academic libraries Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Creating Accessibility within LGBTQ Collections

By Brooke Morris-Chott | August 8, 2019

Linda J. Long, curator of manuscripts in special collections and university archives at University of Oregon Libraries, provided background on the history and politics of archiving LGBTQ collections and examined the roadblocks that have impeded the accessibility of these collections. University of Montana Digital Archivist Erin Baucom discussed how the use of language incompatible with … Continue reading Creating Accessibility within LGBTQ Collections →

SAA 2019: Building New Traditions

By Brooke Morris-Chott | August 8, 2019

Francesca Marini, programming and outreach librarian at TAMU’s Cushing Memorial Library and Archives (CMLA), moderated the session and gave the introductory presentation, providing background information about CMLA’s efforts and collections. Beginning with a brief history of some of the racism at the university, Greg Bailey, university archivist, provided a historical timeline of the integration of … Continue reading SAA 2019: Building New Traditions →

Digging through Boxes, Delving into Databases

By Laurie D. Borman | August 6, 2019

In this five-part series, American Libraries presents case studies and interviews with thought leaders looking at research trends in academic libraries. We’ll be covering trends on the topics of social justice, information literacy, digital archives, faculty outreach, and new technology. We’ll also explore how librarians build and grow relationships within the academic community. Our first … Continue reading Digging through Boxes, Delving into Databases →

The Zine Pavilion at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference.

By the Numbers: International Zine Month

By Diana Panuncial | July 2, 2019

2009 Year that Alex Wrekk, creator of Brainscan Zine, created International Zine Month in July. 138 Number of libraries in the United States that have zine collections as of 2019, according to Barnard College Zine Library in New York City. 10 Number of minutes before Chicago Zine Fest sold out all of their artist tables … Continue reading By the Numbers: International Zine Month →

Photojournalist Diana Davies documented the activism spurred by the Stonewall raids. Her photographs, along with those of Kay Tobin Lahusen, are part of New York Public Library's exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Photo courtesy of NYPL.

Collecting Pride

By Sallyann Price | June 27, 2019

“Love and Resistance: Stonewall 50,” through July 13 New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwartzman Building “Many people think of Stonewall as the start of the LGBTQ activist movement,” says Jason Baumann, assistant director for collection development at NYPL and coordinator of the library’s LGBTQ initiative, who curated the exhibit. “We wanted to show how … Continue reading Collecting Pride →

‘A More Inclusive Future’

By Terra Dankowski | June 20, 2019

These themes and others are addressed in the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) new scholarly communications research agenda, “Open and Equitable Scholarly Communcations: Creating a More Inclusive Future,” released last week. The agenda was developed over the course of a year by ACRL’s Research and Scholarly Environment Committee (ReSEC) with a high degree … Continue reading ‘A More Inclusive Future’ →

Food for Thought

By Emily Udell | May 1, 2019

A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in December 2018 reviewed 22 studies estimating that more than 30% of college students face food insecurity amid the rising costs of higher education. The report estimates that there are nearly 2 million at-risk students—most often they are first-generation college students, low income, or single parents. A … Continue reading Food for Thought →

Exercise Your Resources

By Noah Lenstra | May 1, 2019

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, for instance, hosts Connections4Health, a program in which college student volunteers refer patrons to health resources, including those that address food insecurity, transportation, housing, and immigration concerns. In Ithaca, New York, Tompkins County Public Library teams up with Cornell University and Ithaca College for Ballet and Books, in which college students … Continue reading Exercise Your Resources →

Dispatches, by Emily Rimland and Victoria Raish

Digital Badges

By Emily Rimland and Victoria Raish | May 1, 2019

In education Digital badges encourage students to cultivate and showcase granular skills beyond their report cards and prepare them for the workplace. In Teaching with Digital Badges: Best Practices for Libraries (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), contributing author Amanda Rose Fuller details a workforce-readiness digital badge initiative developed at Aurora (Colo.) Public Schools. This program, designed … Continue reading Digital Badges →

From left: Emily L. Mross, Jennifer A. Hunter, Amy Snyder, and Christina Riehman-Murphy explain research parties at the 2019 Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland on April 12.

