Latest Library Links
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The NASA Office of STEM Engagement invites proposals from libraries, museums, youth-serving organizations, and other eligible nonprofits via NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions Remote Opportunities Rapid Response. Selected parties will offer innovative remote or distance-learning opportunities, capable of reaching a diverse set of students with relevant NASA content, with specific focus on helping to minimize the inequities faced by communities without ready access to information and communication technology. Proposals are due August 13.
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As part of the Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) Project’s Phase 1 research on COVID-19, Battelle studied how long some commonly handled materials—including Braille paper pages, magazines, and board books—would need to be quarantined prior to being returned to being put back into use. After four days of quarantine in a stacked configuration, the virus was not detectable on the Braille pages, glossy book pages, and board book, but the magazine pages showed a trace amount of virus. Read the full Test 2 results.
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Karin Greenberg writes: “For the past three years, as I’ve incorporated Google Suite, Canvas, Kahoot, and other interactive digital tools into my library practice, I’ve seen firsthand how technology can benefit my school community. During the quarantine, my technological skills helped me communicate with staff and students to provide instruction, book lists, videos, and research information. The most exciting pursuit for me while in lockdown, though, was starting a bookstagram account on Instagram.”
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US Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) died July 17 at age 80. In addition to a lifetime of civil rights activism, a long career as an elected representative, and a celebrated stint as an award-winning author, Lewis was a dedicated advocate for libraries and made many appearances at American Library Association (ALA) events over the years.
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In 2019, ALA added sustainability as one of the core values of librarianship. Libraries across the US are working to reduce their environmental footprint and raise awareness about resilience, climate change, and a sustainable future. In Episode 52, Dewey Decibel talks with librarians who are implementing sustainable practices in both their libraries and their lives.
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More than 3,000 US Census Bureau staff will begin going into communities with the lowest 2020 Census response rates to encourage and assist people with responding on their own to the 2020 Census. This operation, known as the Mobile Questionnaire Assistance program, is a separate activity from census takers going door to door to count households that have not yet responded. MQA is part of the Census Bureau’s final push to encourage people to complete the 2020 Census before the Nonresponse Followup operation begins nationwide on August 11.
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On July 15 the Council on Library and Information Resources and Stanford Libraries announced the release of a public, open platform for the Digital Library of the Middle East, which aims to become one of the world’s largest online archives of Middle Eastern and North African artifacts. The DLME aggregates, through an ongoing program, digital records of published materials, documents, maps, artifacts, audiovisual recordings, and more from the Middle East and North Africa region.
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Gauraa Shekharh writes: “About a week into lockdown, my social feeds began bristling with #StayHome—a hashtag friends and peers used to catalog and share their life under quarantine. The posts quickly pivoted from blurry pictures of pets pawing at laptops to elaborate housebound efforts (think: sourdough starters, sill-grown scallions, DIY cotton masks). Suddenly, these platforms were seized with an urgency to document thoughtfully curated quarantine lifestyles.”
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The Public Libraries Survey report, released July 16 by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, provides a snapshot of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources in FY 2017. Each year since 1988, the Public Libraries of the United States Survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data is collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems composed of more than 17,000 individual main libraries, library branches, and bookmobiles in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed details on July 16 about the city’s plan to provide childcare for the thousands of city residents planning to send their children back to school in the fall. The plan involves providing childcare to more than 100,000 kids, repurposing community centers and libraries for space, and then expanding the program to accommodate more children. The next school year begins in September.
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Lindsay Wallace writes: “With travel plans cancelled for the foreseeable future, we’re all looking for new ways to feel transported from our homes, without putting our families at risk. That’s where these book duos come into play! With one title for adults and one for kids (ranging from books for younger children to YA for teens), each pair is an opportunity to travel to all kinds of places—around the globe, to real-world-inspired fantasy lands, and even through history.”
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ALA Conference Services began accepting program proposals on July 15 for the 2021 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, to take place in Chicago June 24–29, 2021. Proposals will be accepted via one submission site for all ALA Divisions, Round Tables, Committees, and Offices. The deadline to submit content is midnight Eastern, September 30, 2020. Registration will open for the 2021 ALA Annual Conference on Friday, January 15, 2021.
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