Latest Library Links
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September is Library Card Sign-up Month, but with many libraries still offering limited services, reaching non-cardholding community members may feel overwhelming. Library marketing expert Angela Hursh offers six ways to successfully grow your cardholder base, even when you’re dealing with COVID-19.
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Kelsie Smith writes: “It was a real whodunit when a stash of beer and gum from the 1980s was discovered behind the walls of the Mystery section at a Washington library. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Walla Walla Public Library has been closed to the public since March and has since taken the time to do some renovations, library director Erin Wells told CNN. During the demolition three weeks ago, five full cans of Hamm’s beer and an opened pack of Godzilla Heads gum was found in a disintegrated paper bag, Wells said. Facilities Maintenance Specialist Luis Cuellar found the odd treasure when he removed a seven-foot-tall corner panel on some open-top shelving believed to be original to the 1970s building.”
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On August 20 the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced grants totaling $5,263,000 through three programs designed to support and improve library services of Native American and Native Hawaiian organizations. Native American Library Services Basic Grants support existing library operations and maintain core library services. Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants augment existing library services or implement new library services for Indian tribes. Native Hawaiian Library Services Grants are available to nonprofit organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians so they can enhance existing or implement new library services.
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Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, will be starring in and executive producing a new series for Netflix called Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. The 12-episode series will feature prominent Black celebrities and artists—including Common, Misty Copeland, Tiffany Haddish, and Jacqueline Woodson—reading children’s books from Black authors that highlight the Black experience. The show debuts September 1.
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To mark the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Reclaim Her Name project is publishing 25 historic works by women under their own names for the first time. George Eliot’s Middlemarch will be released under the writer’s real name, Mary Ann Evans. Lesser-known works will be part of the project as well: Frances Rollin Whipper published The Life of Martin R. Delany in 1868 under the pseudonym Frank A. Rollin. She was the first African American to publish a biography.
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Lindsey Simon writes: “Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries across the country have closed their doors to the public—but what has that meant for the cats who call America’s libraries home? Libraries have long been home to feline residents who keep patrons company, promote activities and programs, and assist with pest control. We checked in on four library cats (and their humans) to see how their lifestyles have changed during the pandemic.”
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In Episode 53, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart speaks with Wardell Ross Jr., director of Houston operations for architectural firm Moody Nolan, who was project manager for Texas Southern University’s new Library Learning Center. Morehart and Ross discuss the library’s features and how its design reflects and showcases the heritage of the historically Black university. Morehart also talks with Susan Nemitz, director of Santa Cruz (Calif.) Public Libraries, about how the library shifted its remodeling and rebuilding plans to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic.
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You know the value of your library, but elected officials, donors, community leaders, funders, and other important stakeholders may not. How can you make the library a priority for these groups, who may have preconceived notions about what the library does, as you compete with other important community organizations for funding? Proving Your Library’s Value: Persuasive, Organized, and Memorable Messaging, published by ALA Editions in collaboration with United for Libraries, will show you how to succeed.
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This year’s ASGCLA/Keystone Library Automation System/National Organization on Disability Award goes to Moline (Ill.) Public Library/ARTability for its efforts to expand and enhance art-related programming for people with disabilities in its community and their advocacy and passion in providing equal access to library programs and services through ARTability and Beyond. Working with Blackhawk Area Education Center serving 14 local school districts, the library created ARTability, offering 13 uniquely tailored art and music programs for BAEC students.
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New research published in AASL’s peer-reviewed online journal School Library Research analyzes the use of school libraries by students who receive free school meals. The research team’s findings are detailed in their article “Exploring the Literacy-Related Behaviors and Feelings of Pupils Eligible for Free School Meals in Relation to Their Use of and Access to School Libraries.” Findings indicated effective school libraries can be a significant resource in supporting engagement with self-motivated literacy practices in children from low-income families.
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Registration for the 2020 ALSC Virtual Institute, “Dive In: Engage, Amplify, Activate,” is now open. This year’s Virtual Institute will convene October 2-3, in lieu of the originally planned in-person event in Minneapolis. Registration for this year’s Institute will be $50 for ALSC members and $75 for nonmembers. General session panels will include authors Minh Lê, Carole Lindstrom, Bao Phi, Kao Kalia Yang, and 2020 Stonewall Children’s and Youth Adult Literature winner Kyle Lukoff, as well as illustrator Michaela Goade.
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Documentation is important to continuity and sustainability of processes in library work, but it’s an easy thing to write off as too hard or to mentally set aside for a “slow period” that never comes. Lessons from the field of technical writing can help us prioritize these important tasks. Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures will present “How Do We Do That Again? Documenting Library Work,” on September 2, at 1 p.m. Central. Register at bit.ly/3igr4Yf.
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