#acrl2017 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Newsmaker: Roxane Gay

By Amy Carlton | May 1, 2017

Roxane Gay is receiving the National Book Foundation’s 2025 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community at the 76th National Book Awards November 19, 2025. We are re-sharing this interview in recognition of that honor. You have published work in so many formats: novels, books of essays and short stories, a comic … 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 →

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Brett Zongker and Deb Fiscella write: “The 2025 National Film Registry has been announced, showcasing a group of 25 films spanning 118 years and including fan favorites such as The Thing, Clueless, The Big Chill, and The Incredibles. The Library of Congress’s annual addition to the list of films to be preserved for their cinematic and cultural heritage starts with the 1896 silent film, The Tramp and the Dog, and stretches to the 2014 Wes Anderson picture The Grand Budapest Hotel. Since Congress established the registry in 1988, 925 films have been added.”

Library of Congress, Jan. 29
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Tony Phillips writes: “In today’s fast-paced world, where everyone seems to be in a rush, displaying data in a way that can be easily interpreted and analyzed—such as in a heat map—is essential. Excel lets you automatically color-code figures to demonstrate their relationship with one another, using darker colors for higher numbers and lighter colors for lower numbers, for example. This means you can see trends and anomalies at a glance.”

How-To Geek, Feb. 2
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The RAILS regional library system in northern Illinois has published advocacy tools for libraries to build awareness about the challenges of e-book and audiobook pricing. These documents include an advocacy flier, sample social media graphics, and sample copy that libraries can use to make their communities aware of this growing problem. Libraries are also welcome to download a Canva template to customize graphics with their own logos.

RAILS, Jan. 30
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Jerry Lawson writes: “When people think about malware, they often imagine someone clicking a suspicious attachment or downloading a shady file. In reality, one of the most dangerous forms of infection requires no obvious mistake at all. It’s called a drive-by download, and it remains a quiet but serious threat. It occurs when malicious code is installed on a device simply by visiting a compromised website—often without any prompt or warning. No defense is perfect, but layered precautions significantly reduce exposure.”

LLRX, Jan. 29
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Angele Latham and Scott Broden write: “Nearly 3,000 books that were flagged as possibly running afoul of federal standards on gender topics have been temporarily saved from removal from public library shelves across Rutherford County, Tennessee, on February 2. Instead, the board approved recommendations from Rutherford County Library Board Director Luanne James that would move 450 books out of the juvenile collection. The statewide review was spurred by an October letter from Secretary of State Tre Hargett, which directed most public libraries in the state to review their juvenile collections conform to a Trump executive order on gender topics.”

The Tennessean (Nashville), Feb. 3, Dec. 3
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Catherine Paolillo and Christopher Marcum write: “This study gathered feedback from student employees on the elements of our retention program that they see as critical to retaining them throughout their time on campus. Consistently positive feedback regarding flexible schedules and a supportive interview experience highlights the effectiveness of our hiring practices. Strong appreciation for the structured onboarding and training process indicates that our efforts to provide consistent and thorough preparation are successful. However, more work is needed to assess our need for direct day-to-day supervision for all students and to improve our performance appraisal process and specific work-preparation activities.”

Library Leadership and Management, Vol. 39, No. 2, Feb. 1
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Ariel Barreras writes: “Like many of you, I currently have Pokémon on the brain! In December, I wrote about how I was preparing to start a Pokémon Club at my library. In this post, I will share the setup for my first session and what I have learned after completing round one of Pokémon Club. The first session of a new program can be a tricky one, with kids and the librarian trying to figure out what works best. Throughout the session, I was taking notes on what worked and what needs work.”

ALSC Blog, Jan. 31

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