#alamw21 Archives | Page 3 of 4 | American Libraries Magazine

Julia Gelfand, Shannon Lichty, Sarah Sansbury, and Amber Seely

Meeting Digital Challenges

By Carrie Smith | January 23, 2021

Last year saw unprecedented increases in digital lending. Digital collections aren’t new to libraries, but coronavirus precautions have led many library users to try out ebooks, digital audiobooks, and other online offerings for the first time. Shannon Lichty, vice president of partner services for OverDrive, moderated a panel of academic, public, and school librarians in … Continue reading Meeting Digital Challenges →

Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 2

By Heather Cho | January 23, 2021

There were moving words about libraries and librarians. Ziggy Marley gave a great description of what a library is “Libraries are a place of refuge“ #librariesarearefuge #ALAMW21 @jmatz_matz — Joyce Soto (@JoyceSlibrarian) January 23, 2021 Ethan Hawke to libraries and librarians:"The future needs you.."Great session and looking forward to reading his book!#ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/bGYtjXx8cO … Continue reading Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 2 →

I Love My Librarian Awards Goes Virtual

By Amy Carlton | January 23, 2021

ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. opened the ceremony by noting that “these 10 individuals exemplify the leadership, expertise, and dedication of our nation’s librarians” and remarking on the challenging and unprecedented circumstances that required librarians to go above and beyond for their communities in 2020. ALA Past President and I Love My Librarian Award … Continue reading I Love My Librarian Awards Goes Virtual →

400 Years of Black American Life

By Phil Morehart | January 23, 2021

Speaking January 23 at the Opening Session of ALA Midwinter Virtual 2021, the pair described both the significance of the volume and the process of compiling it. It features the work of 90 Black writers—novelists, journalists, poets, historians, and philosophers—on different eras of the Black American experience. “We brought together a community of Black writers … Continue reading 400 Years of Black American Life →

From left: Lori Berezovsky, David J. Kelsey, and Cathy Zimmerman

Adapting Outreach

By Terra Dankowski | January 23, 2021

At “Exploring Ways to Jazz Up Your Bookmobile, Outreach, or Book Bike Program during COVID-19,” a January 23 session at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual, officers from the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) led a discussion on these questions and more and addressed how their roles are being reimagined … Continue reading Adapting Outreach →

Shaping “The After”

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 23, 2021

Describing everything since the pandemic as “The After,” KCLS Executive Director Lisa Rosenblum moderated “Rising to the 2020 Challenge” at the 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 23. With all the crises 2020 presented—including COVID, political unrest around ongoing systemic racism, economic turmoil—what lessons and future practices can libraries and library workers glean? … Continue reading Shaping “The After” →

Senator Jack Reed Talks Library Advocacy

By Julie Holden | January 23, 2021

The senator spoke candidly about the events of January 6, when rioters stormed the US Capitol. While waiting in a secure location with other lawmakers, Reed recounted, “There was this consensus by every member that we had to go back, that we were not going to, you know, go away for the day, reconvene a … Continue reading Senator Jack Reed Talks Library Advocacy →

Christian Cooper, Marie Javins, and Alitha Martinez

Making Better Myths

By Carrie Smith | January 23, 2021

Cooper, joined by DC Comics Executive Editor Marie Javins, artist and illustrator Alitha Evelyn Martinez, and moderated by Andrew Aydin, former aide to the late Rep. John Lewis and coauthor of his March graphic novel trilogy, discussed bringing new voices to comics at “REPRESENT!: Stories of Personal Experiences, Unheard Voices, and Social Change—a Panel” at … Continue reading Making Better Myths →

Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 1

By Heather Cho | January 22, 2021

But there are benefits to a virtual conference. My co-worker and set up this morning for #ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/nwAue4nZG6 — Amie w/ an 'i.e' is mostly @ Blue Sky these days (@librarylandia) January 22, 2021 Coziest first ALA Midwinter Conference. In my bed with tea, hiding from my kids. #ALAMW21 pic.twitter.com/dgTJhHhs1A — Chelsea Hilton (@chelseahilton) January … Continue reading Midwinter 2021 Top Tweets—Day 1 →

Voices from the Land

By Terra Dankowski | January 22, 2021

“Farming is an integral part of our national identity,” she told viewers from the Diversity In Publishing stage at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 22. “Land represents freedom, independence, and self-determination.” But Baszile, herself a great-great-granddaughter of a farmer and beekeeper who lived near Tuskegee, Alabama, saw that Black … Continue reading Voices from the Land →

A World You Want to See

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 22, 2021

He and author-illustrator Christian Robinson appeared on the virtual PopTop Stage at the 2021 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits Virtual on January 22. The two began their 30-minute discussion by talking about the artistic process behind Last Stop on Market Street, for which de la Peña won the Newbery, and Robinson won a Caldecott Honor. The … Continue reading A World You Want to See →

This Is Your Time

By Phil Morehart | January 22, 2021

Hayden opened the conversation with condolences to Bridges for the loss of her mother, Lucille, who died in November from cancer. Calling Lucille her “guardian angel,” Bridges said her mother was a driving force and influence in her family. “She was a beacon for me and my siblings,” Bridges said. “She was adamant about having … Continue reading This Is Your Time →

Latest Library Links

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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
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14

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