ALA President Archives | American Libraries Magazine

ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo holds a proclamation from the city of North Miami, Florida, during a Libraries = Strong Communities rally at North Miami Public Library February 9. From left: Councilwoman Carol Keys, Councilman Alix Desulme, Garcia-Febo, and Library Director Lucia Gonzalez.

Libraries = Strong Communities Tour Heads to Florida

By Steve Zalusky | February 12, 2019

NMPL has experienced a dramatic transformation, recently finishing a renovation that included the addition of new public computers, interactive learning devices, and a multipurpose area for classes and workshops. Library Director Lucia M. Gonzalez opened the proceedings, telling the crowd, “Libraries bring communities together.” Members of the North Miami City Council presented a proclamation issued … Continue reading Libraries = Strong Communities Tour Heads to Florida →

Immerse Yourself in Wellness

By Loida Garcia-Febo | January 2, 2019

As a first step, a three-member ALA Workplace Wellness Advisory Committee and I collaborated with the American Library Association–Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) to renew the wellness website started by former ALA President Loriene Roy (2007–2008). Thanks to graduate students in Roy’s School of Information class at University of Texas at Austin, the site has been … Continue reading Immerse Yourself in Wellness →

Serving with Love

By Loida Garcia-Febo | November 1, 2018

While hate, authoritarianism, and open oppression are seemingly on the rise worldwide, I am heartened as I travel to various communities across the country and see light, hope, and commitment in each one of you. Library workers are continually empowering one another, and I know we are ready to deepen the difference we make in … Continue reading Serving with Love →

ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo (center) and students at Cranston (R.I.) High School East pose in the school's library.

Setting 21st-Century Standards

By Steve Zalusky | October 26, 2018

Garcia-Febo used the opportunity to recognize the work of school libraries, especially highlighting the library at Cranston High School East for adopting the American Association of School Librarians’ National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Librarian and Media Specialist Heidi Blais, who was named Cranston’s Teacher of the Year in 2014, … Continue reading Setting 21st-Century Standards →

ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo (center) speaks at a rally at Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library. Photo: Mark Ostow Photography

A Call to Access

By Steve Zalusky | October 23, 2018

Garcia-Febo said one reason Cambridge was featured on her tour is the city’s commitment to providing everyone with equal access to information. She said Cambridge Public Library (CPL) has been especially vocal about providing assistance and resources to people who are under sanctuary city protection. She highlighted the importance of academic libraries by surveying the … Continue reading A Call to Access →

American Library Association President Loida Garcia-Febo (at podium) addresses the crowd at the High Prairie Library Harvest Festival in Falcon, Colorado, as part of her Libraries = Strong Communities tour.

Libraries = Strong Communities Tour Launches in Colorado Springs

October 9, 2018

Libraries = Strong Communities is a national advocacy effort aimed at highlighting the value of academic, public, and school libraries. The goal is to ignite public awareness of the value of libraries and library workers and create a groundswell of support at the local, state, national, and even global level. Garcia-Febo says she chose PPLD … Continue reading Libraries = Strong Communities Tour Launches in Colorado Springs →

From left: Maria Taesil Hudson McCauley, ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo, and John Spears

My Library, My Story

By Terra Dankowski | September 30, 2018

American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo hopes these prompts and others can be leveraged to create better advocates and visibility for libraries on the local, national, and international level. “This is a time for action. We’re living in challenging times,” she said. “We need a seat at the table.” At “My Library, My Story,” … Continue reading My Library, My Story →

From Local to Global

By Loida Garcia-Febo | September 4, 2018

Take, for example, Los Angeles Public Library, which partners with the city to provide patrons access to free classes to obtain a high school diploma. Or librarians in Alaska, who have partnered with the state to use devices to identify bats in danger of extinction and help preserve the biodiversity of the region. As many … Continue reading From Local to Global →

Libraries = Strong Communities

By Loida Garcia-Febo | July 18, 2018

Change takes commitment, courage, and effort. By collaborating, we can take action to ensure that libraries receive the support needed to continue serving communities at academic, public, school, special, and all other types of libraries. The voices of our big ALA team of more than 58,000 members and advocates from across the globe make us … Continue reading Libraries = Strong Communities →

Emily Knox speaks at the Midwinter President’s Program. Photo: Cognotes

Are Libraries Neutral?

