#alavirtual20 Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Serving the Transgender Community

By Carrie Smith | June 29, 2020

In “Serving the Transgender Community: It’s More Than Just Bathrooms!,” an American Library Association (ALA) Virtual program sponsored by the ALA Rainbow Round Table and moderated by Deb Sica, deputy county librarian at Alameda County, panelists discussed things libraries can do to serve the needs of the transgender community. Transgender and nonbinary members of the … Continue reading Serving the Transgender Community →

Making Comics History: Malaka Gharib and Tasha Spillet-Sumner

This Moment in Comics

By Carrie Smith | June 29, 2020

With Tasha Spillett-Sumner, author of the Surviving the City graphic novel series, Gharib discussed the role of the comics industry in this historic moment of uprisings against white supremacy and structural inequality at “A Comics History in the Making,” moderated by Alea Perez, president of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Graphic Novels and Comics Round … Continue reading This Moment in Comics →

Council III: Memorials, Resolutions, and SCOE

By Amy Carlton | June 28, 2020

Memorials were read for Gayatri Singh (M#8), Yen-Tsai-Feng (M#9), Thomas Low (M#10), Clement Chu-Sing Lau (M#11), Tze-chung Li (M#12), Patricia Ann Hannon (M#13), Mary Ardeth Gaylord (M#14), Michelle Marie Miller (M#15), Ruth and Jay Toor (M#16), J. Linda Williams (M#17), Mary Jo Lynch (M#18), Peggy Sullivan (M#19), Charles Brown (M#20), William A. Bill Garrison Jr. … Continue reading Council III: Memorials, Resolutions, and SCOE →

“Keep on Pushing”

By Phil Morehart | June 27, 2020

“E. J. Josey’s 1964 Charge: ‘Keep on Pushing’” charted the life of E. J. Josey (1924–2009), librarian, educator, author, activist, founding member of BCALA, and 1984–1985 American Library Association (ALA) president. The session opened with images of Black life from the late 1800s to the present and the American civil rights movement, backed by the … Continue reading “Keep on Pushing” →

Twitch and Discord in libraries panelists Michael Dunbar-Rodney and Lorin Flores

How Libraries Can Use Discord and Twitch

By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2020

Lorin Flores and Michael Dunbar-Rodney, librarians at San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library, discussed how libraries can take advantage of these emerging online streaming platforms to reach new audiences and expand digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic in their ALA Virtual 2020 session, “Twitch and Discord in Public Libraries: New Opportunities for Adult Services.” Twitch, a … Continue reading How Libraries Can Use Discord and Twitch →

Fables for Modern Times

By Phil Morehart | June 26, 2020

In her forthcoming picture book, Natalie Portman’s Fables (Macmillan, October), Portman updates three traditional children’s stories for today’s youth. She discussed the work and her perspectives on literacy and books for kids with Betsy Bird, collection development manager at Evanston (Ill.) Public Library, at the ALA Virtual Closing Session June 26. Portman said the inspiration … Continue reading Fables for Modern Times →

Moving Multicultural Collections Online

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 26, 2020

In a June 26 session at ALA Virtual, two panelists discussed the challenges and strategies of doing just that. As part of the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) Chair’s Program, the session, “Promoting Multicultural Library Services in Virtual Spaces,” was moderated by EMIERT Vice Chair Andrea Jamison, librarian and lecturer at Valparaiso (Ind.) University. … Continue reading Moving Multicultural Collections Online →

BOOM! Studios panel: Brian Azzarello, Roxane Gay, Ryan North, Tracy Lynne Oliver, and Gabby Rivera

Breaking the Rules of Graphic Novels

By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2020

At “Breaking the Rules of Graphic Novels,” a discussion at ALA Virtual on June 25 sponsored by BOOM! Studios and moderated by Filip Sablik, its president of publishing and marketing, panelists explored the ways comics are breaking free of their reputation and appealing to ever-larger audiences. The past reputation of comic books isn’t wholly unearned. … Continue reading Breaking the Rules of Graphic Novels →

Author and Sesame Street actor Sonia Manzano

Celebrate the World

By Terra Dankowski | June 25, 2020

“I’ve noticed an awful shift in the social behavior of American culture. Nowadays, [people] feel to cooperate with someone is a sign of weakness,” she explained to Gary Knell, chairman of National Geographic Partners and former CEO of Sesame Workshop, in a conversation aired at ALA Virtual June 25. “Nowadays, it’s not enough to win—you … Continue reading Celebrate the World →

