ALA Council Archives | Page 7 of 7 | American Libraries Magazine

ALA Midwinter attendees react as the Youth Media Award winners are announced.

Midwinter 2016 Wrap-Up

By Greg Landgraf | March 1, 2016

Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard Law School professor and cofounder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, urged attendees to first define the core purpose of libraries in his “Creativity, Innovation, and Change: Libraries Transform in the Digital Age” presentation. “The book as we know it, as an artifact,” he declared, “is on its way out.” … Continue reading Midwinter 2016 Wrap-Up →

Council III Memorials and Resolutions

By Amy Carlton | January 12, 2016

Council members rose as Feldman read memorials for Shereen Marx, Kuang-Hwei (Janet) Lee-Smeltzer, Richard C. Fyffe, Billy Charles Beal, Allene Farmer Hayes, and Linda Waddle. A tribute was read for Barbara Blosveren. Kent Slade, chair of the Council Committee of Tellers reported the election of three ALA Executive Board members. Karen E. Downing and Andrew … Continue reading Council III Memorials and Resolutions →

Council II discusses FY 2017 Programmatic Priorities. Photo courtesy of Lauren Pressley

Council II: Addressing Priorities

By Amy Carlton | January 11, 2016

Vicky Crone, chair of the Policy Monitoring Committee, presented their report (CD#17) and requested approval to separate Policy B.2.1.7 Labeling and Rating Systems into two new interpretations (Labeling Systems, CD#19.4, and Rating Systems CD#19.5). The motion passed. Andrew Pace gave the report for the Committee on Organization (COO), in place of committee chair Susan Considine … Continue reading Council II: Addressing Priorities →

Council I Passes Resolution on Islamophobia

By Amy Carlton and Laurie D. Borman | January 10, 2016

President-Elect Julie B. Todaro, chair of the 2015–2016 Committee on Committees, presented the nominations for the 2016–2017 election by Council of three Executive Board members (CD#11). The nominees are Vicki Morris Emery, Andrew K. Pace, John C. De Santis, Karen E. Downing, Kimberly Ann Patton, and Ann Crewdson. There were no nominations from the floor. … Continue reading Council I Passes Resolution on Islamophobia →

Council III Memorials and Actions

By Laurie D. Borman | June 30, 2015

ALA President Courtney Young opened the Council III meeting at 7:45 on June 30, and former ALA President Barbara Stripling announced it closed just before 10 a.m., with numerous actions and reports. Council members stood as memorials were read for Gail A. Schlachter, David Cohen, Charles Benton, Cynthia D. Clark, Ruth C. Carter, William Vernon … Continue reading Council III Memorials and Actions →

Council II Honors Charleston Victim

By Amy Carlton | June 29, 2015

The second meeting of the ALA Council in San Francisco opened with a moment of silence for Cynthia Hurd, a victim of the June 17 shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Hurd was the manager of the John L. Dart branch of the Charleston County Public Library. The resolution … Continue reading Council II Honors Charleston Victim →

Council I Passes Two Resolutions

By Amy Carlton | June 28, 2015

On Sunday, ALA Council met for its first session, with ALA President Courtney L. Young presiding. President-Elect Sari Feldman, chair of the 2014–2015 Committee on Committees, presented the nominations for the 2015–2016 Council Committee on Committees election (CD #12). The nominees are Edward L. Sanchez, Gladys Smiley Bell, Min Chou, Maria Carpenter, Stephen L. Matthews, … Continue reading Council I Passes Two Resolutions →

Latest Library Links

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Sarah Wild writes: “The Library of Congress (LC) is home to more than 175 million works humans have produced, from ebooks to ancient scrolls, which it aims to preserve for future generations. But even a library this extensive can only preserve a fraction of the books published annually around the world, let alone other formats. To learn more about how LC makes its weighty decisions about shaping our society’s collective memory, Scientific American spoke with the library’s collection development officer Joseph Puccio, who retired last month, and director for preservation Jacob Nadal.”

Scientific American, July 16
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Nick Tanzi writes: “For many library workers (and the public at large), artificial intelligence (AI) is an unfamiliar, poorly-understood technology. This is unsurprising when we look at the speed at which AI has been moving; we are in an environment of constant change, rapid innovation, and little regulation. There are enough problematic aspects of AI (algorithmic bias, hallucination, privacy concerns, etc.) where it would seem prudent to simply avoid the technology, at least until things settle further. This would be a mistake! Early engagement is critical to understanding artificial intelligence, and a working knowledge of AI within the library is necessary.”

The Digital Librarian, July 17
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Shannon McClintock Miller writes: “Genrefication is the process of organizing, classifying, and categorizing items into genres, making it easier for our readers to browse and find books they want to read. It also helps our teachers find books they want to tie to the curriculum and use with their students in the classroom. I would love to share 10 tips for genrefication that I have used within our library at Van Meter (Iowa) School.”

The Library Voice, July 21
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Michael Kimmelman writes: “The other day, I wrote about two new branch libraries in New York City, which share an unusual feature: They’re both paired with 100 percent affordable housing developments. The economics of building subsidized housing in America depends on land that costs little or nothing, which almost inevitably means building on public land. But having sold off much of what it owned, New York no longer has a large inventory of big, usable lots for deeply affordable projects. The city does own library branches, however. And they occupy public land in the heart of many neighborhoods.”

New York Times Headway, July 17
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Cindy Hohl writes: “As we look ahead to meet the information needs of our membership, it is important that we stand united to remember why we work in this trusted profession. ALA has some big goals ahead with the hiring of the next ALA executive director, celebrating the Association’s 150th anniversary, creating a strategic plan to elevate the role of ALA throughout the field, and ensuring that we have strong member leadership to offer guidance and support. Our core values help us see that what one holds sacred is a touchstone in advancing this work as we strive to serve everyone in #AGoodWay together.”

American Libraries column, July/Aug.
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Trey Walk writes: “Over the past few years, new policies and laws in Florida have stopped teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity, while also repressing any honest efforts to grapple with systemic racism and slavery. [But] many people have taken a stand against these prejudiced policies, including in Florida. Their goal: to build a brighter future for the state. We hope today’s leaders fighting censorship in Florida can offer a blueprint to people across the US to further truly free and just education.”

Human Rights Watch, July 18
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Angela Dennis writes: “Young scholars, parents, and staff from the East Tennessee Freedom Schools program, a local summer enrichment program, marched in downtown Knoxville July 17 to protest literary censorship in public schools and libraries across the country. Recent legislation in Tennessee has fueled concerns about literary censorship. In May, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law an expansion of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Opponents fear the new law might exclude the perspectives of marginalized groups in educational materials. The Knox County Schools Board recently revised its library policy to align with the new state law, further fueling debate.”

Knoxville News Sentinel, July 18

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