Latest Library Links
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Alex Preston writes: “Audiobooks have been riding a wave of popularity in the past three years, and it appears that lockdown only intensified our engagement with the spoken word. A recent report by Deloitte put some numbers on the phenomenal rise. Global sales have been growing at 25–30% per annum for the past three years and will hit $3.5 billion in 2020, driven by the US and China, which each make up around a third of the market.” -
On July 31, American Library Association President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. held a series of virtual interviews with Texas school librarians, beginning at Lubbock (Texas) Independent School District library. As one of the largest states by size and population, Texas school libraries are the hearts of a vast and diverse network of schools. The interviews highlighted in “Learning in Many Dimensions with Texas School Librarians” provided a glimpse into the innovation and dedication that they bring to their learning communities. School librarians and administrators will talk about summer learning, STEM, building a culture of inquiry, professional development, advocacy, and serving diverse student needs. -
ALA’s nationally respected book and media review publication, Booklist, is seeking volunteers with readers’-advisory and/or collection development experience, or related business experience, to serve on its advisory board. If you are interested, please send your resume along with a 250–300-word statement about why you would like to serve by August 31 to Booklist Editor/Publisher George Kendall at gkendall@ala.org. Terms will start in Fall 2020. -
ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. writes: “Hello from Norman, Oklahoma! At today’s town hall event, ‘Partnering to Advance Career and Workforce Development,’ our panelists discussed how the Pioneer Library System leverages a variety of resources to prepare Oklahomans for success in an ever-changing and challenging career environment. We were especially honored to be joined by Congressman Tom Cole (R-Okla.). He said that just as libraries in Oklahoma have become disaster centers when tornadoes hit, libraries are playing a similar role in the COVID-19 crisis. I thanked Cole for his support of libraries and for signing on to cosponsor the Library Stabilization Fund Act.” Read all of Jefferson’s posts from his 12-stop Holding Space virtual tour of libraries. -
David Crotty writes: “The value of open science (increased transparency, open data, open access to research results) has become increasingly obvious during the current global health crisis. Both the positives (rapid reporting and sharing of information) and the negatives (the glut of bad science being issued as preprints and promoted via mainstream media without proper curation) are now evident, with the good generally outweighing the bad. Despite the daily evidence of the importance of shifting to an open science environment for research, the economic fallout from the pandemic is going to make necessary progress difficult and slow.” -
Jessamyn West writes: “It is fine if you don’t like Wikipedia. I do, despite its shortcomings. An easy way to get started, if it’s the sort of thing you’d like to try, is by adding citations, which is a kind of natural librarian thing. There are a few helpful tools and some ‘good to know’ stuff.” -
Kate McNair writes: “Started in 2012, National Voter Registration Day is celebrated every third Tuesday of September as an effort to spread awareness about voter registration opportunities and reach voters who might not otherwise register. This year, your library can amplify and join in the efforts to help teens register to vote in upcoming elections. Here are four ways you can join in.” -
The US Census Bureau announced August 3 that it will be ending all counting efforts for the 2020 Census on September 30, one month earlier than previously announced. Rural areas are less likely to be counted. Of the nation’s 1,971 non-metropolitan counties, 38% have a response rate under 50%, as of July 29. -
From quickly setting up curbside service to figuring out virtual programming, libraries around the country have had to scramble to react to the ever-changing realities of the coronavirus pandemic, all while trying to keep staffers and patrons safe. Some libraries that have reopened after closing in the early stages of the global crisis have been forced to close again—temporarily or for a longer term—for reasons ranging from staff members testing positive to patrons flouting safety measures. -
In the latest edition of our Letters of the Law legal issues column, lawyer-librarian Mary Minow addresses topics that have arisen around the COVID-19 pandemic, including exceptions to face-mask requirements, force majeure clauses in contracts, and the legality of taking time off to vote. -
On August 4, ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. paid a virtual visit to the Jemez Pueblo (N. Mex.) Community Library to discuss the dire need for broadband access among tribal communities and the central role libraries can play in connecting diverse populations with high-speed internet access. This event, “The Imperative of Broadband for Tribal Libraries,” was one of the stops on Jefferson’s 12-stop virtual tour, Holding Space. -
The Institute of Museum and Library Services released the latest data from its 2018 Public Libraries Survey on July 31. The Public Libraries Survey collects information on key indicators of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources. Explore the FY 2018 data and documentation or query the Library Search and Compare Tool. Each year since 1988, the survey has provided a national census of America’s public libraries. The data are collected from approximately 9,000 public library systems composed of more than 17,000 individual main libraries, branches, and bookmobiles in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories.
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