Poster submissions for 2020 Annual now open | American Libraries Magazine

The 2020 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition Poster Session Committee invites everyone to share their best ideas and work with the library community by presenting a Poster Session in Chicago. Submissions are invited from all types of libraries and on any topic relevant to librarianship and may include a description of an innovative library program, an analysis of a solution to a problem, a report of a research study, or any other presentation that would benefit the larger library community. The application deadline is January 31. Applicants will be notified in early April.

ALA Conference Services, Dec. 2

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11h
Kathi Kromer writes: “On July 2, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) introduced the Library Stabilization Fund Act (LSFA), companion legislation endorsed by the American Library Association (ALA) calling for $2 billion in federal support for libraries. When the act was introduced with 13 cosponsors in the Senate (S. 4181) and 27 cosponsors in the House (H.R. 7486), ALA called for advocates to contact their senators and representatives to cosponsor the bill.”
AL: The Scoop, July 8
11h
Lindsey Simon writes: “With food insecurity on the rise in the wake of COVID-19, libraries have continued to work tirelessly to keep local families fed. Many libraries across the country have been pursuing partnerships with local food banks and hunger relief organizations to distribute free meals to those in need. Curbside or drive-through pickup has allowed library staff to pass out the food while maintaining social distancing, mitigating further spread of COVID-19.”
I Love Libraries, July 7
12h
In the absence of in-person journeys, travel writer and TV host Rick Steves reminisces on his favorite European libraries, their ornate interiors, and their impressive histories. On his list: the Bodleian Library at England’s Oxford University, the grand Baroque King João’s Library at Coimbra University in central Portugal, and the library at Strahov Monastery in Prague.
Luxury Travel Advisor, July 6
12h
Jarrett Dapier and Emily Knox write: “Calling the police when a patron is disruptive may seem like a library’s only course of action. But often, the potentially violent results aren’t considered. They should be. Black people are three times more likely than white people to be killed by police according to Mapping Police Violence, a research collaborative that collects national data on police killings. Every time library staffers call the police, we put the lives of our Black patrons in danger.”
American Libraries column, July 8
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Cass Balzer writes: “Amid mass protests of police violence against Black people, some libraries are revisiting the ways in which they’ve historically interacted with law enforcement—such as by hosting police-led community programming like Coffee with a Cop, hiring off-duty police as security officers, or calling 911 on disruptive patrons.”
American Libraries feature, July 8
13h

ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services awarded 2020 Spectrum Scholarships to 61 exceptional students pursuing graduate degrees in library and information studies. The Spectrum Scholarship Program actively recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students to assist them with obtaining a graduate degree and leadership positions within the profession and ALA. Read the full list of 2020 Spectrum Scholars.
ODLOS, July 7
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Sally Stieglitz writes: “The Association of Jewish Libraries Digital Conference (June 28–July 2) was held online for the first time this year. Over the five-day conference, which drew nearly 350 worldwide participants, a thread quickly emerged: the importance of diverse representation in collections, voices, and scholarship.”
AL: The Scoop, July 7

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