University of Tennessee Digital Humanities Librarian Ashley R. Maynor has created a multimedia web documentary, titled The Story of the Stuff, that looks at what motivates people to send physical memorials to the victims and survivors of such tragedies. After Newtown, Maynor says she “witnessed firsthand the growing phenomenon in global culture that we’ve seen … Continue reading In the Wake of Tragedy
Many libraries are celebrating Back to the Future Day—October 21, 2015—with screenings of the Back to the Future trilogy and programming related to the films. The date, which is featured prominently in Back to the Future Part II, has been incorrectly depicted in internet hoaxes and memes for years. “We actually have a super fan … Continue reading Marty, We’ve Got to Go Back—to the Library!
The opening session on August 16 began with a dynamic performance by South African actor, poet, and author Gcina Mhlophe, one of the few women storytellers in the country. Against a backdrop of images of African scenery and wildlife, Mhlophe described how creativity and musical rhythm were born long ago on the continent, and people … Continue reading Strong Libraries, Heritage, and Crises: IFLA in Africa
Digitalia Film Library The Digitalia Film Library, a division of Spanish-language e-content provider Digitalia Publishing, allows libraries to bring the world of cinema to their patrons. Digitalia offers contemporary and classic fiction and nonfiction films, documentary programming, animation, and television shows from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France, Mexico, Spain, and the US that can be accessed … Continue reading Libraries Go to the Movies
You once mentioned the importance of seeing West Side Story as a child. Could you talk about what it was like seeing representations of yourself in entertainment and what that meant to you? SONIA MANZANO: When I was a kid, there were no people of color on television or in books. And so I grew … Continue reading Newsmaker: Sonia Manzano
The most recent documentary, Street Librarian (2015), is about an outreach librarian in the Morogoro region of Tanzania who has taken upon himself the job of making the country an information-literate society one person at a time. Edward Fungo—working with the help of Libraries for Development, a project of the Finnish Library Association in cooperation … Continue reading Edward Fungo, Street Librarian
The release detailed the efforts of four Mexican teens from an impoverished area of Phoenix, Arizona, who were competing in a national underwater robotics championship against students from MIT and other esteemed universities. He ignored the release initially, but it stuck in his mind for weeks. It was just too odd to believe. Giving in … Continue reading From Book to the Big Screen
“I found out through one of the librarians at the Glendale (Ariz.) Public Library,” said Larson, who is part of the library’s Teen Library Council. “Luis and I take a media production class at school, and so we thought it would be really fun to do.” CSLP is a collective effort to bring high-quality summer … Continue reading Unmasking Talent: Teens Create Summer Reading Videos
Publisher Simon & Schuster announced it would donate a free ebook copy of Academy Award–winning producer Brian Grazer’s new book, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life (coauthored by journalist Charles Fishman), to school and public libraries for every ebook or hardcover book sold at retail, up to 5,000 copies. The book and … Continue reading Creating Curious Minds
An avid reader, Keplinger was born with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a disorder that causes legal blindness. Last fall, she wrote about the important role honors like the Schneider Family Book Awards play in ensuring people with disabilities see themselves in the stories they read. Keplinger shared her thoughts with American Libraries on the appeal of YA literature, encouragement for young … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kody Keplinger
Film programming can seem more complicated than other kinds of programming. How do you choose films to show? What equipment should you use? How do you market your programs? Where do you begin? The most challenging part—but in many ways the most important—is to make sure you are in compliance with the law relating to … Continue reading Screening Legally
When you began writing Outlander, you didn’t think anyone would ever see it, but you shared some of what you wrote on literary forums. Can you talk about what role the online literary community played for you as a novelist starting out? I started showing people a bit of what I was doing on [a … Continue reading Newsmaker: Diana Gabaldon
