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The Douglas County (Nev.) Library Board of Trustees voted 3–2 August 25 to approve a $30,000 investigation into the library’s director, Amy Dodson, and staff regarding their proposed support for the Black Lives Matter movement. County Sheriff Dan Coverley responded to the proposed support with a letter suggesting that his agency would no longer respond to emergency calls at the library, which led to protests and counterprotests. Dodson said in an August 28 interview that her personal opinions had nothing to do with the proposed agenda item, and that the initial intent was regarding a social movement, not a political one. -
Library staff can now apply on behalf of their teen book groups for a chance to be a part of the official 2021–2022 Teens’ Top Ten book groups. The Teens’ Top Ten, formerly called YA Galley, is an ongoing project in which publishers of young adult books provide advanced reading copies of their recent titles to teen book discussion groups, also known as the Teens’ Top Ten book groups, in libraries. In exchange, teen readers evaluate books for the publishers. Apply by October 15. -
Alison Doherty writes: “When did young adult books first begin? Some people would probably say in the 2000s with the massive success of Twilight and Hunger Games. Others might point to the late 1960s and 1970s, often called the first Golden Age of YA, with The Outsiders. Or people could even go back to Catcher in the Rye with its teenage protagonist. We often think of genres and literary categories beginning with certain books. And that isn’t wrong. But until recently, I didn’t know what a big role librarians had in forming (and naming!) this category of books about teenagers and written for teenagers (even though now YA is widely read by adults as well).” -
Between 1596 and 1647, art dealer and diplomat Philipp Hainhofer traveled around Europe collecting signatures in the “Große Stammbuch,” or “Album Amicorum.” Similar to an autograph book, Hainhofer’s register includes the marks of Cosimo II de Medici, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, and Christian IV of Denmark and Norway, to name a few. On August 25 the Herzog August Bibliothek purchased the book—which was thought to be lost until it emerged in a London auction in 1931—for about $3.1 million. -
Emma Copley Eisenberg writes: “From reading up on the subject and talking to friends who had published books of nonfiction, I knew that I would be responsible for hiring and paying a freelance fact checker myself. This is the norm, not the exception; in almost all book contracts, it is the writer’s legal responsibility, not the publisher’s, to deliver a factually accurate text. As a result, most nonfiction books are not fact checked; if they are, it is at the author’s expense.” -
Columbia University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville have removed the names of racists from campus buildings. Columbia announced that it will change the name of Bard Hall, a residence hall in the medical center named for physician Samuel Bard, who also owned slaves. UNC Asheville is changing the names of Vance Hall, named for North Carolina Governor and Confederate military officer Zebulon Baird Vance, and Hoey Hall, named for segregationist Clyde R. Hoey. -
Loudoun County, Virginia, officials are turning two libraries into child-care centers for the upcoming school year. The Ashburn and Rust branches will be limited to curbside pickup service beginning August 31, according to the Loudoun County Public Library. The proposal to turn the two branches into child-care facilities was developed without knowledge or input from the library’s board of trustees or Loudoun County library administrators, according to notes from an emergency meeting held August 28 by the library board. -
ALA’s Committee on Accreditation announced accreditation actions taken at its meeting during the ALA 2020 Virtual Conference. Continued Accreditation status was granted to the following programs, with the next comprehensive review visit scheduled to take place in spring 2028, reflecting a one-year extension to next visit extended to all programs due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic: Master of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta (Meets all standards. No issues cited for follow-up); Master of Science with majors in Library Science and Information Science at the University of North Texas (Meets all standards. No issues cited for follow-up); and Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Maryland (Meets all standards. No issues cited for follow-up). -
Registration for YALSA’s 2020 YA Services Symposium, which takes place virtually November 6–8, is now open. Early bird registration ends September 15. This year’s theme is Biggest Little Spaces: How Libraries Serve the Expanding Worlds of Teens. New this year and included in registration is the Edwards Luncheon. Registration is open to anyone with an interest in young adult services and literature. -
Voting is open for YALSA’s 2020 Teens’ Top Ten now through October 15. Teens aged 12–18 can vote for up to three titles from the 25 nominated books. A video featuring the nominated books can be found on the Teens’ Top Ten webpage. To learn more about the Teens’ Top Ten and voting, please visit the Teens’ Top Ten site.
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The issue of information law compliance is more crucial now than ever with the new, more stringent adoption of the General Data Protection Regulations provisions across the EU and internationally. It is therefore a vital component of digital literacy. Information Law: Compliance for Librarians, Information Professionals and Knowledge Managers, published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, is a fully up-to-date guide that adopts a hands-on approach to this complex area, which is viewed from both an operational and strategic perspective. -
AASL is partnering with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on its Project THRIVE. Project THRIVE is a multiyear national campaign to create more equitable, inclusive support systems and help families and youth-serving professionals become better equipped to affirm, support, and care for LGBTQ youth.
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