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Oscar Nod to Fantastic Flying Books Shows Love for Libraries

By Beverly Goldberg | February 29, 2012

A film allegory that celebrates the curative power of story in general—and reading in particular—won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short February 26. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, a wordless film whose most inspiring scenes take place in a fanciful library full of living books, was produced by start-up Moonbot Studios … Continue reading Oscar Nod to Fantastic Flying Books Shows Love for Libraries →

Library History and Women’s History: An Ongoing Convergence

By Sarah M. Pritchard | February 29, 2012

The convergence of women’s history and library history at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition heralded the beginnings of a tradition of advocacy that would shape our profession for the next 100 years and beyond. As American women entered librarianship in the late 19th century, they focused on issues of professional equity, on services to women … Continue reading Library History and Women’s History: An Ongoing Convergence →

Women in the White City

By Susan E. Searing | February 29, 2012

Next year will be the 120th anniversary of the World’s Columbian Exposition, more commonly known as the Chicago World’s Fair—a grand event that lasted six months, attracted 27 million visitors, and introduced attendees to the Ferris Wheel, shredded wheat, and belly dancing. Although you won’t learn it from Erik Larson’s bestseller The Devil in the … Continue reading Women in the White City →

A Hazy Shade of (Mid)winter

By Joseph Janes | February 28, 2012

You know that feeling you get when you come home from a conference, and it’s all kind of a blur? That’s been my post-Midwinter experience. Of course, it came right after being housebound for several days during a rare Seattle snowstorm, so I was happy just to be somewhere sunny and warm, no matter how … Continue reading A Hazy Shade of (Mid)winter →

“Book Traffickers” Meet Tucson Ban on Mexican-American Studies

By Beverly Goldberg | February 22, 2012

Educators in the Houston metro area are readying a “book trafficker” caravan that would travel March 12–18 from Houston, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, to donate books about the Mexican-American experience to four volunteer libraries. The donations are meant to counter the January removal of at least seven titles from Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) … Continue reading “Book Traffickers” Meet Tucson Ban on Mexican-American Studies →

The Coolness Factor

By Will Manley | February 22, 2012

Age among librarians used to be fairly easy to determine, but no longer in our era of nips, tucks, Botox, and hair coloring. You can’t just come out and ask someone his or her age. We all know that in today’s world such a question is not only impolite but possibly even discriminatory. My suggestion … Continue reading The Coolness Factor →

Newsmaker: Jamal Joseph

February 22, 2012

AMERICAN LIBRARIES: Your book offers so many lessons, especially for today’s youth. Is that why you decided to tell your story? JAMAL JOSEPH: It actually is. I work with young people in New York and travel the country speaking to high school and college students. The book is written through the curious eyes and passionate … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jamal Joseph →

Science for the Nonscientist

By Bill Ott | February 22, 2012

I was never any good at science, whether it was dissecting a frog or—God help me—completing a science-fair project. My personal nadir came on a chemistry exam in high school. I like to think my score of eight points out of a possible 100 remains, these many decades later, the worst officially posted number in … Continue reading Science for the Nonscientist →

Create a Library “Tech Shop”

By David Lee King and Michael Porter | February 14, 2012

We librarians are experts at collecting. Our jobs, our departments, our very buildings have been designed to acquire content. There is, however, another side to content that many libraries haven’t yet fully explored, and that is content creation. Yes, we have books about how to create a graphic novel, how to learn a musical instrument, … Continue reading Create a Library “Tech Shop” →

Returning the Love

By Sarah Prielipp | February 14, 2012

Can’t you just see a group of librarians gathering around the proverbial water cooler each morning to profess their love for their patrons? “We love our patrons. Yes, we do. We love our patrons. How about you?” Okay, maybe not, but the sentiment remains. Librarians love their patrons; it’s why we do everything we do. … Continue reading Returning the Love →

Latest Library Links

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On May 9, ALA President Cindy Hohl released a statement condemning President Trump’s May 8 firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had been in the role since 2016. The statement celebrates Hayden’s leadership and efforts to make the Library of Congress “a bastion of knowledge and a beacon of opportunity” for all. The statement also urges all library supporters to reach out to their Congressmembers. According to the Washington Post, Hayden had recently been criticized as “woke” by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative organization that identifies nonpartisan appointees it suspects will resist President Trump’s policies.

AL: The Scoop, May 9; ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 9; PBS News, May 9, Washington Post, May 9
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Steve Tetrault writes: “I bet I’m not the only one who has, at some point, told students how much easier they have it than we adults did at their age—especially when it comes to doing research. But I’ve recently been rethinking that stance. While I had to ‘work’ to get information throughout most of my primary, secondary, and early higher education years, I knew that when I went to the library, the information I would find would be considered reliable. Our students have a wealth of information at their fingertips, but determining the veracity of the information requires work.”

Knowledge Quest, May 6
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Amy Shaw writes: “Google searches for the term ‘impostor syndrome’ have been on the rise since 2010, which many experts agree is less an indication that it is becoming more common and more an indication that awareness of the phenomenon has grown. Impostor syndrome, although not a recognized psychological disorder, can cause library workers to feel less confident, less motivated, and less likely to apply to higher positions, thus robbing institutions of significantly talented individuals in management roles. What can we do?”

NMRT Notes, May 5
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Lila Denning writes: “Book displays and online book lists work for those patrons who enter your buildings or view your website and social media accounts. It is possible to extend your outreach to those in your community who aren’t currently using the library. By increasing the percentage of members of your community who use and appreciate the library, you are increasing the stakeholders and voices who can be asked to speak up during times when your library could use more defenders such as when budget cuts are on the horizon.”

Passively Recommending Books, Apr. 30
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Daniel Pfeiffer writes: “Not quite two years after our first post on the antitrust cases against Google, the courts have finally issued judgment in the second major antitrust lawsuit against the company. This post will recap both of these lawsuits and also get into the ongoing Meta antitrust trial. What what is most significant about these trials isn’t the outcome necessarily, but that Big Tech is beginning to face high-level legal scrutiny. An antitrust campaign could radically affect the structure of the internet economy and its information landscape, so we wanted to make sure they have stayed on your radar.”

Choice: LibTech Insights, Apr. 30
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Jason Parham writes: “Earlier this week, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, a couple dozen fellows commenced a year-long project designed to put the mission of preserving Black history back in the hands of community members. The Web Archiving School (WARC) is a new training program that teaches practitioners methods of digital preservation built around an ‘ethic of care.’ As many agencies, public and private, have quickly fallen in line with Trump’s orders, WARC cofounder Makiba Foster says she’s not going to rely on legacy institutions to do that important preservation work.”

Wired, May 2
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Frank Strong writes: “I’ve been covering Texas school board elections for seven cycles, and as I have documented over and over again, book bans, attacks on educators and public schools, and attempts to target LGBTQ students do not fare well at the polls. But Saturday night’s election results were next level. Voters across Texas clearly and consistently punished the people who have been restricting students’ reading and learning.” School board candidates who advocated for restrictive school library book policies lost in Fort Bend, Keller, Mansfield, and several other communities.

Anger & Clarity, May 5; May 7, 2023; May 5, 2024; Nov. 9, 2024; Community Impact, May 3; Newsweek, May 4

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