Jennifer Pate at a podium gesturing while speaking

Going Hard on Trivial Pursuits

June 30, 2024

In 2021, Jennifer Pate and Margaret McGuire teamed up to host team trivia nights at University of North Alabama’s Collier Library, where they both worked at the time. While the library “gamified” a number of activities, they wanted a program that wasn’t directly related to academics and would build community. They shared their experience developing … Continue reading Going Hard on Trivial Pursuits



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Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom

June 29, 2024

The Council rules (CD#5.1) and agenda (CD#8.4) were adopted. The minutes from ALA’s 2024 LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore (CD#2.2) meetings were approved. Interim ALA Executive Director Leslie Burger shared the Executive Board’s actions since LibLearnX (CD#15.1) and the implementation of Council Actions from the January conference (#9.1). Cindy Hohl, ALA president-elect and Committee on Committees … Continue reading Council I: Elevating Intellectual Freedom



2024 Annual Conference Preview

2024 Annual Conference Preview

June 3, 2024

Annual promises an array of educational programs, speakers and authors, unique exhibitors, awards and celebrations, and networking opportunities. Making a return appearance from LibLearnX in January, a selection of Timely Topics—categories of sessions pertaining to current, critical issues in the profession—will be featured: artificial intelligence (AI), health and wellness, intellectual freedom, justice-involved services, and strategic … Continue reading 2024 Annual Conference Preview


Portrait of author Dave Eggers

Newsmaker: Dave Eggers

June 3, 2024

Eggers has received many prestigious awards, among them the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and, most recently, the Newbery Medal for The Eyes and the Impossible (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2023), an honor Eggers will celebrate at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego. American Libraries caught up … Continue reading Newsmaker: Dave Eggers



Simon & Schuster Senior Vice President and Publisher Justin Chanda (left) interviews author Judy Blume at the 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition.

2023 Annual Wrap-Up

July 19, 2023

The unprecedented rise in book ban attempts at schools and libraries across the country in recent years—particularly challenges against titles by and about the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color—was top of mind throughout the conference, imbuing a familiar topic with fresh urgency. Participants continued to explore crucial questions for libraries: What do inclusive, accessible … Continue reading 2023 Annual Wrap-Up


Snapshots from ALA's 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.

Bookend: Electric Exhibits

July 19, 2023

Nikole Brown, assistant manager of reference at St. Louis (Mo.) County Library, with Chicago-based drag performer Ginger Forest, who did a “Read the Rainbow” storytime at the Lyrasis booth. Desiree Thomas, collection development librarian at South Carolina State Library in Columbia, with The Pigeon from Mo Willems’s book series, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. … Continue reading Bookend: Electric Exhibits


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Council III: Inquiry into Conference Date Changes Approved

June 26, 2023

The meeting began with memorial resolutions honoring Josephine Maria (Riss) Fang (M-#8); David Goodman (M-#9); Chris Cottrill (M-#10); Jen Angel (M-#11); Bill Ott (M-#12); Kristen A. Cooper (M-#13); Esperanza Bravo de Varona (M-#14); Helene Lafrance (M-#15); James Henry Jacobs, Jr. (M-#16); Paul Cappuzzello (M-#17); Patricia A. Wand (M-#18); David S. Baugh (M-#19); Rebecca Taylor Bingham … Continue reading Council III: Inquiry into Conference Date Changes Approved


Jeanie Austin speaks at a podium during a session at ALA's Annual Conference and Exhibition.

Setting the Standards

June 26, 2023

“I stood up and said, ‘I’m going to become a librarian,’” James remembered. “The laughter was quite intense.” Despite being told it was “unrealistic,” James went on to receive his master’s degree in information science from University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Since then, he’s worked with several American Library Association (ALA) groups advocating … Continue reading Setting the Standards


Author Rick Riordan (right) and Mark Oshiro discuss their co-written book, The Sun and the Star, a Nico di Angelo Adventure at a June 25 talk at ALA's 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.

Partnering Perspectives

June 25, 2023

So Oshiro picked up the first book in Rick Riordan’s Greek mythology-inspired series for middle-grade readers. The books follow a modern-day demigod and his friends as they fight fantastical forces, and Riordan later built a franchise from that world with two more series and standalone books. Instead of reading it over the weeks-long tour as … Continue reading Partnering Perspectives