Making Brainy Babies

January 27, 2020

Tyson Barker, of the University of Oregon in Eugene’s psychology department, detailed how the human brain develops over the course of a lifetime. The brain changes the most during early childhood, and adverse experiences and stressors can hinder development, he said. He highlighted the importance of creating positive spaces in which children can be introduced … Continue reading Making Brainy Babies


Top Ten Tweets

Midwinter 2020 Top 10 Tweets—Day 3

January 27, 2020

  What a day! Since I’m walking through Philadelphia, should probably take off the silly grin of happiness. #alamw20 I want to express gratitude to each and everyone but I’ve seen today for inspiring me! — Annie Bélanger (@Annie_Belanger) January 26, 2020 Robots #AI talk about to start @bohyunkim @URILibraries #alamw20 pic.twitter.com/yCBacN2Z99 — Karim B … Continue reading Midwinter 2020 Top 10 Tweets—Day 3



2020 Youth Media Award Winners

January 27, 2020

A list of all the 2020 award winners follows: John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: New Kid, written by Jerry Craft, is the 2020 Newbery Medal winner. The book is illustrated by the author and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers. Four Newbery Honor Books also … Continue reading 2020 Youth Media Award Winners


Being the Change

January 27, 2020

“I knew I wanted to do something about civics, but I didn’t know where to begin. I bribed [teens] with Pizza and Politics,” Remy, branch supervisor at Springfield City Library, told attendees at “Young Changemakers in 21st Century Libraries,” a January 25 program at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Remy soon learned … Continue reading Being the Change


Scott Simon’s Sunny Side

January 27, 2020

The revered radio broadcaster, journalist, and author joined Matthew Winner, host of The Children’s Podcast, for a live taping of the show on the Pop Top Stage before a packed crowd of Midwinter attendees. Simon has authored eight fiction and nonfiction books for adults, but his new book, Sunnyside Plaza (Little, Brown Books for Young … Continue reading Scott Simon’s Sunny Side


Jeff Henderson

Hungry with Knowledge

January 26, 2020

“I was growing up hungry in a single-parent, dysfunctional home in the 1960s,” he told the crowd at American Library Association President Wanda Kay Brown’s program at the Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Philadelphia on January 26. “I had a little homeboy dream that I’d be able to buy a house on a hill with … Continue reading Hungry with Knowledge



"Books in Our Age of Anxiety" panel

Using Lit to Help Kids

January 26, 2020

Abigail Hing Wen (Loveboat, Tapei), I.W. Gregorio (This Is My Brain in Love, 2020), Gail Silver (Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree, 2019), Sharon Huss Roat (How to Disappear, 2017), and Beth Kephart (The Great Upending, 2020) were joined by Lauren Caldwell, director of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Children, Youth, and Families Office, for … Continue reading Using Lit to Help Kids


Creating a “Queer” Shelf in the School Library

January 26, 2020

“We are everywhere,” Montague said of the LGBT community. “That means, first of all, there are many potential curriculum connections, many ways we can be thinking about how to incorporate queer history and important people and events into the curriculum.” She highlighted the role of mindful collection development in educating about LGBT issues, pointing to … Continue reading Creating a “Queer” Shelf in the School Library


Top Tech Trends Focus on Privacy

January 26, 2020

Moderator Ida Joiner, senior librarian at the Universal Academy School in Irving, Texas, was joined by panelists Victoria Blackmer, assistant director of Robert R. Jones Public Library in Coal Valley, Illinois;  Marshall Breeding, independent library consultant; Elisandro Cabada, medical and bioengineering librarian at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Alison Macrina, founder and executive director … Continue reading Top Tech Trends Focus on Privacy


Ramiro Salazar

The Latest on #eBooksForAll

January 26, 2020

Ramiro S. Salazar, Public Library Association (PLA) president and director of San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library was aided by four panelists who have been working on the campaign since the beginning: Sari Feldman, Alan S. Inouye, Patrick Losinski, and Larra Clark. Salazar noted that the embargo affects all libraries, public libraries in particular. ALA has … Continue reading The Latest on #eBooksForAll