#alaac15 Archives | Page 4 of 5 | American Libraries Magazine

Top Ten Tweets – Saturday (Day 2)

By Julie Cai | June 28, 2015

Here are some things to expect during an ALA conference: Saturday had a great assortment of inspirational speakers: We didn’t forget about you, #alaleftbehind! Keep up with Annual news with #alaac15!

Anthony Doerr (left) with his book. Bryan Stevenson

Doerr, Stevenson win 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medals

By Laurie D. Borman | June 28, 2015

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time lead scorer, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and a New York Times–bestselling author, offered the keynote address. His first novel, Mycroft Holmes, about Sherlock Holmes’s older brother, will be published this fall by Titan Books. Abdul-Jabbar said his father was an avid reader who gave him books to find answers … Continue reading Doerr, Stevenson win 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medals →

Lucy Sanna, Bruce Henderson, and Meg Waite Clayton

Experiencing WWII Through Fact and Fiction

By Erika L. Jenns | June 28, 2015

At the PopTop Stage on Saturday, Clayton, Sanna, and Henderson described their books, their characters, and their writing processes. Clayton’s forthcoming book, The Race for Paris, tells the story of female photojournalists during WWII. Inspired by a biography of Margaret Bourke-White, Clayton began work on her novel 15 years ago and refers to it as … Continue reading Experiencing WWII Through Fact and Fiction →

Want to Get Hired?

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 28, 2015

The one-hour, standing-room-only program—titled “The Key to Getting Interviews: Great Cover Letters and Résumés”—was led by ALA Human Resources director Dan Hoppe, who has received thousands of résumés and cover letters over the course of his 18-year HR career. A cover letter, he says, is a “call to action” and should be tailored to the … Continue reading Want to Get Hired? →

Gloria Steinem: Rescued by Librarians

By Amy Carlton | June 28, 2015

True to form, Steinem wanted to use her Auditorium Speaker Series presentation to upend the traditional notion of an author speech. She opened by saying, “We have something very special this morning: an hour in this room with a combination of people that has never happened before and never will happen again.” She then expressed … Continue reading Gloria Steinem: Rescued by Librarians →

Comics Creators Call for More Diversity

By Phil Morehart | June 27, 2015

The first panel, titled “His, Hers, and Theirs: Gender and Comics” discussed how gender is portrayed in comics, the visibility of different gender identities, and the lack of representation in comics. Asked when she first became aware of gender in comics, artist and comics historian Trina Robbins (From Girls to Grrrlz, Pretty in Ink) noted … Continue reading Comics Creators Call for More Diversity →

Loriene Roy honored by American Indian Library Association

By Laurie D. Borman | June 27, 2015

Roy, former president of both AILA and ALA, is of the Anishinaabe/White Earth Nation. She was honored by the AILA with its highest award at the event in San Francisco, coinciding with the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. Roy is a professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, … Continue reading Loriene Roy honored by American Indian Library Association →

Building the New Nostalgia

By Erika L. Jenns | June 27, 2015

Dale Dougherty, founder and executive chairman of Maker Media; Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America; John Palfrey, head of school at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; and Meaghan O’Connor, assistant director for programs and partnerships at the District of Columbia Public Library offered insightful remarks. Each tried to answer that … Continue reading Building the New Nostalgia →

Top Ten Tweets – Friday (Day 1)

By Julie Cai | June 27, 2015

Opening day of the 2015 ALA Annual Conference was in good company with the Supreme Court ruling that legalizes gay marriage. Annual is taking place during a very busy Pride Weekend; with this victory, the conference looks to be an especially exciting one. The twitterverse was ablaze with support and excitement! Another important topic tackled … Continue reading Top Ten Tweets – Friday (Day 1) →

