equity diversity and inclusion Archives | Page 44 of 44

Bush Presidential Library Unveiled

By Leonard Kniffel | November 20, 2009

The George W. Bush Presidential Center has been designed to achieve LEED platinum certification and will include numerous sustainable design strategies, including locally sourced and 20% recycled building materials, solar hot water panels, native landscaping to reduce irrigation, and a storm-water management system that conveys, cleanses, and collects surface runoff and roof rainwater and will … Continue reading Bush Presidential Library Unveiled →

The Bunheads are Dead

By Ken Haycock and Carla Garner | November 9, 2009

Conjure up a picture of today's librarian, and you are likely to be wrong. Professional librarians are information analysts, freedom of information and protection of privacy officers, family literacy specialists, Internet trainers, teen specialists, genealogists, web designers and technologists, database managers, historical researchers, information brokers . . . indeed, few have the title of "librarian" … Continue reading The Bunheads are Dead →

Bouchercon

By Bill Ott | October 27, 2009

After nearly three decades of attending conferences of one kind or another, I no longer look forward to them with the enthusiasm I once felt. Sure, there's always the opportunity to meet friends and do necessary business, but there's also the fatigue that hits by about midpoint of the show and lasts for several days … Continue reading Bouchercon →

Language-wise

By Mary Ellen Quinn | October 27, 2009

When the first edition of Garner's Modern American Usage was published in 1998, it quickly became a standard guide. The third edition continues to hack through the thickets of grammar, word choice, punctuation, and pronunciation. If it's unclear to you whether home in or hone in is correct, or you are certain that impact is … Continue reading Language-wise →

The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

By Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace | October 26, 2009

Think about it. What makes you decide to try a new restaurant, see a particular movie, read a novel? Is it because you saw an ad, or because a friend-someone you trust-recommended it? The whole advertising arena has changed. Today there are so many more choices and so much clutter. We're no longer all watching … Continue reading The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing →

Your Desktop: The Movie

By Meredith Farkas | October 26, 2009

In virtually all libraries today, there will be many more people using the library than just those who come through the door. Our patrons are increasingly accessing our resources and services virtually, to the point where some never use the physical library at all. This has challenged libraries to find creative ways to provide comparable … Continue reading Your Desktop: The Movie →

Digital Divide on the Inside

By Kate Sheehan | October 26, 2009

Technology and reference are intertwining strands of public service. As our systems get more sophisticated, and as our desire to overhaul and remake those systems gets more intense, libraries need librarians who are tech-savvy and back-office staff who are pure tech. But is the drive toward more technologyoriented public service a one-way street? Or is … Continue reading Digital Divide on the Inside →

Dominican University Library School Establishes PhD Program

By Leonard Kniffel | October 12, 2009

In a bold recession-bucking move, Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, has launched the first PhD program in library and information science in its 108-year history. The Doctorate of Philosophy in Library and Information Science, to be administered through the suburban Chicago university’s accredited Graduate School of Library and Information Science, has accepted its first … Continue reading Dominican University Library School Establishes PhD Program →

The Children We Serve

By Virginia A. Walter | September 23, 2009

In Children and Libraries: Getting It Right (ALA Editions, 2001), I proposed three alternative visions for the children we would be serving as we moved into the 21st century: the original notion of the child reader, an idea that inspired and guided the founders of library service to children; the child of the information age; … Continue reading The Children We Serve →

Arne Duncan on Libraries in Economic Recovery

By Leonard Kniffel | June 30, 2009

American Libraries: With many libraries being forced to reduce hours because of funding problems, just when so many more people need service, what can the federal government do to help? Arne Duncan: You hit the nail on the head. At a time of pretty significant increases in usage among children, among parents, among families, unfortunately … Continue reading Arne Duncan on Libraries in Economic Recovery →

Stimulate Your Library

By Emily Sheketoff | May 26, 2009

Congress made history with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed by President Obama February 17, and now libraries have their turn. The ARRA will ultimately release an unprecedented level of federal spending—$787 billion—into the U.S. economy in an effort to put our nation back on track through saving or creating … Continue reading Stimulate Your Library →

Latest Library Links

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Christina Sterbenz writes: “As calls for censorship in libraries and school districts continue to escalate—and personal attacks on those who oppose these attempts persist—library workers are finding new ways to protect themselves, the books they care so much about, and intellectual freedom in their communities. Some are adjusting their policies on book challenges or trying to improve the dialogue with patrons. Others are fighting back through the judicial system. Even state lawmakers are supporting the right to read with bills to curtail book bans.”

American Libraries feature, Sept./Oct.
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Nomi Hague writes: “Although often exciting and enjoyable, for some children the new school year can also be stressful and anxiety provoking if their names are challenging for their teachers and classmates to pronounce. Some questions that children in these situations might be grappling with are: Will my new teacher be able to say and spell my name? Will the other kids be able to remember my name? Can or should I change my name to make it easier for everyone else?” The books in this list remind children to celebrate their own and other people’s names.

ALSC Blog, Sept. 22
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Matus Formanek writes: “DSpace open-source software supports numerous digital libraries and repositories around the world. With the release of DSpace version 7, a natural question that arises is whether the new version offers enough new functionalities to motivate system administrators to upgrade. Older versions of DSpace have reached the end of their developer support period or are reaching it in mid-2023. Based on our own upgrade experience, we propose suggestions and recommendations on migrating from the previous DSpace 6.3-based environment to the new one.”

Information Technology and Libraries, Sept. 18
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Matt Bloom writes: “A former librarian will receive $250,000 from the High Plains Library District [in Weld County, Colorado] as part of a settlement in a lengthy civil rights dispute over her firing. Brooky Parks lost her job at Erie Community branch in 2021 after promoting anti-racism and LGBTQ history workshops for teens. The programming drew backlash from the district’s board of trustees, which oversees more than a dozen public libraries across Northern Colorado. As part of the settlement, the district adopted new rules to encourage programming that is more ‘inclusive and diverse.’”

Colorado Public Radio, Sept. 22
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Juliana Kaplan and Eliza Relman write: “If libraries can convince people they’re for more than just quiet reading, they might just be able to reshape the new social landscape. Three years into the hybrid and work-from-home world, social time has plummeted. Americans aren’t socializing on weekdays, and are spending even less time with friends. Loneliness is on the rise. And it’s becoming clearer just how important ‘third places’—spaces for socializing outside of work and home—are.”

Business Insider, Sept. 24
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Tate Ryan-Mosley writes: “The AI Insight Forums were announced a few months ago by US Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as part of his ‘SAFE Innovation’ initiative, which is really a set of principles for AI legislation in the US. The invite list was heavily skewed toward Big Tech execs. But to dig below the surface, I caught up with one of the other attendees, Mozilla Fellow Inioluwa Deborah Raji, who gave me an inside look at how the first meeting went, the pernicious myths she needed to debunk, and where disagreements could be felt in the room.”

MIT Technology Review, Sept. 25
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Betsy Gomez writes: “Libraries, schools, bookstores, and groups around the world will be calling attention to censorship and ways to fight it October 1–7. ALA and Unite Against Book Bans will mark this year’s Banned Books Week with a slate of programs, a call to action on Let Freedom Read Day, videos from the Banned Books From the Big Chair read out, and more.” Virtual programs will include actor and reading advocate LeVar Burton, author John Green, writer and illustrator Mike Curato, Texas FReadom Fighters co-founder Becky Calzada, and Banned Books Week Youth Honorary Chair Da’Taeveyon Daniels.

Intellectual Freedom Blog, Sept. 27

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