Plan a Research Party

By George M. Eberhart | April 12, 2019

Emily L. Mross, business librarian at Penn State Harrisburg (PSH), defined a research party as a venue where students can drop in and talk informally about problems they are facing with their assignments, ranging from finding the best materials to figuring out how to cite sources in American Psychological Association style. “Basically, you give them … Continue reading Plan a Research Party →

Copyright for Creators

By Carla-Mae Crookendale, Hillary Miller, and Sue Robinson | March 1, 2019

In 2017 we started the “Copyright for Creators” series aimed at graduate and undergraduate students and faculty in arts disciplines, as well as creators throughout the university, such as web designers and communicators. Like most VCU Libraries events, this series was free and open to the public, and the topics covered were relevant to this … Continue reading Copyright for Creators →

Jeremy Brett, curator of Texas A&M University’s Cushing Memorial Library and Archives's Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection.

Bookend: An Archive of Ice and Fire

March 1, 2019

Martin’s relationship with Texas A&M began in the 1970s, when he first visited AggieCon, a science fiction and fantasy convention held at the university, says Jeremy Brett (right), curator of the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection. In 1993, Martin began shipping items to the archives, which now include more than 50,000 pieces. The … Continue reading Bookend: An Archive of Ice and Fire →

Latest Library Links

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ALA, a premier partner of National Voter Registration Day, encourages libraries to sign up to observe the unofficial holiday on September 24. Libraries that sign up by September 12 will receive a toolkit of free promotional materials: posters and stickers, and opportunities for training. National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan, unofficial holiday celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of September. US libraries provide voter registration forms and information about voting, as well as offer computers that patrons can use to register to vote, update their registrations, or research information about the candidates and the issues.

Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Aug. 23
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Matthew Wood writes: “Librarians are information scientists, researchers, teachers, crusaders. Also, book nerds, but that’s not the story’s end! A Master of Library and Information Science is what makes someone a librarian. As Doctor Who’s Alice Obiefune was fond of reminding The Doctor, without the MLS you’re a library assistant. Here are the librarians as adventurers, fighters, crusaders, weirdos. The people who assist heroes, chronicle truths, and otherwise improve the world. Next time you check out a book, understand that the brilliant mind on the counter’s other side could be one of these . . .”

Comic Book Resources, Aug. 22
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Joshua Goldman writes: “People have strong opinions about laptop bags. I’m used to battles with things like Mac versus Windows or PC gaming versus console. But backpacks versus shoulder or messenger bags? ‘The only acceptable way to wear a backpack is one-strapping it,’ said CNET Senior Managing Editor Dan Ackerman. ‘Backpacks are better for your back health if you’re a commuter,’ said Senior Editor Bridget Carey. Others were willing to split the difference and say shoulder bags are better for work and backpacks are for travel. The only common ground was that there is a special place in hell for people who refuse to take off their backpacks on a crowded subway.”

CNET, Aug. 23
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Chris Hoffman writes: “Windows lets you choose large, medium, or small desktop icons. But did you know many other size options are available? You can fine-tune the size of your desktop icons with a quick shortcut that involves your mouse wheel. The standard desktop icon sizes are available in the desktop’s context menu. For extra size options, position your mouse cursor over the desktop, hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard, and scroll the mouse wheel up or down. Stop scrolling and release the CTRL key when you’ve found your preferred size.”

How-To Geek, Aug. 23
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Alex Colon and Sascha Segan write: “4G LTE networks are better than ever, and with 5G on the horizon, wireless web surfing can be faster than your home Wi-Fi connection. While most modern smartphones have a hotspot mode for occasional use, cellular modems and Wi-Fi hotspots are your best and most flexible option if you have many devices you want to share web access with. Here’s what you need to know to pick the right service and hardware, along with the top-rated hotspots we’ve tested, and even an international option.”

PC Magazine, Aug. 22
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “In Canada and the United States the vast majority of public libraries have an ebook collection. OverDrive stated that it powers 95% of all libraries and there are a number of smaller companies that are involved in this field as well, such as Hoopla and Bibliotheca. There are a number of e-readers that have functionality to deliver ebooks right from the library and read them. Today we look at the best ones.”

Good e-Reader, Aug. 22
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The 12-foot-tall statue of Ray Bradbury astride a rocket ship unveiled August 22 (the author’s birthday) outside the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library honors “a literary icon and a beloved Waukeganite who gifted us his ever-expanding universe of imagination, intellect and optimism for our future,” sculptor Zachary Oxman said. The dedication was the culmination of a years-long effort that began a little more than five years ago over lunch, said Richard Lee, WPL’s former executive director and a cochair of the committee that led the statue’s fundraising effort. The statue tells the story of a man “beaming with unbridled imagination, curiosity, and surprise,” Oxman said.

Lake County (Ill.) News-Sun, Aug. 23

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