Roberta Kaplan Opens ALA Annual with Celebration of Pride

By Amy Carlton | June 27, 2015

Kaplan, a litigator and partner with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison, and an adjunct professor of law at Columbia University School of Law, rose to prominence with the 2013 case United States v. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court ruled Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. In an exclusive interview with … Continue reading Roberta Kaplan Opens ALA Annual with Celebration of Pride →

From Preserving Materials to Facilitating Access

By Erika L. Jenns | June 26, 2015

At the forum, the Center for Research Libraries’ Director of Technical Services Amy Wood delivered a recap of a meeting convened by CRL at the University of California, Berkeley, the day before. At that meeting, representatives from large print serials archiving programs examined data collected on various programs and assessed the progress that has been … Continue reading From Preserving Materials to Facilitating Access →

Nancy Pelosi, Tech Logic to Honor Enoch Pratt Free Library

June 26, 2015

US House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Tech Logic Corporation President Gary Kirk are honoring the Pennsylvania Avenue branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore with Tech Logic’s inaugural People First Award. The award will be presented June 26, at 5:15 p.m., in the Esplanade Ballroom of the Moscone Center during the … Continue reading Nancy Pelosi, Tech Logic to Honor Enoch Pratt Free Library →

Latest Library Links

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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “In early 2020, when the world shut down for COVID, many people got interested in houseplants. Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library’s Crofton Library embraced this trend and then some!” While preparing to reopen after the COVID shutdown, the library installed plants at the information desk to discourage patrons from sticking their heads through gaps in newly installed acrylic shields. They were well received and cared for, and the library gradually added more plants and built educational tools, programming, and partnerships around the plants.

Public Libraries Online, Apr. 18
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Rodney Freeman writes: “I am proud to be a librarian—and rare. Less than 7 percent of librarians in the U.S. are Black. Libraries symbolize the literacy that was denied to so many of our ancestors. For our enslaved forebears, something as fundamental as learning to read was illegal and dangerous, but they did it anyway. Separate but ‘equal’ schools and ‘colored’ libraries filled with cast-offs from white libraries were key features of the Jim Crow era. Today we are seeing the same impulse to distort access to information into a tool to suppress and control, and to make some people ‘other.’”

Newsweek, Apr. 16
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Lori Birrell writes: “Staff want to feel valued, and they want their work to have an impact. A reorganization process can help leaders to surface such areas of impact and give staff a feeling of empowerment and value. Practitioners considering any sized reorganization are strongly encouraged to consider what models and resources will best support them as they plan and lead this work. Regardless of the model or resources, any reorganization process should be more than just moving boxes and reporting lines around on an organizational chart.”

Library Leadership and Management, Apr. 15
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Megan Bennett writes: “Two decades ago, while Daily Show Senior Correspondent Dulcé Sloan was doing summer shows at a community theater in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, the library was her main hangout spot. In the small town of 9,000 people, it was a place to gather with other young actors—and the only place with internet access. American Libraries spoke with Sloan before her closing session at the Public Library Association 2024 Conference in Columbus, Ohio, about her new book, her journey in stand-up comedy, and her memories of libraries.”

American Libraries Trend, Apr. 17
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Ashley Cosby Fowlkes writes: “In February 2023, Warren County (Ky.) Public Library (WCPL) began working with LifeWorks at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, a residential community for neurodiverse young adults that focuses on independent living and job readiness. By May, WCPL opened a satellite location at LifeWorks—making it the state’s first public library branch dedicated to serving neurodiverse patrons. The satellite is designed to be a sensory-sensitive environment, enabling individuals with autism, ADHD, or other learning differences—who can become overstimulated in crowded public areas—to concentrate on their studies, read a book, or browse digital library resources.”

American Libraries Trend, Mar./Apr.
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Araceli Méndez Hintermeister writes: “In the dynamic landscape of modern entrepreneurship, libraries emerge as powerful allies. The books in this collection delve into why and how libraries can be pivotal in supporting local businesses. Explore how libraries can serve as economic incubators and build relationships in the process.”

American Libraries column, Mar./Apr.
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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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