PLA Conference reports | American Libraries Magazine

Shola Richards speaks at the opening session for the 2024 Public Library Association conference on April 3 in Columbus, Ohio. American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett reported from the 2024 Public Library Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio, April 3–5. Day 1 coverage includes reports on opening keynote speaker Shola Richards and sessions on service design and crisis communications. On Day 2, Bennett shared insights from Big Ideas session speaker Bettina Love and programs on defending democracy and creating belonging. The conference’s final day featured comedian Dulcé Sloan, and sessions on privacy and intellectual freedom.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 4–5, 8

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The New York Public Library has acquired the archive of Jhumpa Lahiri, shedding new light on the award-winning author and multilingual translator. Comprising 31 boxes of material stretching to nearly 40 linear feet, the archive, which will become publicly available in 2025, chronicles Lahiri’s literary accomplishments from a young age and her commitment to critical reading, the nuances of language, and the craft of writing. Highlights include correspondence with friends and peer writers including Michael Cunningham, Jennifer Egan, Elena Ferrante, Salman Rushdie, Amy Tan, and others, and notebooks and drawings from Lahiri’s teenage years.

New York Public Library, Jan. 13
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Samuel T. Barber and Sarah Parramore write: “The creation of a Retention, Tenure, and Promotion Mentorship Group [at California State University, Fullerton’s Pollak Library] was designed to address the unique challenges posed by the rapid expansion of probationary tenure-track faculty. By describing an application of the ripple effect leadership theory, this article explores the importance of strategic, empathetic leadership in supporting faculty development, which may be useful to other academic library faculty and leaders seeking to assist and support newly hired library employees.”

The Journal of Creative Library Practice, Jan. 8
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Chris Gillespie writes: “Using ChatGPT to gather data can save you a significant amount of time. But the accuracy and reliability of the results depend heavily on the quality of the information the model uses. The good news is you can use a few strategies to force ChatGPT to provide responses based only on high-quality sources.” Recommended techniques include defining the source type, giving specific instructions, and asking for recent data only.

MakeUseOf, Jan. 11
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On January 13, the ALA Executive Board released a statement describing what library professionals can do to support communities affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. To date, at least 24 people have died, and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed, including Los Angeles Public Library’s Palisades branch, according to news reports. The full statement encourages those who wish to help to donate to local relief efforts and the ALA Disaster Relief Fund, volunteer for local libraries and organizations mobilizing to assist those in need, and advocate for policies and funding to help libraries continue critical work during and after disasters.

AL: The Scoop, Jan. 13
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ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table is now accepting applications for the “Game On!” grant, which provides $2,000 to help a library or libraries develop gaming programs or collections for their communities. The grant has doubled in size since 2024 thanks to a $1,000 donation match from Cards Against Humanity, whose support will continue through 2029. The application deadline is March 10, and the winner or winners will be announced at GameRT’s “ALA Play” event at ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference this June in Philadelphia.

ALA Games & Gaming Round Table, Jan. 12
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Jackie Partch writes: “Graphic novels are wildly popular with kids—and librarians also know that they can help build visual literacy skills, increase reading confidence and strengthen vocabulary knowledge. Kids who read graphic novels also show increased reading motivation. So why not offer a graphic novel book group at your library? [At our system,] librarians who want to offer a Graphic Novel Club participate in a planning session each summer. We brainstorm a list of potential titles beforehand, and during the session we narrow down that list to 12–14 titles and divide them up to write short book talks.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 9
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Emily Jaeger-McEnroe writes: “Many information evaluation methods include values like objectivity and authority that imply that only traditional scholarly sources are acceptable for inclusion in scholarly work. Although this is often a desirable outcome, it can bias research to exclude groups traditionally disenfranchised from scholarship, such as Indigenous, racialized, queer, and disabled communities. The CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) test, originally created in 2004, is a commonly taught method of source evaluation. This article presents a few simple modifications to the CRAAP test that provide a means to evaluate marginalized information and prevent its exclusion.”

College & Research Libraries News, Jan.

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