Archives

Toohey, Michelle

September 5, 2015

In August Michelle Toohey was promoted to head of collection management services at St. Louis (Mo.) Public Library.

Champ, Debra

September 5, 2015

The Indianapolis Business Journal named Debra Champ, IT director at Indianapolis Public Library, as one of its Chief Technology Officers of the Year August 12.

Hayes, Allene

September 5, 2015

Allene Hayes, who retired in 2013 as chief of the U.S./Anglo Division of the Library of Congress, died August 9. Hayes started at the Library of Congress as a copyright specialist in 1983 and held many positions at LC during her career, including leading the Electronic Resources Management Team. She was an ALA Councilor from … Continue reading Hayes, Allene →

Pryor, Chris

September 5, 2015

Chris Pryor left her position as manager of the Reference Department at St. Louis County (Mo.) Library August 21 to become manager of consulting and education with Amigos Library Services in Dallas.

Hall, Colleen

September 5, 2015

August 3 Colleen Hall left her position as Outreach Department manager at St. Louis County (Mo.) Library to become children’s services manager at Lexington (Ky.) Public Library.

Napoli, Don

September 5, 2015

Don Napoli retired June 30 after 37 years as director of St. Joseph County (Ind.) Public Library.

George A. Smathers Libraries

August 16, 2015

George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida in Gainesville were recently awarded a $288,000 supplemental grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize more than 100,000 pages of historic newspapers in the Florida and Puerto Rico Digital Newspaper Project. The award follows a $325,000 grant for the project the libraries received … Continue reading George A. Smathers Libraries →

Rohrer, Jameson

August 16, 2015

June 12 Jameson Rohrer was promoted to senior librarian at Centinela State Prison in Imperial, California.

Oldfield, Robert

August 16, 2015

Robert Oldfield was promoted to senior librarian at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla July 1.

Greene, David

August 16, 2015

July 31 David Greene was promoted to Senior Librarian at California State Prison Solano in Vacaville.

Gatke, Diane

August 1, 2015

Diane Gatke retired July 31 as materials services librarian at Hillsboro (Oreg.) Public Library after 46 years with the City of Hillsboro.

Jones, Barbara

April 4, 2015

Barbara Jones, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, will retire December 31.

Latest Library Links

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ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table is now accepting applications for the “Game On!” grant, which provides $2,000 to help a library or libraries develop gaming programs or collections for their communities. The grant has doubled in size over 2024 thanks to a $1,000 donation match from Cards Against Humanity, whose support will continue through 2029. The deadline for applications is March 10, and the grant winner will be announced at GameRT’s “ALA Play” event at the 2025 ALA Annual conference in Philadelphia in June.

ALA Games & Gaming Round Table, Jan. 12
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Jackie Partch writes: “Graphic novels are wildly popular with kids–and librarians also know that they can help build visual literacy skills, increase reading confidence and strengthen vocabulary knowledge. Kids who read graphic novels also show increased reading motivation. So why not offer a graphic novel book group at your library? [At our system,] librarians who want to offer a Graphic Novel Club participate in a planning session each summer. We brainstorm a list of potential titles beforehand, and during the session we narrow down that list to 12-14 titles and divide them up to write short booktalks.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 9
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Emily Jaeger-McEnroe writes: “Many information evaluation methods include values like objectivity and authority that imply that only traditional scholarly sources are acceptable for inclusion in scholarly work. Although this is often a desirable outcome, it can bias research to exclude groups traditionally disenfranchised from scholarship, such as Indigenous, racialized, queer, and disabled communities. The CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) test, originally created in 2004, is a commonly taught method of source evaluation. This article presents a few simple modifications to the CRAAP test that provide a means to evaluate marginalized information and prevent its exclusion.”

College & Research Libraries News, Jan.
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Kelly Jensen writes: “One of the trends we’ll see in book censorship over 2025 is the increased use of unprofessional, politically driven book review websites like BookLooks to make decisions in professional library and educational settings. BookLooks is the most well-known website for unprofessional, biased book reviews. That’s because it is a tool created by a former Moms for Liberty member and continues to be the tool they put their weight, energy, and time behind. But if your knowledge ends there, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Book Riot, Jan. 10
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Peter Hepburn writes: “When I look back at previous columns and reflect on my term as treasurer, which ends June 30, I realize just how much has happened—and been accomplished—over the past three years. For one, I’m proud of finishing the work started under my predecessor, Maggie Farrell, on the financial piece of the ALA Operating Agreement, which governs the relationship between ALA and its membership divisions. I’m also pleased with the progress made in improving communication within the Association on finances. I am not, however, greatly encouraged by the current financial health of the Association.”

American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
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Alison Marcotte writes: “Welcome to the Valley of the Sun, the Big Saguaro, the Silicon Desert. Phoenix is known for its picturesque landscapes, hearty succulents, and scorching heat, but come January 24–27 the city will usher in a different kind of vibrancy and warmth: the community, creativity, and connections of ALA’s LibLearnX conference. LibLearnX 2025 will bring together authors, thought leaders, and subject matter experts at the Phoenix Convention Center for educational programs, awards, celebrations, and networking opportunities. This year’s programmatic theme is ‘Reimagine, Refocus, Reset: Charting a Path for the Future.’”

American Libraries feature, Jan./Feb.
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Clare Starkey, Haley Lykins, and Kelli Hansen write: “In the spring of 2024, Special Collections at the University of Missouri [in Columbia] hosted a series of field trips for every sixth grader in the local public school district, more than 1,300 students. This workshop gave students a chance to experience ancient writing technologies from across Africa and Asia while interacting with primary sources, to complement the school curriculum on ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. This post will cover the advantages and pitfalls of hands-on teaching on a large scale, and strategies to make the most of a shoestring budget and a small staff.”

TPS Collective, Jan. 2

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