Archives

Boughton, Lesley

September 21, 2015

Lesley Boughton retired after 17 years as Wyoming State Librarian in June.

Briggs, Amber

September 21, 2015

Amber Westall Briggs has been promoted to director of Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library System in Burnsville, North Carolina.

Barron, Daniel

September 21, 2015

Daniel Barron retired July 1 as director of Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library System in Burnsville, North Carolina.

MacKie-Mason, Jeffrey

September 21, 2015

Jeffrey MacKie-Mason became university librarian at the University of California Berkeley.

Johnson, Stef

September 21, 2015

Stef Johnson was promoted to director of Butte-Silver Bow (Mont.) Public Library in June.

Tenney, Margaret

September 21, 2015

Margaret Tufts Tenney retired as head of the Harry Ransom Center Reading Room at the University of Texas at Austin July 3.

Delneo, Cathy

September 21, 2015

San Francisco Public Library promoted Cathy Delneo to chief of branches in July.

Hawksworth, Judith

September 21, 2015

Judith A. Hawksworth, 70, a librarian at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School and Madison Rose Lane Elementary in Phoenix for 31 years, died July 4 of pancreatic cancer.

Allen, Scott

September 21, 2015

July 6 Scott Allen joined the Public Library Association as project manager.

Dienhelt, Kim

September 21, 2015

Kim Dienhelt became acting program officer for the Freedom to Read Foundation July 7.

McGraw, John

September 21, 2015

John McGraw became director of Faulkner County (Ark.) Library July 11.

Langley, Jean

September 21, 2015

Jean Langley retired June 30 as director of Northborough (Mass.) Free Library after 39 years with the library.

Latest Library Links

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Tova Gaster writes: “Library Futures’s new research report, ‘Keeping an Open Mind: Awareness, Use, and Perspectives of OER in Public Libraries,’ takes a first look at how public librarians are using and perceiving open educational resources (OER). Library Futures surveyed public librarians about their use and awareness of OER via the Public Library Association mailing list from January–March 2024 and received 107 usable responses. Our flagship survey revealed that public librarians are very interested in OER, but many lack the resources, education, or support to bring interest into action.”

Library Futures, Nov. 22
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Jack Wallen writes: “Bluesky is a breath of fresh air. You’re not force-fed ads, nor are there algorithmic suggestions to clutter up your feed. Even better, there’s so much positivity. That alone is worth the time to migrate. But how do you get started? It took you years to collect those followers on Twitter. Will it take years to do the same on Bluesky? No. Bluesky’s starter packs are customized collections of accounts pre-loaded with users interested in different subjects.” Librarian Paul Jewell has created an information literacy starter pack.

ZDNet, Nov. 26; Information Literacy Weblog, Dec. 2
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A newly published research study from the American Association of School Librarians’ peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research, investigates self-censorship of controversial topics in collection development. In “To Add or Not to Add: An Examination of Self‐Censoring Behaviors among School Librarians,” information science professors Jennifer Moore and Alissa Tudor use survey data to examine which controversial or frequently challenged topics school librarians chose not to collect. The research found that there were high amounts of self-censorship around books that dealt with sexual content, abortion, and self-harm.

American Association of School Librarians, Dec. 3; School Library Research, Volume 27
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Frank Strong writes: “Day one of pre-filing of bills for the 2025 Texas legislative session treated us with several attempts to further restrict reading rights for Texans. The headliner of those bills is House Bill 183, which would enable the State Board of Education to review and remove books from all public schools in the state, essentially creating a statewide banned books list. But it won’t be the only one. Below are six more antibook bills you should watch out for—and publicize, and speak out against, and fight—in the new year.”

Anger & Clarity, Nov. 29
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“In today’s society, libraries stand out as among the last truly public institutions. Providing access to resources without financial, social, or physical barriers, public libraries make a unique contribution to promoting individual and collective flourishing throughout the communities they serve. The New York Public Library’s Strategy and Public Impact team and the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center in Philadelphia have released a new report as part of an ongoing collaboration to study and advocate for the role of public libraries in the communities they serve.”

New York Public Library, Nov.
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ALA’s Games & Gaming Round Table announced the winners of its 2024 Platinum Play Hall of Fame Awards on December 2, representing the best games for library collections or programming released in the last two to 10 years. The “Platys” Class of 2024 includes longstanding favorites such as Splendor and Azul, approachable program-friendly titles like Just One and Exploding Kittens, the tournament-friendly Super Smash Bros. Melee, geolocation game Pokémon Go, and ‘80s throwback RPG Kids on Bikes.

ALA Games and Gaming Round Table, Dec. 2
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Samantha Kretschmer writes: “A staff survey conducted by administration at my library two years ago pointed to a general feeling of discontent amongst staff. The administration formed a Staff Advisory committee, which I was tasked with chairing. The point of this committee was to promote understanding and cooperation between the various branches and departments of the library; to promote productive cooperation between staff, management, and administration; to provide a place for a constructive exchange of ideas; to serve as a channel for staff questions, comments, and concerns; and to help create a community amongst staff.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 28

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