ALA Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits Archives | Page 3 of 12

Navigating Fictional Worlds

By Phil Morehart | January 23, 2021

Not to be pigeonholed, the author has moved into more family-friendly fare in recent years with books based on the popular Minecraft videogame, including the upcoming Minecraft: The Mountain (Del Rey, 2021), a sequel to the 2019 Minecraft: The Island. The books follow an unnamed hero embarking on multiple adventures in the block-like world of … Continue reading Navigating Fictional Worlds →

Julia Gelfand, Shannon Lichty, Sarah Sansbury, and Amber Seely

Meeting Digital Challenges

By Carrie Smith | January 23, 2021

Last year saw unprecedented increases in digital lending. Digital collections aren’t new to libraries, but coronavirus precautions have led many library users to try out ebooks, digital audiobooks, and other online offerings for the first time. Shannon Lichty, vice president of partner services for OverDrive, moderated a panel of academic, public, and school librarians in … Continue reading Meeting Digital Challenges →

Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 2

By Heather Cho | January 23, 2021

There were moving words about libraries and librarians. Ziggy Marley gave a great description of what a library is “Libraries are a place of refuge“ #librariesarearefuge #ALAMW21 @jmatz_matz — Joyce Soto (@JoyceSlibrarian) January 23, 2021 Ethan Hawke to libraries and librarians:"The future needs you.."Great session and looking forward to reading his book!#ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/bGYtjXx8cO … Continue reading Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 2 →

I Love My Librarian Awards Goes Virtual

By Amy Carlton | January 23, 2021

ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. opened the ceremony by noting that “these 10 individuals exemplify the leadership, expertise, and dedication of our nation’s librarians” and remarking on the challenging and unprecedented circumstances that required librarians to go above and beyond for their communities in 2020. ALA Past President and I Love My Librarian Award … Continue reading I Love My Librarian Awards Goes Virtual →

400 Years of Black American Life

By Phil Morehart | January 23, 2021

Speaking January 23 at the Opening Session of ALA Midwinter Virtual 2021, the pair described both the significance of the volume and the process of compiling it. It features the work of 90 Black writers—novelists, journalists, poets, historians, and philosophers—on different eras of the Black American experience. “We brought together a community of Black writers … Continue reading 400 Years of Black American Life →

From left: Lori Berezovsky, David J. Kelsey, and Cathy Zimmerman

Adapting Outreach

By Terra Dankowski | January 23, 2021

At “Exploring Ways to Jazz Up Your Bookmobile, Outreach, or Book Bike Program during COVID-19,” a January 23 session at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual, officers from the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) led a discussion on these questions and more and addressed how their roles are being reimagined … Continue reading Adapting Outreach →

Shaping “The After”

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 23, 2021

Describing everything since the pandemic as “The After,” KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum moderated “Rising to the 2020 Challenge” at the 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 23. With all the crises 2020 presented—including COVID, political unrest around ongoing systemic racism, economic turmoil—what lessons and future practices can libraries and library workers glean? … Continue reading Shaping “The After” →

Senator Jack Reed Talks Library Advocacy

By Julie Holden | January 23, 2021

The senator spoke candidly about the events of January 6, when rioters stormed the US Capitol. While waiting in a secure location with other lawmakers, Reed recounted, “There was this consensus by every member that we had to go back, that we were not going to, you know, go away for the day, reconvene a … Continue reading Senator Jack Reed Talks Library Advocacy →

Christian Cooper, Marie Javins, and Alitha Martinez

Making Better Myths

By Carrie Smith | January 23, 2021

Cooper, joined by DC Comics Executive Editor Marie Javins, artist and illustrator Alitha Evelyn Martinez, and moderated by Andrew Aydin, former aide to the late Rep. John Lewis and coauthor of his March graphic novel trilogy, discussed bringing new voices to comics at “REPRESENT!: Stories of Personal Experiences, Unheard Voices, and Social Change—a Panel” at … Continue reading Making Better Myths →

Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 1

By Heather Cho | January 22, 2021

But there are benefits to a virtual conference. My co-worker and set up this morning for #ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/nwAue4nZG6 — Amie w/ an ‘i.e.’ at #ALAMW21 (@librarylandia) January 22, 2021 Coziest first ALA Midwinter Conference. In my bed with tea, hiding from my kids. #ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/dgTJhHhs1A — Chelsea Hilton (@chelseahilton) January 22, 2021 It still has … Continue reading Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 1 →

Voices from the Land

By Terra Dankowski | January 22, 2021

“Farming is an integral part of our national identity,” she told viewers from the Diversity In Publishing stage at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 22. “Land represents freedom, independence, and self-determination.” But Baszile, herself a great-great-granddaughter of a farmer and beekeeper who lived near Tuskegee, Alabama, saw that Black … Continue reading Voices from the Land →

A World You Want to See

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 22, 2021

He and author-illustrator Christian Robinson appeared on the virtual PopTop Stage at the 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 22. The two began their 30-minute discussion by talking about the artistic process behind Last Stop on Market Street, for which de la Peña won the Newbery, and Robinson won a Caldecott Honor. The … Continue reading A World You Want to See →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.

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