September is National Library Card Signup Month. In celebration of this initiative and five Omaha (Neb.) Public Library branches reopening September 21, check out these staff-recommended books about libraries and librarians. Find them and more at omahalibrary.org.
Latest Library Links
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Rare books worth more than £2.5 million that were stolen from a warehouse in west London in a daring Mission Impossible-style heist have been found buried under the floor of a house in rural Romania. The recovery of the 200 books, which include first editions of significant works by Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton, is the culmination of a three-year police operation that involved raids on 45 addresses across three countries and led to charges against 13 people.
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Seattle historian and photographer Paul Dorpat has donated an extensive collection of historical artifacts to Seattle Public Library. Dorpat has written numerous books and cofounded Historylink, an online encyclopedia of Washington state history. The donated artifacts include pictures, books, documents, newspapers, pamphlets, slides, even a box filled with Dorpat’s personal notes.
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Librarian Anna Gooding-Call writes: “The assumption that librarians are also babysitters is an old problem. While it’s hard for a librarian to refuse a parent who simply leaves their kid in the children’s room and hopes for the best, it’s not a librarian’s job to look after kids—not now, and not during normal times. I am here today to explain why librarians are not childcare.”
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Librarian’s Library columnist Araceli Méndez Hintermeister writes: “The library’s influence extends beyond its walls. These selections offer ways librarians can engage their community via volunteer efforts, collaborations, advocacy, and more.”
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Through Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, up to 650 US libraries in small and rural communities will receive $3,000 to tackle issues ranging from media literacy to COVID-19 safety to unemployment. The initiative is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. Library workers may apply online for grant funding from September 21 to December 2. Grants will be distributed over two funding rounds. Read the full project guidelines.
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On September 21, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced her appointment of Shira Perlmutter as the next US Register of Copyrights. Perlmutter comes to the position with 12 years of service as chief policy officer and director for international affairs at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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When Greg Hall and Morgan Matens met and fell in love as graduate students over a dozen years ago (he was studying library science; she was studying set design), they had no idea they’d wind up working together. Hall is now children’s librarian at Nashville Public Library (NPL), where Matens is a puppeteer with Wishing Chair Productions, NPL’s in-house puppetry troupe. Sheltering in place together, the couple has collaborated on weekly Facebook videos that bring NPL’s puppets to families across the country. The runaway hit so far is the music video “Curbside Baby,” set to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and featuring a DJ mouse who raps instructions for curbside library services.
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A new project is helping people see the faces of educators and child care workers who have to wear masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 while at work. Waterloo (Ont.) Public Library launched the button project. Teachers, caregivers, long-term care home staff, and child care workers can send in a photo of themselves, and the library will put it on a button for free, which the person can wear at work.
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In an age of social distancing, public librarians, school librarians, teachers are working together more closely than ever to help students and parents navigate a school year unlike any they’ve experienced. At Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library, librarians administering the Brooklyn Connections program are not only faced with the challenge of reimagining their outreach to the 35 schools and thousands of 4th–12th graders they serve but are also grappling with students’ day-to-day struggles amid the pandemic.
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As libraries reopen, finding ways to reduce face-to-face interaction will minimize the risk of spreading disease for both library workers and patrons. From managing curbside pickup to integrating printer payment systems that minimize cash transactions, these platforms and apps are helping libraries improve their services during the pandemic.
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Youth Matters columnist Linda W. Braun writes: “In May, when I learned about the strategic leadership frameworks VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) and VUCA Prime (vision, understanding, clarity, agility) that are often used in business, I began to better understand the ways in which library staffers responded to COVID-19 building closures. I noticed that youth library workers were, understandably, operating in reactive mode.”
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