Becoming a Media Mentor

Becoming a Media Mentor

November 1, 2016

Librarians and youth services staff members are already experienced and qualified mentors, but the real question is: Will librarians continue to be the trusted source for media and literacy needs in all their forms? For media mentors, the answer is yes. In order for individual youth services staffers to successfully take on the role of … Continue reading Becoming a Media Mentor


ALSC National Institute cancelled

ALSC Board Votes to Cancel National Institute in Charlotte

April 18, 2016

The cancellation is a response to the passage last month of North Carolina’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (House Bill 2), which repealed all LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances across the state. The law contradicts the core values, purpose, and diversity work of ALSC and undermines civil rights and the fundamental principles upon which libraries are founded. … Continue reading ALSC Board Votes to Cancel National Institute in Charlotte


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

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

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