#alamw17 Archives | Page 3 of 4 | American Libraries Magazine

What’s Left To Say about Thomas Jefferson? Everything.

By Erika L. Jenns | January 22, 2017

Gordon-Reed and her co-author, Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, each focused on different aspects of Jefferson’s life as they worked together to produce this volume. Gordon-Reed focused on slavery at Monticello and politics, while Onuf covered more social aspects. “We tried to blend together so that we … Continue reading What’s Left To Say about Thomas Jefferson? Everything. →

W. Kamau Bell at the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting Opening Session

Building Strength Through Laughter

By Phil Morehart | January 22, 2017

W. Kamau Bell exclaimed that phrase often during his Opening Session talk at the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta. His candor was necessary. The stand-up comic and host of the CNN program The United Shades of America and the Politically Re-Active and Denzel Washington Is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period podcasts was … Continue reading Building Strength Through Laughter →

Civic Innovation and #goodtrouble in Atlanta

By Erica L. Jenns | January 22, 2017

Marian Liou, founder of We Love BuHi, began the session by saying “thank you” to the librarians in the room for the work that they do and for being on the front lines of our communities. She then explained how she decided to start the project. “Buford Highway is a big ugly scar of a … Continue reading Civic Innovation and #goodtrouble in Atlanta →

Models for Change

By Terra Dankowski | January 22, 2017

Fournier spoke about the two-year Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) initiative ALA is executing in partnership with the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD), with support from the Harwood Institute and backing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The initiative began with training and review at … Continue reading Models for Change →

Top 10(ish) Tweets—Saturday Edition

By Crystal Carrazco | January 22, 2017

First, you won’t believe all the speakers and authors: My life has been made! Got to meet fav author @ScottWesterfeld and got autographed copy of Spillzone! #alamw17 #apsmedia @rlosbornehs pic.twitter.com/oakDdkAoQa — Lori McCall (@MagMediaMaven) January 21, 2017 https://twitter.com/ncolyar/status/822875049673768965 Listening to a huge group of teens talk about the Best Books nominees is, hands down, the … Continue reading Top 10(ish) Tweets—Saturday Edition →

Charlotte Roh, Isha Lee, and Darlene Gillard

A Welcoming and Empowering Future

By Miguel Figueroa | January 21, 2017

An attentive and engaged audience lost no time connecting library professionals’ work to these innovators’ approaches, from citizenship corners to entrepreneurship programs for teens and young adults. Several attendees’ noted their libraries’ participation in National Welcoming Week, an event organized by Welcoming America that helps communities bring together immigrants and U.S.-born residents in a spirit … Continue reading A Welcoming and Empowering Future →

Crowd at the Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women.

Librarians on the March

By George M. Eberhart | January 21, 2017

Midwinter Meeting attendees gathered in a hall of the Georgia World Congress Center to create posters, distribute “Radical Militant Librarian” pins, and generate some LIS energy for the march. A sign on the wall suggested some slogans the librarian contingent could use: “Silence is not the answer,” “Libraries are the key to freedom,” and “Too … Continue reading Librarians on the March →

Top 10(ish) Tweets—Friday Edition

By Crystal Carrazco | January 21, 2017

W. Kamau Bell’s Opening General Session had us all tearing up and laughing by the end. Feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to read! @wkamaubell #alamw17 pic.twitter.com/pdOTKd9RPE — Amanda Kozaka (@BoomshakaKozaka) January 20, 2017 You begin grabbing and purchasing swag before the exhibits even open. #alamw17 ribbons are so great & making me absurdly happy on … Continue reading Top 10(ish) Tweets—Friday Edition →

Top 10 Tweets—Thursday (Day 0)

By Crystal Carrazco | January 20, 2017

It’s always hard to say goodbye… But once you land, you’re in full librarian mode… And finally… P.S. #alaleftbehind, we’ve got you covered:

American Libraries to Stream Midwinter Town Hall Meeting

January 17, 2017

In recent months, ALA members have expressed concerns about the effects of the recent election on the positions and advocacy efforts of the Association, and this event was created to provide a forum to continue that conversation. Although the town hall follows the first meeting of ALA’s governing council, all interested conference attendees are welcome to attend and share their feedback, concerns, … Continue reading American Libraries to Stream Midwinter Town Hall Meeting →

American Library Association's 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Atlanta.Photos: Courtesy of ACVB and AtlantaPhotos.com

2017 ALA Midwinter Preview

By Terra Dankowski | January 3, 2017

We know that equity, diversity, and inclusion are instrumental to the success of libraries. As the American Library Association (ALA) gears up for its 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits (January 20–24) in Atlanta, it’s important to reflect on a variety of recent events—from the unrest after the presidential election to the Pulse nightclub shooting to … Continue reading 2017 ALA Midwinter Preview →

Eating in the ATL

By Creative Loafing Atlanta and Phil Morehart | January 3, 2017

American Libraries teamed with Creative Loafing Atlanta, the city’s weekly independent newspaper, to bring Midwinter guests a broad selection of restaurants to enjoy before and after their conference activities, all located within a reasonable distance from the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Downtown Alma Cocina 404-968-9662 191 Peachtree St. NE Alma Cocina serves … Continue reading Eating in the ATL →

Latest Library Links

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Michael Kan writes: “Are you still using ‘chocolate,’ ‘naruto,’ or ‘monkey’ for your passwords? You really need to stop. All three are among the most commonly used passwords, putting your accounts at risk of hacking, according to new data from NordPass. The password manager’s sixth annual list of the top 200 most commonly used passwords is pulled from a 2.5TB dataset of stolen logins taken from various sources.” ZDNet offers tips for creating stronger passwords and improved security measures.

PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
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John Sharp writes: “Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama, and there is no mistaking their conservative bona fides. But according to early statistics about library card applications, their libraries appear to be bucking a trend embraced by conservative-leaning groups and the Alabama GOP: Their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries. More than 60% of parents at Fairhope Public Library and Athens-Limestone County Public Library have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.”

AL.com, Nov. 17
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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13

View more Latest Library Links