Journalist and author Mo Rocca speaks at the Closing Session at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 25.

The Onus of Obituary

June 25, 2019

Which is why it’s no surprise that the CBS Sunday Morning correspondent’s forthcoming book, Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving (November, Simon & Schuster), and podcast of the same name, commemorates people and things—from the station wagon to Neanderthals to Thomas Paine’s legacy—where the common thread is that they’re overlooked and no longer with us. Oh, and there’s another overlap: … Continue reading The Onus of Obituary


On the Horizon for Accessibility

June 25, 2019

Reed Strege, director of library services at the Braille Institute of America, led “The Best in New Tech for Readers with Blindness, Visual Impairments, and Physical Disabilities” on June 23 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., highlighting new and upcoming technology for blind and print disabled library users. “It’s a really … Continue reading On the Horizon for Accessibility



Council III: Memorial, Tributes, and Resolutions

June 25, 2019

Memorials were read for Donald B. Cleveland (M#6), Nicolette Warisse Sosulski (M#7), Anne J. Hoffman (M#8), Patricia Meyer Battin (M#9), Catherine Patricia Riesenman (M#10), and Lucille Cole Thomas (M#11). Tributes were offered to honor Ann Carlson Weeks (T#2), Christine Lind Hage (T#2), and Prue Adler (T#4). ALA Treasurer Susan H. Hildreth presented the FY20 annual … Continue reading Council III: Memorial, Tributes, and Resolutions


Saving Your Digital Life

June 25, 2019

Katlin Seagraves is the digital literacy associate at the Tulsa City-County Library where she manages the library’s Digital Literacy Lab. At “Save As: Preserving Your Digital Life” on June 24 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., Seagraves educated attendees on methods for preserving born-digital personal data like photos and social media. … Continue reading Saving Your Digital Life



Golden Arches, Black Franchises

June 25, 2019

“The reason I’m conversant in [race, social justice, and public policy] topics is because it all started at the library,” she told those gathered for the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services President’s Program at the American Library Association’s 2019 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 24. Chatelain reminisced about being dropping off … Continue reading Golden Arches, Black Franchises



Former school librarian Helen Adams recalled the rise in surveillance technology in schools after the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School.

No Minor Concern

June 25, 2019

“Ensuring library users’ confidentiality frees them from fear of retaliation or intimidation as a result of reading a book, visiting a website, or consulting other library resources,” said Candice Mack, senior YA services librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library system. “This is regardless of age.” Deborah Caldwell-Stone, interim director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual … Continue reading No Minor Concern


From Wikipedia to Opioids

June 24, 2019

As part of the News You Can Use series at the American Library Association’s 2019 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., the program opened with Andrew Pace, executive director for technical research, who highlighted three reports: (1) findings from a global survey on how research institutions worldwide are applying information management practices; (2) a … Continue reading From Wikipedia to Opioids


Reaching Out to the Unsheltered

June 24, 2019

The panel comprised Jean Badalamenti, health and human services coordinator for D.C. Public Library Programs and Partnerships; Nick Higgins, Brooklyn Public Library chief librarian; Kevin King, Kalamazoo (Mich.) Public Library head of branch and circulation services; Leah Esguerra, San Francisco Public Library and San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing social worker and social service … Continue reading Reaching Out to the Unsheltered


Figuring out the Fourth Factor

June 24, 2019

At “Show Me Money! Or Not?,” a June 23 panel at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., speakers from academic institutions reviewed five examples of case law to dispel confusion around fair use, specifically focusing on the exception’s fourth factor. “I think the reason fair use is the exception librarians … Continue reading Figuring out the Fourth Factor