coding Archives | American Libraries Magazine

The MERGE Cube AR STEM toy works with a smartphone.

Tech Trends

By Alison Marcotte | March 1, 2019

American Libraries spoke with three library tech leaders—panelists from the Library and Information Technology Association’s Top Tech Trends panel at the 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—about what apps, devices, software, and best practices their libraries have implemented and how others can, too. Explore immersive technologies Libraries haven’t fully explored the potential of virtual reality (VR), … Continue reading Tech Trends →

Photo: Santa Ana (Calif.) Public Library Girls Know CS Conference

Hour of Code $500 Mini-Grants Available

By Alan S. Inouye | October 26, 2018

“We hope these grants will build excitement for CSEdWeek and encourage libraries to start their own computational thinking (CT) programs,” says Marijke Visser, associate director and senior policy advocate in ALA’s Washington Office and lead on the Ready to Code team. Libraries Ready to Code, an ALA initiative sponsored by Google, aims to ensure libraries … Continue reading Hour of Code $500 Mini-Grants Available →

Young patrons at Santa Ana (Calif.) Public Library participate in a computational thinking activity at the library’s Coding Playground event in April 2018. Photo: Santa Ana Public Library

Libraries Ready to Code Collection Beta Release at Annual

The Libraries Ready to Code Collection is a cache of resources developed, tested, and curated by libraries, for libraries to create, implement, and enhance their computer science (CS) programming for youth. In the nine months since Libraries Ready to Code announced the 28 grantee libraries participating in the project, the cohort has piloted a range … Continue reading Libraries Ready to Code Collection Beta Release at Annual →

Students assemble the Ultimate Shootout game from the littleBits Code Kit.

Coding for Fun

By Carrie Smith | May 1, 2018

littleBits Code Kit Little Bits has been used in classrooms and makerspaces for years as a platform for building and experimenting with electronics. The Code Kit, released in summer 2017, is its first education-oriented kit to incorporate simple coding into projects. The kit introduces an LED matrix and a “codeBit” to the littleBits collection of … Continue reading Coding for Fun →

Connected Learning Meets Computational Thinking

By Terra Dankowski | February 11, 2018

At “Libraries Ready to Code: From Research to Practice,” a Symposium on the Future of Libraries session at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits on Saturday, panelists involved with the Ready to Code (RtC) initiative shared stories of embedding computational thinking (CT), computer science, and coding into workshops and programs. “Libraries … Continue reading Connected Learning Meets Computational Thinking →

Lecia Barker (left), senior research scientist at the the National Center for Women and Information Technology, and Nicky Rigg (right), Google's computer science education manager, were two of the presenters at "Creating Inclusive CS/Coding Programs for Youth," sponsored by ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy.

Encouraging Kids to Code

By George M. Eberhart | February 9, 2018

Nicky Rigg, Google’s computer science education manager, said that the project’s primary focus was on inclusion and diversity, targeting girls and others who are not typically encouraged to develop math and computing skills. “We are still learning from this process,” she said. “In addition to tangible resources, such as teaching aids, that are being designed, … Continue reading Encouraging Kids to Code →

Screenshot from the American Library Association's Libraries Ready to Code video.

Getting Libraries Ready to Code During CS Education Week

By Marijke Visser and Nicky Rigg | December 1, 2017

CS Education Week is an annual program that brings together educators, tech companies, youth-serving organizations, and, of course, libraries to focus on inspiring young people to explore CS. Skills learned through CS and coding are the skills employers are looking for, and not just in the tech industry. From medicine to sales to music, sports, … Continue reading Getting Libraries Ready to Code During CS Education Week →

Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) watches a demonstration of the SaveBB app from developers (from left) Kayla Leung, Rachel Lau, and Samantha Lau at the 2016 #HouseOfCode event cosponsored by ALA's Washington Office.

Libraries Fill the App Gap

By Rachel Décoste | October 17, 2017

‎ And many libraries are getting the help they need through the American Library Association’s (ALA) Libraries Ready to Code project. The project is expanding to ensure that libraries have the resources, capacity, and inspiration to embrace activities that promote computer science (CS) among our nation’s youth. Libraries can help encourage CS education by promoting the … Continue reading Libraries Fill the App Gap →

Newsmaker: Reshma Saujani

By Terra Dankowski | July 19, 2017

Girls Who Code has seen exponential growth since its founding. To what do you attribute to the nonprofit’s success? We have this amazing, authentically girl-led movement. We started with 20 girls in 2012; now we’ve reached more than 40,000 girls in all 50 states through our summer immersion programs and after-school clubs. We’ve met girls … Continue reading Newsmaker: Reshma Saujani →

Why teaching girls to code will change the workforce … and the culture

By Terra Dankowski | June 24, 2017

“We’re missing out on women, and it wasn’t always this way,” speaker Reshma Saujani told attendees at the Opening Session of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 23. “It’s almost become fashionable for girls to say, I hate math, I hate science.” So what did Saujani, whose … Continue reading Why teaching girls to code will change the workforce … and the culture →

Google software engineer Jessie Chavez, project director Marijke Visser, and Office for Information Technology Policy Director Alan Inouye at the June 22 announcement of a new Ready to Code initiative.

ALA, Google Partner for Phase III of Libraries Ready to Code

June 23, 2017

Some 25–50 participating libraries will receive funding from ALA, along with consulting expertise and operational support from Google. Individual libraries may use the funding for devices, staffing, marketing, and other costs associated with piloting and rapidly implementing a CS educational toolkit developed in partnership with libraries, for libraries. The toolkit, set to release in conjunction … Continue reading ALA, Google Partner for Phase III of Libraries Ready to Code →

Top Library Tech Trends

By Alison Marcotte | May 1, 2017

American Libraries spoke to library tech leaders—members of the Library and Information Technology Association’s popular Top Tech Trends panel from the 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—to get the apps, devices, software, and best practices that you can adopt for your library right now and in the near future. 1. Take patrons on a virtual tour … Continue reading Top Library Tech Trends →

Latest Library Links

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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14

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