1989 ALA creates the Task Force on the Environment, timed with Earth Day’s 20th anniversary in 1990. The task force is now part of the Sustainability Round Table (SustainRT). 1990 ALA introduces Environmental Issues to its Policy Manual, urging librarians and library governing boards to “collect and provide information [to patrons] on the condition of our … Continue reading Commitments to Conservation
My hope for the future is that we live in peace among all that is living. I believe in the power of the human spirit, and I offer humble observance to those who left us this past year, the many loved ones who have walked on to another journey. May their journeys be honored by … Continue reading Our Winter Count
The Library: A Fragile History By Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen The global history recounted in this six-part title demonstrates the role information access plays in societies, with the final two sections focusing on the US and the West. Although its length may seem overwhelming, this is a straightforward read whose clear message that … Continue reading A Storied History
Those great big red books were four double-size, incalculably valuable folios of John James Audubon’s 1838 Birds of America. Fewer than 200 sets exist. Brown realized that one of them was probably being stolen from her library. On the 20th anniversary of what became known as the Transy book heist, American Libraries looks back at … Continue reading Stolen Pages
From the iconic to the incendiary, political messages like these have emblazoned buttons and pins since the start of US elections. Since 2012, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (HKS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been archiving political buttons. The collection now includes thousands of items spanning a century’s worth of campaigns and causes. “Pre-internet, this … Continue reading Bookend: Put a Pin in It
True understanding takes breadth and depth. Often, it takes a book. For this election season, Booklist editors have compiled two fiction and nonfiction reading lists, for both adult and young adult readers. Among the nonfiction reads are titles offering historical context, a portrait of exemplary leadership, and inquiries into the workings of American democracy and … Continue reading Recommended Reading: Books for Election Season
OIF, which began collecting data about censorship attempts in US libraries in 1990—and started observing Banned Books Week in 1982—was formed in 1967 to provide tangible support to library workers as they sought to uphold the intellectual freedom tenets of the Library Bill of Rights and ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement. As high-profile battles with … Continue reading Censorship Throughout the Centuries
In 1993, director Steven Spielberg told the story of Oskar Schindler, a German factory worker who became an unlikely hero. Spielberg’s experiences working with survivors on set served as the genesis for the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which today is the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. It is … Continue reading Conversations with Holocaust Survivors
In the corner broods a striking, enigmatic figure—tall, fastidiously groomed, and drawing the attention of everyone nearby. But that’s not the Duke of Hastings from Bridgerton, and this isn’t 19th-century London. It’s the 21st century, these guests are gathered at Collier County (Fla.) Public Library (CCPL), and the figure in the corner is a life-sized … Continue reading Sip, Sip, Hooray
“I’m always looking to do programs that are a little bit off the beaten path,” says Waters, youth services manager at Missouri River Regional Library (MRRL) in Jefferson City, Missouri. Enter centuries-old combat and training techniques, which have seen a boom in recent years, thanks in part to the emergence of historical European martial arts … Continue reading Talking Points
First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with David Thomas and Tonya Thomas, both chefs and food historians. The husband-and-wife duo is behind Baltimore’s H3irloom Food Group, a culinary organization with a mission of uplifting the Black food narrative through catering and educational events. They discuss their cooking journeys and … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Good Morning, Baltimore!
Phan had volunteered for essential duties, including monitoring the parks that remained open, and had become busier than ever as people turned increasingly to outdoor activities. In January 2021, his work took him to central Kentucky, where NPS had recently acquired Camp Nelson, a former US Army base that was once a destination for many … Continue reading In Their Own Words
