Association for Library Service to Children Archives | Page 2 of 2

ALA, ALSC, GLBTRT Ask Gov. McCrory to Repeal North Carolina Bill

March 29, 2016

This law repeals all GLBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances across the state. This action was in direct response to a transgender-inclusive, nondiscrimination ordinance passed by the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, in February 2016. The Charlotte ordinance would have protected transgender people who use public restrooms based on their gender identity and would have provided broad protections … Continue reading ALA, ALSC, GLBTRT Ask Gov. McCrory to Repeal North Carolina Bill →

ALA members attending the Annual Conference in Montreal made a side trip to McGill University, where they posed for this photo on June 9, 1900.

Things You Didn’t Know about ALA History, 1876–1900

By George M. Eberhart | February 11, 2016

Throughout 2016, American Libraries will be adding images to the ALA 140th anniversary Pinterest board in reverse chronological order, starting in 1876 with ALA’s founding and ending up with 2015. This blog post includes some of the imagery from the Association’s first 25 years of existence. In 1899, Melvil Dewey, a founder of ALA and … Continue reading Things You Didn’t Know about ALA History, 1876–1900 →

2015 Pura Belpré Illustration Honoree John Parra (left), conference attendee Cecilia Matsko, and 2015 Pura Belpré Author Honoree Juan Felipe Herrera gather during the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Pura Belpré Award to Celebrate
20th Year

By Alison Marcotte | October 14, 2015

In 1996, Oralia Garza de Cortes and Sandra Rios Balderrama, members of Reforma (the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate) worked with Linda Perkins, former president of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), to create the Pura Belpré Award, honoring Belpré’s memory and celebrating … Continue reading Pura Belpré Award to Celebrate
20th Year →

Latest Library Links

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The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) issued a statement March 3 recognizing and strongly condemning the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that have permeated our country over the past year. The statement reads in part, “Our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been deeply impacted by attacks that have caused physical and psychological harm.” Read the full statement with links to resources.

APALA, March 3
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In the fall and winter of 2020, New America embarked on a snapshot study to gather data on how—or if—people were discovering, accessing, and using their public libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on materials that libraries made available online. Their findings, which include data from a national survey of 2,620 people, highlight the need for more inclusivity, more focus on providing internet access, and more awareness-raising initiatives with local organizations and schools. Read the full report.

New America, March 1
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Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced March 2 that it would no longer publish six of the author and illustrator’s early works that “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” While some pundits and politicians claimed the move was akin to book burning, OIF Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone said that Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ move is “well within their rights” and doesn’t mean that the six titles will necessarily be banned. “They haven’t asked for anyone else to remove the books from their collections, whether it’s libraries, schools, or personal collections,” she says. She confirms that, as the ALA’s lists of banned and challenged books attest, “diverse topics like LGBTQ themes and characters or books that deal with racial justice” have been more frequent targets of complaints.

Yahoo News, March 2
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As of March 1, Twitter has started applying labels to tweets that may contain misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to its continued efforts to remove the most harmful COVID-19 misleading information from its service. The company is also introducing a strike system that determines when further enforcement action is necessary.

Twitter blog, March 1
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Brendan Dowling writes: “For over a year, Heights Libraries (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) has held monthly programs surrounding The 1619 Project, The New York Times’s long-form journalism project that investigates how slavery molded the United States’s economy, politics, and social structure. Outreach Librarian John Piché spoke with us about best practices for holding your own program, community engagement, and partnering with local organizations.

Public Libraries Online, Feb. 24
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Registration for the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, June 23–29, is now open. The event will include educational programming, the News You Can Use series, memorable featured speakers, special author events, The Library Marketplace, Presidents’ Programs, Discussion Groups, leading authors, live-chat presentations, and networking opportunities. The list of Featured Speakers will be announced soon.

ALA Conference Services, March 2
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Diane Bacha writes: “Cultural workshops. Community gardens. Bilingual storytimes. Coding camps. Movie clubs. These are just some of the services that 30 million Americans seek at rural libraries. In communities that often have limited access to resources, librarians in thousands of small towns are finding ways to fulfill needs and often doing so with scant resources and limited staffing.”

iPondr, March 1