digital literacy Archives | Page 2 of 2 | American Libraries Magazine

Penn State University student Luz Sanchez Tejada uses the school's microcredentialing platform in Pattee Library to earn badges as part of her peer research consultant training. Photo: Steve Tressler

The Making of a Microcredential

By Emily Rimland | January 2, 2019

In the last two years, Penn State University Libraries has seen rapid adoption of its information literacy microcredentials among students. Microcredentials—transferable forms of metadata-encoded, performance-based educational credits—are not new; they started gaining traction in academic libraries around 2012. What is different at Penn State is that to help manage the sudden volume of badge submissions, … Continue reading The Making of a Microcredential →

Serving Black Immigrants

By Terra Dankowski | September 29, 2018

At “Engaging and Serving Black Immigrant Communities,” a September 28 session at the third National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ana Ndumu, PhD postdoctoral researcher at University of Maryland iSchool, presented her findings on the obstacles black immigrants face in accessing information and what libraries can better do to reach … Continue reading Serving Black Immigrants →

Staff members of Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library assist seniors at a YMCA DigiLit class designed to help bridge the digital knowledge divide.Photo: Everett Blackmon

Allied Against Inequity

By Andrew Amelinckx | September 4, 2018

In San Antonio, residents of affluent neighborhoods are four times more likely to have broadband access than residents of low-income neighborhoods. “There’s definitely a need in the community,” says Candelaria Mendoza, library services administrator at San Antonio Public Library (SAPL). “We understand it’s not just about having the internet but having internet that’s fast enough … Continue reading Allied Against Inequity →

Shaping Digital Citizens

By Kara Shelton Watson | September 4, 2018

I tell them that I believe that digital citizenship falls naturally under the domain of librarians, as we place high value on using and creating information ethically. In schools, we have a curriculum that teaches students the concepts of citizenship, community, and social justice through varied disciplines. And in the school library, these ideals come together. … Continue reading Shaping Digital Citizens →

Audiobooks and Engagement

By Francisca Goldsmith | June 1, 2017

The traditional dilemma about whether listening equals reading becomes increasingly relegated to the same bin of disproved anxieties as our ancestors’ certainty that radio would kill thoughtful reading. As technology advances our access points to—and interest in—information and literature, the world of social and political possibilities blossoms. Where audiobooks were once limited to oral reading … Continue reading Audiobooks and Engagement →

Never Neutral

By Meredith Farkas | January 3, 2017

Over the past few years, critical librarianship has become a force that pervades every area of our work, from reference to library instruction, collection development, cataloging, and storytime. Biweekly #critlib Twitter chats (critlib.org) address topics across all areas of librarianship. Many librarians are thinking about how they can fight for social justice in their work, which … Continue reading Never Neutral →

Discussing Media Mentorship

By Phil Morehart | November 15, 2016

Haines is a youth services librarian and media mentor at Homer (Alaska) Public Library, and Campbell is a children’s librarian, author, and founder of LittleeLit.com. An excerpt from their book was published in the November/December issue of American Libraries. What made you want to write this book? Haines and Campbell: Over the past few years there has been a … Continue reading Discussing Media Mentorship →

Becoming a Media Mentor

By Claudia Haines, Cen Campbell, and the Association for Library Service to Children | 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 →

Caldecott-winning author Brian Selznick talked about his story process and how important librarians have been to him since elementary school.

Brian Selznick, Digital Research, and the Digitally Naive

By Laurie D. Borman | November 9, 2015

There was no snoozing through Selznick’s early morning talk about his story process and how important librarians have been to him since elementary school in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Selznick, a 2008 Caldecott Medal winner for his self-illustrated book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, had everyone laughing and sighing over his beautiful illustrations and stories … Continue reading Brian Selznick, Digital Research, and the Digitally Naive →

Transforming the Library Profession

By Hallie Rich and Sari Feldman | June 9, 2015

The good news for libraries is that investment in drivers of inclusive growth—public services such as schools, libraries, and telecommunications infrastructure—represents a critically important risk mitigation strategy. Education and knowledge are essential to successful communities, organizations, and economies, and they represent the future for the information profession if, of course, library professionals keep pace with … Continue reading Transforming the Library Profession →

Latest Library Links

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On May 9, ALA President Cindy Hohl released a statement condemning President Trump’s May 8 firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had been in the role since 2016. The statement celebrates Hayden’s leadership and efforts to make the Library of Congress “a bastion of knowledge and a beacon of opportunity” for all. The statement also urges all library supporters to reach out to their Congressmembers. According to the Washington Post, Hayden had recently been criticized as “woke” by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative organization that identifies nonpartisan appointees it suspects will resist President Trump’s policies.

AL: The Scoop, May 9; ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 9; PBS News, May 9, Washington Post, May 9
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Steve Tetrault writes: “I bet I’m not the only one who has, at some point, told students how much easier they have it than we adults did at their age—especially when it comes to doing research. But I’ve recently been rethinking that stance. While I had to ‘work’ to get information throughout most of my primary, secondary, and early higher education years, I knew that when I went to the library, the information I would find would be considered reliable. Our students have a wealth of information at their fingertips, but determining the veracity of the information requires work.”

Knowledge Quest, May 6
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Amy Shaw writes: “Google searches for the term ‘impostor syndrome’ have been on the rise since 2010, which many experts agree is less an indication that it is becoming more common and more an indication that awareness of the phenomenon has grown. Impostor syndrome, although not a recognized psychological disorder, can cause library workers to feel less confident, less motivated, and less likely to apply to higher positions, thus robbing institutions of significantly talented individuals in management roles. What can we do?”

NMRT Notes, May 5
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Lila Denning writes: “Book displays and online book lists work for those patrons who enter your buildings or view your website and social media accounts. It is possible to extend your outreach to those in your community who aren’t currently using the library. By increasing the percentage of members of your community who use and appreciate the library, you are increasing the stakeholders and voices who can be asked to speak up during times when your library could use more defenders such as when budget cuts are on the horizon.”

Passively Recommending Books, Apr. 30
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Daniel Pfeiffer writes: “Not quite two years after our first post on the antitrust cases against Google, the courts have finally issued judgment in the second major antitrust lawsuit against the company. This post will recap both of these lawsuits and also get into the ongoing Meta antitrust trial. What what is most significant about these trials isn’t the outcome necessarily, but that Big Tech is beginning to face high-level legal scrutiny. An antitrust campaign could radically affect the structure of the internet economy and its information landscape, so we wanted to make sure they have stayed on your radar.”

Choice: LibTech Insights, Apr. 30
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Jason Parham writes: “Earlier this week, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, a couple dozen fellows commenced a year-long project designed to put the mission of preserving Black history back in the hands of community members. The Web Archiving School (WARC) is a new training program that teaches practitioners methods of digital preservation built around an ‘ethic of care.’ As many agencies, public and private, have quickly fallen in line with Trump’s orders, WARC cofounder Makiba Foster says she’s not going to rely on legacy institutions to do that important preservation work.”

Wired, May 2
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Frank Strong writes: “I’ve been covering Texas school board elections for seven cycles, and as I have documented over and over again, book bans, attacks on educators and public schools, and attempts to target LGBTQ students do not fare well at the polls. But Saturday night’s election results were next level. Voters across Texas clearly and consistently punished the people who have been restricting students’ reading and learning.” School board candidates who advocated for restrictive school library book policies lost in Fort Bend, Keller, Mansfield, and several other communities.

Anger & Clarity, May 5; May 7, 2023; May 5, 2024; Nov. 9, 2024; Community Impact, May 3; Newsweek, May 4

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