Ethnicity, Race, and Migration program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, died December 24. She previously worked as an academic librarian at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Flash was active in the … Continue reading Flash, Kenya S.
Ford, Lorrita E.
March 1, 2022Lorrita E. Ford, 72, who retired as director of library and learning services at the College of San Mateo in California in 2016, died September 19. She had also worked at Oakland (Calif.) Public Library’s Dimond branch and Diablo Valley College in Contra Costa County, California.
Gallagher, Patricia “Pat” E.
March 1, 2022Patricia “Pat” E. Gallagher, 67, who served as a librarian with the National Library of Medicine before her 2021 retirement, died December 1. She also worked for 15 years as a user services librarian at New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and was elected by her peers as a NYAM fellow. She was active in the … Continue reading Gallagher, Patricia “Pat” E.
Havert, Mandy
March 1, 2022Mandy Havert, 51, graduate outreach and research services librarian at University of Notre Dame’s (Ind.) Hesburgh Libraries, died October 21. She had worked at Hesburgh in various positions for 24 years and developed the popular Thesis and Dissertation Camps program for graduate students. She also served in leadership and committee roles at ALA, ACRL, the … Continue reading Havert, Mandy
Joyce, William L.
March 1, 2022William L. Joyce, 79, Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair for Special Collections and head of special collections at Penn State University in University Park from 2000 to 2010, died June 6. He had previously worked at University of Michigan’s Clements Library in Ann Arbor; the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts; New York Public Library; and Princeton … Continue reading Joyce, William L.
Studer, William “Bill” J.
March 1, 2022William “Bill” J. Studer, 85, director of Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries for 22 years until his 1999 retirement, died October 14. Under his leadership, OSU added significantly to its archives and special collections. He advocated for the renovation of the Thompson Library, a project the university committed to at his retirement and completed in … Continue reading Studer, William “Bill” J.
The Table and the Folding Chair
March 1, 2022In this fourth and final column introducing ALA’s newly implemented five-year strategic plan, I want to mine the connection between creating institutional belonging and facilitating the change management critical to organizational sustainability and impact. The first of these begets the second. In addition to the overarching goals of the new Pivot (or change management) Strategy, … Continue reading The Table and the Folding Chair
Prioritizing Ethnic Studies
March 1, 2022In August 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 1460, requiring all students in the 23-campus California State University system to take a three-unit ethnic studies class—in Native American studies, African American and Black studies, Asian Pacific American studies, or Chicanx and Latinx studies. During the 2021–2022 academic year, thousands of students enrolled in … Continue reading Prioritizing Ethnic Studies
A Model for Privacy?
March 1, 2022In general, there are four approaches that libraries can take in relation to patron privacy. As library leaders consider implementing new tools for improving user outreach, they need to consider which model best suits their mission and strategic initiatives: Strict privacy. At one end of the spectrum, the library configures its integrated library system (ILS) … Continue reading A Model for Privacy?
Rethinking Digital Literacy
March 1, 2022But instead of helping students understand these phenomena, digital literacy curricula tend to focus on individual behavior and responsibilities: Do protect your private information. Don’t cyberbully your classmates. Do use citations. These lessons often aim to correct perceived misbehavior or build academic skills but do little to raise students’ awareness of the complex social issues … Continue reading Rethinking Digital Literacy