One response was direct and immediate action, with at least 200 information professionals joining the Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women on January 21. That event was part of the Women’s Marches series of protests, which drew an estimated 60,000 participants in Atlanta and as many as 4.6 million worldwide. Midwinter attendees gathered in … Continue reading 2017 Midwinter Wrap-Up
Looking at the scope of your career, from stand-up to a one-man show to podcasts to TV, what led you to write a book? I grew up in a house with bookshelves to the ceiling, and in every room there were books. Books were an aspirational thing. When I was in high school, my mom … Continue reading Newsmaker: W. Kamau Bell
In this bonus episode of the Dewey Decibel podcast, American Libraries reports from the Youth Media Awards (YMAs), held January 23 at the 2017 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Atlanta. The YMAs have a devoted fan base, many of whom queue in the predawn hours to get a prime seat for the morning ceremony. Dewey Decibel host … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: The 2017 Youth Media Awards
Martín, founder and CEO of honorCode, a program that aims to integrate coding into the K–12 curriculum, spoke about his experiences in developing a coding initiative at Atlanta’s Drew Charter School. “We envision Atlanta as the Silicon Valley for the South,” says Martín, noting that Georgia ranks third, behind New York and California, in the … Continue reading The Future of Learning
Neil Patrick Harris, before a packed auditorium at the Closing Session of the American Library Association’s 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits on Monday, joked that his name was the next to be added to a list of illustrious and prolific children’s book series authors. The award-winning actor, host, and magician talked about the inspiration behind … Continue reading A Not-Unfortunate Ending
Though normative collections are a systematic problem and no one person is to blame, Manfredi said, the session sought to convey how librarians, educators, publishers, and reviewers are complicit in this problem. Manfredi began by identifying examples of microaggressions—comments or actions that may be hostile or demeaning to a minority or marginalized group—and popular misconceptions … Continue reading Less Normative Collections
Memorials were read for J. McRee “Mac” Elrod; Robert “Bob” Alan; Valerie Bross; Sandra “Sandy” Friedman Dolnick; Nettie B. Taylor; Ruth Gordon; John Shuler; Karen Avenick; Robert White; and Warren “Jim” Haas. A tribute was offered to honor Emily Sheketoff for her service as executive director of the ALA Washington Office. William “Bill” Sudduth, chair, … Continue reading Council III Addresses Gun Violence
2017–2018 ALA President-Elect James G. “Jim” Neal introduced CD #35–35.2 and CD #37, which amended the 2015 ALA Strategic Directions by adding a fourth Strategic Direction: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The motion to amend passed with no objections. Bill Sudduth, chair of the Council Tellers Committee, presented a report (CD #10.3) on the election of two … Continue reading Council II Defines ALA Executive Director Search Criteria
The day started with a plenary session with education innovators Jeffrey Martín of honorCode and Stephen Harmon of Georgia Tech Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). Moderators Audrey Church, professor and coordinator of the school librarianship program of Longwood University and president of the American Association of School Librarians, and Ann Campion Riley, associate director … Continue reading Exploring Our Foundations in Times of Change
The day started off early with the Youth Media Awards/#ymapjparty. And March: Book Three swept the awards. The lines are long and we are excited!! #ALAYMA #alamw17 pic.twitter.com/bAbgOaITER — Deborah Salyer (@libdebsalyer) January 23, 2017 https://twitter.com/DellaKfarrell/status/823526066790731777 #alayma #ymapjparty magnus reaction shot 🙂 pic.twitter.com/AT4gePP0hL — Clay Media Center (@MediaCtr_Clay) January 23, 2017 @repjohnlewis Congratulations on your … Continue reading Top 10 Tweets—Monday Edition
Schmidt kicked off her 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits session, “Building the Future: Public Libraries and Their Trustees Making Future Policy Decisions Together,” in Atlanta on Sunday by painting a picture of the challenges directors, trustees, and Friends groups are up against. Panelists then presented tactics for ways these groups can leverage their relationships, to … Continue reading Directors, Trustees, and Friends Build the Future
“He said, ‘One, we need you more than ever. Two, what would Martin Luther King Jr. do? Three, I need to know we’re not going backward. Four, I need someone to tell me what to do,’” said Alexander. And like that, Alexander’s thoughtful, rhapsodic verse set to accomplishing these objectives, and then some. Introduced by ALA … Continue reading Kwame Alexander: Poetry is the Answer
