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  • 3y
    Marrakesh Treaty signed

    On October 9, President Trump signed into law S.2559, the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, which provides for the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. The legislation, passed by the US Senate in June, provides a copyright exception for “authorized entities”—including libraries—to make materials available across borders to people with print disabilities.

    White House, Oct. 10

  • Latest Library Links

    • 1d

      Librarians in Gary, Indiana protect themselves with masks in October 1918 during the flu pandemic. via Calumet Regional ArchivesJulia Skinner writes: “In 1918, World War I was coming to a close, and widespread changes were afoot. It was in some ways a moment similar to today: rapid technological development brought sweeping changes to workplaces and homes. Fights for labor and voting rights were under way. Then, in the spring, a pandemic began to sweep the globe, killing millions. Libraries across the US helped people stay informed, entertained, and cared for as they disseminated information and resources, shifted their services, and reimagined how they brought collections to the communities they served.”

      JStor Daily, Apr. 14

    • 1d

      ACRL 2021 Virtual Conference Invited Speaker Kaetrena Davis KendrickAmy Carlton writes: “On April 14, the second day of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2021 Virtual Conference, Kaetrena Davis Kendrick invited attendees to think beyond the idea of openness in library and archival spaces—a concept that generally involves open access to resources—to imagine the idea of welcome for both library users and library workers. Kendrick, dean of the Ida Jane Dacus Library and Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, said that her theory of welcome has been proven through her own experience and research, as well as through national and international perspectives on the practice.”

      AL: The Scoop, Apr. 15

    • 1d

      Simon & Schuster logoSimon & Schuster said April 15 that it had scrapped plans to distribute a book by one of the Louisville police officers who shot Breonna Taylor during the botched drug raid last year that resulted in her death. The book by the officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, is being published by Post Hill Press, a Tennessee-based house whose specialties include Christian and conservative political books.

      New York Times, Apr. 15

    • 1d

      Vartan Gregorian, the twelfth president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, died in New York City on April 15, 2021, at the age of 87. (Photo: Carnegie Corporation)Vartan Gregorian, the twelfth president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, died in New York City on April 15, 2021, at the age of 87. (Photo: Carnegie Corporation)Vartan Gregorian—historian and humanities scholar, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom—died April 15 at 87. Gregorian served as president of Brown University (1989–1997) and is renowned for revitalizing New York Public Library during his tenure as president (1981–1989). Related: “Remembering Andrew Carnegie’s Legacy”

      Carnegie Corp., Apr. 16

    • 4d

      Jason Reynolds (Photo: Ben Fractenberg)New York Times–bestselling author Jason Reynolds will serve as the inaugural Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week, September 26–October 2. Reynolds is a multiple National Book Award finalist and has received a Newberry Honor, several Coretta Scott King Awards, and an NAACP Image Award. He is currently serving as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for the Library of Congress. Two of his works (Stamped, with Ibram X. Kendi, and All American Boys) are on ALA’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Book of 2020.

      Entertainment Weekly, Apr. 13

    • 4d

      ACRL 2021 Opening Session speaker Tressie McMillan CottomAmy Carlton writes: “Award-winning author, educator, podcaster, and cultural critic Tressie McMillan Cottom opened the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2021 Virtual Conference on April 13 by noting how the conference theme—“Ascending into an Open Future”—parallels conversations she’s been having with colleagues around the idea of what openness means in an information-based society.”

      AL: The Scoop, Apr. 14

    • 5d

      Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library has a van that provides Wi-Fi to the community.America’s public library workers have adjusted and expanded their services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to initiating curbside pickup options, they’re doing many things to support their local communities, such as extending free Wi-Fi outside library walls, becoming vaccination sites, hosting drive-through food pantries in library parking lots and establishing virtual programs for all ages, including everything from story times to Zoom sessions on grieving and funerals. In 2018, there were 143,518 library workers in the US, according to data collected by IMLS. While newer data isn’t available, the number is probably lower now, and recent history suggests more library jobs may be on the chopping block in the near future.

      The Conversation, Apr. 13

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