June 1, 2018

The Moderator ALA President Jim Neal Are libraries neutral? Have they ever been? Should they be? Can libraries be neutral as part of societies and systems that are not neutral? Are libraries, through their processes, their practices, their collections and technologies, able to be neutral? ALA has long advocated for certain principles, detailed in the … Continue reading Are Libraries Neutral? →

Hope, Power, Action

By Jim Neal | May 1, 2018

The current and prospectively annual battles over funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy have dominated our advocacy work. We have sustained and even expanded funding for IMLS in FY2018, but we are already pushing for support for FY2019 appropriations. At the same time, other important aspects … Continue reading Hope, Power, Action →

Are Libraries Neutral?

By Amy Carlton | February 12, 2018

The program featured a sprawling discussion in which multiple definitions of neutrality were proposed, and various positions were argued for and against them. The rhetoric was lively and occasionally prickly on the stage, in the audience, and on social media. Are libraries neutral spaces? Have they ever been? You're not going to want to miss … Continue reading Are Libraries Neutral? →

Latest Library Links

1d

Justin Krajeski writes: “After putting in more than 100 hours of research and testing 21 laptops over the past two years, we found that the Dell XPS 13 (9360) is still the best Windows ultrabook for most people because of its small size, eight hours of battery life, and powerful performance. Plus, it has a great keyboard and trackpad, a vibrant display, and a variety of new and legacy ports.”

Wirecutter, Feb. 21
1d

Feliza Casano writes: “Young adult fantasy titles hit the right balance between adventurous escapism and handling difficult topics in a way younger readers can relate to, and each year brings exciting new titles to the genre. With a mix of sequels, standalones, and series conclusions on schedule, 2019 is shaping up to be a pretty fantastic year. Here are some of the most anticipated YA fantasy titles coming out this year.”

Brightly, Feb. 5
2d

Sasha Moss writes: “The US Office of Technology Assessment, which wrote objective analysis on complex technology issues, was disbanded in 1995. Unlike the Congressional Research Service, which provides objective policy and legal analysis on a wide range of topics, the OTA was tasked with authoring long-form academic reports on technology issues, which could take years to complete. And because the committee hearing schedule is often influenced by popular topics of the day, the OTA simply could not keep up. But what made the OTA unique was that it focused solely on technology policy.”

Roll Call, Feb. 22
2d

Meredith Steiner writes: “Inspired by Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library’s innovative idea, libraries all over the country are hosting Big Play Dates and growing community, providing big fun, supporting parental learning, and strengthening the brains of our youngest patrons in the process. Here at San Francisco Public Library, we host what we call ‘The Big San Francisco Play Date’ at each of our 28 locations plus the bookmobile at least once per year. We will be hosting our 6th year of Big Plays Dates in 2019. Many of our libraries host them in April, the month of the young child, but each branch chooses what works best for them.”

ALSC Blog, Feb. 22
2d

Adam Clark Estes writes: “Smartphones have been boring for years. They’re just glass rectangles that connect to the internet and take photos. When you rub on the screen, you can do other stuff like text your friends or play music. New smartphones are increasingly bigger and slicker than their predecessors, but really, they all do the same stuff. This year is supposed to bring us something different. This year, phones are getting weird again. Samsung kicked it off on February 20 with the launch of the Galaxy Fold, a Frankenstein’s monster sort of device that resembles a chunky smartphone at first but then opens up to become a small tablet.”

Gizmodo, Feb. 21
2d

ALCTS has named Stephen Bosch, materials, budget, procurement, and licensing librarian at the University of Arizona, as the 2019 recipient of its Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award. Bosch was cited for his pioneering work on evidence-based collection decisions, particularly for demand-driven monographs. The citation and monetary award, sponsored by EBSCO Information Services, will be presented at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony on June 22 at ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

ALCTS, Feb. 21
2d

The ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section has selected Paula De Stefano, head of preservation at New York University, for its 2019 Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. Sponsored by Preservation Technologies, the award consists of $1,500 and a citation. De Stefano was cited for her early implementation of digital preservation for audiovisual collection materials and her advocacy for the preservation of time-based media.

ALCTS, Feb. 21

View more Latest Library Links