Call Number Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Call Number Podcast: School Librarians Adapt to the Pandemic

April 20, 2021

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with three school library media specialists for Goochland County (Va.) Public Schools—Sarah Smith from Goochland Elementary School, Sue Vaughan from Randolph Elementary School, and Zoe Parrish from Byrd Elementary School—about how they bootstrapped a bookmobile to provide free titles to kids learning remotely. Next, American Libraries Senior … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: School Librarians Adapt to the Pandemic →

Call Number Episode 60: Supporting Seniors during the Pandemic

Call Number Podcast: Supporting Seniors during the Pandemic

March 23, 2021

On Episode 60, Call Number with American Libraries looks at library outreach to seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. First American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with David Kelsey, outreach coordinator at St. Charles (Ill.) Public Library in St. Charles, Illinois, and president of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, about the importance of … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Supporting Seniors during the Pandemic →

Call Number Podcast: Washington Talk

March 12, 2021

Shawnda Hines, assistant director of communications at the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office, speaks with US Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) about his support for libraries and work on library legislation, including the Build America’s Libraries Act that was introduced in the House on March 3. They also discuss how best to advocate … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Washington Talk →

Call Number Episode 59: Talking about Race

Call Number Podcast: Talking About Race

February 16, 2021

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Emmanuel Acho, sports analyst for Fox Sports and former NFL linebacker (and recent Midwinter Virtual featured speaker), about his YouTube series and subsequent book Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Jessica Bratt, youth … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Talking About Race →

Call Number Podcast: COVID-19 Mitigation Measures

January 19, 2021

First, American Libraries Editorial and Advertising Associate Carrie Smith speaks with Sharon Streams, OCLC’s director of the REopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums (REALM) project. A collaboration between OCLC, IMLS, and science and technology development nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute, REALM is studying how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on materials common to libraries, archives, … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: COVID-19 Mitigation Measures →

Call Number episode 57: Year-End Author Talk, with photos of authors Julia Alvarez, Yaa Gyasi, and Chanel Miller

Call Number Podcast: Year-End Author Talk

December 18, 2020

Author, poet, and essayist Julia Alvarez, writer and artist Chanel Miller, chef Jeff Henderson, ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, and writers Echo Brown and Yaa Gyasi discuss their work and reveal the important role that libraries and books have played in their lives. If you have feedback for the podcast team, call 312-857-6761 and leave … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Year-End Author Talk →

Call Number Podcast: Let Them Lead

November 13, 2020

In Episode 56, Call Number looks at library efforts to support and engage teen activism. First, American Libraries Associate Editor Sallyann Price speaks with Donnell Washington, senior library assistant at Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library, about the Better Hope for Tomorrow virtual summit for teens that he helped organize. Next, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Let Them Lead →

Call Number Podcast: Monster Mash

October 26, 2020

On Episode 55 of the newly named Call Number with American Libraries, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Matt Ruff, author of Lovecraft Country, the bestselling horror/fantasy novel that’s been adapted into a hit HBO series of the same name. Next, American Libraries staffers reveal what frightens them the … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Monster Mash →

American Libraries Changes Podcast Name

October 26, 2020

After consulting with the American Libraries Advisory Committee, staff decided to change the podcast name to distance the magazine from the legacy of Melvil Dewey (1851–1931), a founder of the American Library Association (ALA) and inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, who was eventually ostracized by ALA as a result of what one librarian … Continue reading American Libraries Changes Podcast Name →

Latest Library Links

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The LeVar Burton Book Club launched May 11 via the “social reading app” Fable, with selections handpicked by the actor. To start off, he’s chosen three books that “represent how my identity as a reader has been shaped,” he says: James Baldwin’s semi-autobiographical novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, Octavia Butler’s modern sci-fi classic Parable of the Sower, and the essay and poetry collection The Fire This Time, edited by Jesmyn Ward.

Entertainment Weekly, May 11
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On May 14 the American Library Association announced the appointment of Mary Davis Fournier as executive director, Public Library Association, a division of ALA. Her first day in her new role will be Monday, June 14. Fournier is a 20-year veteran of ALA, having served in various roles including most recently as deputy director of the Public Programs Office.

AL: The Scoop, May 14
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Lara Ewen writes: “In spring 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic hit the small town of Pottsboro, Texas, local doctors switched from in-person to telemedicine appointments with patients. But many of the town’s 2,500 residents don’t have internet access at home, or lack the bandwidth for video calls. So they went to Pottsboro Area Library, where Director Dianne Connery let patrons use her office—the only private space in the one-room building—for their telehealth visits.”

American Libraries Trend, May
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LIS assistant professor Andrea Jamison writes: “As part of my dissertation in 2020, I researched the collection development policies of academic libraries. I looked specifically at universities and colleges with ALA–accredited LIS programs that offer master’s degrees or library programs with concentrations or career pathways in children’s services. It was important to situate this study within this context because these types of library programs provide the requisite skills and training needed for the selection and acquisition of children’s books. Academic libraries with children’s collections that support these types of programs can and should serve as models for collection practices.”

American Libraries column, May
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Join your fellow ALA members for the 2021 Virtual Information Session and Membership Meeting on June 27 at 1:30 p.m. Central. This livestream session will include information about the association and provide a forum for members to hear first-hand updates from ALA leaders and engage in real time with ALA leadership. The Virtual Membership Meeting is an opportunity for members to learn more about the governance of ALA and share the experience with colleagues from your community and across the world.

ALA Member Relations and Services
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Senjuti Patra writes: “As I write this, my country is dealing with a devastating second wave of the pandemic. Now, more than ever, we need to see how we are all connected in the stories of our past. I have spent a lot of time this past year reading Indian history. Here is a roundup of 14 books that will help you understand the history of this diverse country and its impact on the rest of the world.”

Book Riot, May 13
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Kim Bellware writes: “A 5th-grade classroom has become the latest collision point for America’s cultural reckoning with racial bias, police violence, and academic freedom after Florida’s second-largest school district temporarily pulled an award-winning youth novel over a police complaint that the book was ‘propaganda’ against law enforcement.”

Washington Post, May 10

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