These types of challenges were top of mind at United for Libraries (UFL) Virtual 2025, held in late July. Every year, UFL brings together trustees, foundation and Friends members, and those who work with them for a virtual conference to discuss the library advocacy landscape. It’s also a space to brainstorm practical solutions for rallying … Continue reading Unlocking Possibilities
The removal was done in transgression of the library board’s book reconsideration policy. The book’s catalog record also vanished. Local media outlets reported that the book was removed by our then-director who, a few weeks into the role, was called into our town first selectman’s office along with the head of the library board and … Continue reading Into the Fray
“I don’t know of another institution that has the capability to make such a diverse set of people feel dignified and welcome when they walk in the door,” Klinenberg told attendees at the outset of United for Libraries Virtual, a three-day virtual conference hosted by United for Libraries (UFL) July 30–August 1, 2024. Klinenberg’s latest … Continue reading Into the Future
Benjes-Small addressed dozens of attendees at “‘It’s Not Okay. It’s Not Normal’: Sexual Harassment of Librarians and Implications for the Field,” a July 1 program held at the American Library Association’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. Spurred by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Benjes-Small and Jennifer Resor-Whicker, university librarian at Radford (Va.) … Continue reading It’s Not Okay
As libraries and library workers face censorship attempts, campus protests, and budget cuts, among other challenges, Harrington—a consultant and current president of the Timberland Regional (Wash.) Library board of trustees—led the program “Top 10 Things Every Library Board Member Should Know—but Often Doesn’t.” As the heart of an organization, the board must function as a … Continue reading 10 Things Every Board Member Needs to Know
Goswami presented at “Be Prepared: Program Challenges at Your Public Library,” a January 21 session at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore. He was joined by Amanda Sand Vazquez, director of Dubuque County (Iowa) Library District and president of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT), and Betsy Gomez, assistant director of … Continue reading Preparing for Pushback
At “Building Strong Trustee Relationships during Book Challenges,” a January 28 session at the American Library Association’s 2023 LibLearnX conference in New Orleans, Tonya Ryals—director of MacDonald Public Library in New Baltimore, Michigan—shared tips on how library directors can create and maintain relationships with their trustees to form allyships when requests for book reconsiderations come … Continue reading Finding Your Allies
At the March 23 Opening Session of PLA 2022 in Portland, Oregon, PLA President and Richland (S.C.) Library Executive Director Melanie Huggins addressed a masked and gleeful crowd and acknowledged these “rough last two years.” “We have navigated challenges and risks in our personal and professional lives, but you made it a priority to be … Continue reading Speaking Up
Incumbent trustee Becky Keane-Adams responded immediately, saying she wholeheartedly disagreed. “Books are windows,” she began. “If you open a book and you can never see yourself in it, then it’s hard to figure out who you are.” The comments of Makula—elected in April along with candidates Olivia Hanusiak and Suzanne Schoenfeldt, who like Makula identify … Continue reading A Conflict of Values
That’s a great story, true or not, with an even better punch line. It likely produced a few knowing nods and wry smiles just now, and it’s also quite effective with people unfamiliar with what actually goes on libraries. They think we sit around all day shushing people and reading Good Books, as opposed to, … Continue reading In the Trenches
He dove into the web in the early 1990s, creating his first web page. Later, while at the Mid-Hudson Library System, he orchestrated web automation for 45 rural libraries in New York, for which he was named a Cybrarian of the Year in 1998 by then-telecom giant MCI Communications. Now a trustee of the Anne … Continue reading Building a Better Board of Trustees
