#acrl2017 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Newsmaker: Roxane Gay

By Amy Carlton | May 1, 2017

You have published work in so many formats: novels, books of essays and short stories, a comic book (Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda, with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Yona Harvey), plus an upcoming memoir and a screenplay. What are the different challenges and rewards of working in each medium? Storytelling is storytelling, I have learned, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Roxane Gay →

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden delivers the closing address at the Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Baltimore on March 25, 2017.

ACRL Closes with Carla Hayden

By Amy Carlton | March 27, 2017

Social justice and information literacy The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has declared that information literacy is a human right. If it’s a human right, what does this look like in practice? That question fueled the Social Justice and Information project discussed in “What’s Social Justice Got to Do with Information Literacy?” a … Continue reading ACRL Closes with Carla Hayden →

ACRL President Irene Herold (left) with Corey Williams, librarian and lobbyist at the National Education Association.

Learning to Lobby for Your Library

By Amy Carlton | March 25, 2017

In “Where Do We Go From Here? The Role of Special Collections in Collecting Social Media Content,” Petrina Jackson, head of special collections and university archives at Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, described the challenges and rewards of becoming active collectors of social media content. “Just because the format is digital doesn’t mean it … Continue reading Learning to Lobby for Your Library →

Implications for Accessibility in Academic Libraries

By John Amundsen | March 24, 2017

Big Data Digital scholarship Library services platforms (LSPs) Online identity Artificial intelligence The “internet of things” These trends will certainly shape the way students and librarians interact with library resources. How will they affect accessibility? Melissa Green, academic technologies instruction librarian at the University of Alabama, Rachel Thompson, director of emerging technology and accessibility at … Continue reading Implications for Accessibility in Academic Libraries →

Technology Trends, Open Access, and Roxane Gay

By Amy Carlton | March 24, 2017

The panel discussion “Ready or Not: Trends, Challenges, and Tech in Academic and Research Libraries” marked the release of the New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Report, 2017 Library Edition. NMC has released 15 years of reports on technology that will affect higher learning, exploring academic and research libraries in a global context. According to Samantha … Continue reading Technology Trends, Open Access, and Roxane Gay →

Michelle Baildon, collections strategist for arts and humanities and a science, technology, and society librarian, presented a poster March 23 at ACRL titled “Creating a Social Justice Mindset.”

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Dispatches from ACRL

By John Amundsen | March 24, 2017

Incorporating social justice into the academic library What would it look like if academic libraries incorporated more equity, diversity, and inclusion into their everyday work? Members of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DISJ) task force of the MIT Libraries’ Collections Directorate have explored this question, looking at library activities—including archives, technical services, collection development, … Continue reading Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Dispatches from ACRL →

Data journalist David McCandless keynotes at the 2017 ACRL conference in Baltimore.

The Importance and Beauty of Information

By Amy Carlton | March 23, 2017

ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen Davis began the proceedings by emphasizing ACRL’s mission of covering the trends and issues in academic and research librarianship and higher education. Davis said the conference was ACRL’s largest to date, with more than 3,400 attendees from 29 countries and all 50 states. American Library Association President Julie B. Todaro’s … Continue reading The Importance and Beauty of Information →

Latest Library Links

15m

“So, you saw Wicked on the big screen and you loved it! The soaring vocals of the cast transported you to a land somewhere over the rainbow and you want more. But the next movie installment won’t come out for another 365 days! What’s a fan like you to do until then? Follow the yellow brick road to these reads to grant your wish of escaping into a wonderful world.”

Quincy (Ill.) Public Library, Nov.
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The Urban Libraries Council’s (ULC) 2024 Library Insights Report, which captures trends in patron engagement with library programs and services, found strong increases in library usage last year. The survey found that libraries recorded an average 24% increase in visits in 2023, a trend expected to continue in 2024. Room reservations among libraries surveyed increased by 52% and surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and program attendance increased by 53%. The report reflects survey responses from 115 ULC member libraries, representing almost 2,300 locations serving more than 87.5 million people in the US and Canada.

Urban Libraries Council, Nov. 19
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Ashley Belanger writes: “Late November 20, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its proposed final judgment, officially recommending a broad range of remedies to end Google’s search monopoly. Predictably, Google is not happy with the DOJ’s plan, which requires the company to sell its Chrome browser [and may impact Android and artificial intelligence endeavors]. Google will have plenty of time to argue against the DOJ’s proposed judgment before final revisions are filed by March 7, 2025.”

Ars Technica, Nov. 21
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Megan Janicki writes: “More than half of all public libraries each year apply for E-Rate funding to support the broadband capacity needed to serve our communities nationwide. Recent legal challenges threaten this program. Consumers’ Research has brought suits against the Federal Communications Commission in several appellate courts across the country, alleging that the Universal Service Fund [of which E-Rate is a part] contribution factor is unconstitutional. Now, the case is headed to the Supreme Court.” Share stories about what the E-Rate has meant for your community by emailing mjanicki@ala.org to contribute to amicus briefs ALA anticipates filing in support of the E-Rate.

Public Libraries Online, Nov. 22; Broadband Breakfast, Aug. 6
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ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Writers Guild Initiative are hosting a unique series of writer’s workshops that help participants use writing to reflect on experiences, share insights, identify a path forward, and make their voices heard. The workshops will pair 25 librarians with professional film and television writers. All librarians are invited to apply by December 16. Participants will be randomly selected for the four-session online series taking place from February 1 through March 8, 2025.

Office for Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 20
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Cass Balzer writes: “What would you do to keep your child clean, dry, and healthy? Skip meals? Miss bill payments? Take on an extra job? For nearly half of US families with young children, the answer is: All of the above and more. A National Diaper Bank Network study found that in 2023, an unprecedented 47% of families with young children nationwide struggled to afford diapers. In response, libraries have stepped up to distribute these critical supplies. Though they can be challenging to fund and coordinate, these programs are immensely popular and—for many communities—vital.”

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
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Ana Ndumu writes: “For more than a century, American libraries of all types have helped immigrants integrate, worked with municipalities to cultivate welcoming communities, and supported laws to shape our immigration system. With immigrants making up 13.8% of our population, the US is more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse than ever before. But for many library workers, staying abreast of the fraught immigration policy landscape is challenging. Laws shift rapidly, with initiatives introduced or eliminated according to political agendas. Here are additional resources library workers can use to educate themselves or network with others administering to immigrant communities.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

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