Timothy Dickey, Marie Ingram, and Mary Beth Riedner

Serving Patrons with Dementia

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | June 25, 2020

At the June 25 ALA Virtual session “The Frontiers of Library Dementia Services,” three panelists shared what library workers can do to better serve people with dementia—and help them thrive. The first step, said Timothy J. Dickey, adult services librarian at Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Libraries, is to learn more about dementia, which includes diseases such … Continue reading Serving Patrons with Dementia →

Honoring and Respecting Relationship: Rethinking Library Praxis

Decolonizing Knowledge

By Terra Dankowski | June 25, 2020

Camille Callison, Indigenous strategies librarian at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, commenced the American Indian Library Association President’s Program “Honoring and Respecting Relationship: Rethinking Library Praxis” June 25 at ALA Virtual by introducing herself as member of the Tahltan Nation and recapping some of the racist and problematic actions Canada has inflicted upon Indigenous people. … Continue reading Decolonizing Knowledge →

Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services Past-President Susan Parkins and President Cathy Zimmerman

Reimagining the Bookmobile

By Terra Dankowski | June 25, 2020

At “Outdoing Outreach in a Post–COVID-19 World,” a June 25 live session at ALA Virtual, two Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) board members discussed how their work has evolved in the face of coronavirus. “We woke up one morning and the entire world had changed,” said Cathy Zimmerman, ABOS president and bookmobile associate … Continue reading Reimagining the Bookmobile →

Latest Library Links

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Renaud Foucart writes: “The US Department of Justice may be on the verge of seeking a breakup of Google in a bid to make it less dominant. While this is still a distant prospect, it is being considered in the wake of a series of rulings in the US and the European Union which suggest that regulators are becoming increasingly frustrated by the power of big tech. But what would a breakup of these tech giants achieve for consumers?”

LLRX, Oct. 29
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Steven Mintz writes: “For decades, a college or university’s quality was measured by the size of its library collection. The library was the campus’s crown jewel, a towering building at the institution’s center, symbolizing academic prestige. But as collections shift online and physical books move into remote storage, the library’s purpose is now in question. For libraries to maintain their central place within the intellectual life of universities, they must become dynamic, multipurpose hubs that not only provide access to a vast array of digital and physical resources but also actively engage in the broader educational and cultural missions of their institutions.”

Inside Higher Ed: Higher Ed Gamma, Oct. 28
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On November 6, ALA issued a statement following the results of the 2024 US election. The full statement reads as follows: “In response to results of the 2024 US election, ALA vowed to continue its defense of the core values of librarianship in the face of political threats. ‘We know that many of our members are concerned that the election results portend attacks on libraries, library workers, and readers,’ said ALA President Cindy Hohl. ‘Whatever happens, ALA will stand up for all Americans’ freedom to read—and we will need everyone who loves libraries to stand with us.’”

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 6
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“Over 1.2 million school-aged children were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2021–2022 school year. Kids who are experiencing homelessness and their caregivers can benefit greatly from the services libraries offer, including computer and printing access, programs and classes, books and other materials, and a place to spend time when their housing situation may not be safe or comfortable. Every school district in the US is required by federal law to have a homeless student liaison, usually called a McKinney-Vento liaison. The good news is that it’s usually pretty easy to find your McKinney-Vento liaison.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 2
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“As early as 2003, certain university libraries in the US developed virtual libraries in the online video game Second Life and offered a variety of services, marking the first practical research on metaverse libraries. The metaverse is regaining popularity nearly two decades later, and technological circumstances have improved. Today’s metaverse is a collection of new technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), gaming, networking, etc. VR and AR are two of the most important metaverse enabling technologies, and their use in university libraries is growing.”

College & Research Libraries, Nov.
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Christina Caron writes: “On social media, Mychal Threets was spreading the gospel of ‘library joy’ to hundreds of thousands of followers. But at his job, as a supervisor at the Fairfield Civic Center Library in Solano County, California, he was facing new challenges. Over a year, Threets filed more than 170 incident reports documenting how library patrons had acted out: property damage, harassment, physical altercations. Like Threets, librarians around the country are struggling to reconcile their desire to serve their communities with their need for self-preservation.”

New York Times, Oct. 31
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Megan Bennett writes: “‘Stop the Draft!’ ‘I Like Ike.’ ‘I’m with Her.’ From the iconic to the incendiary, political messages like these have emblazoned buttons and pins since the start of US elections. Since 2012, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been archiving political buttons. The collection now spans thousands of items over a century’s worth of campaigns and causes. The collection has approximately 4,800 buttons and pins and 200 stickers. Most fit into one of three categories: campaigns (local and national), sociopolitical movements, and community organizations like unions.”

American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.

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