Innovative Approaches to Literacy Archives | American Libraries Magazine

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ALA #FundLibraries Campaign Kicks Off for FY2020

By Kathi Kromer | March 11, 2019

In a statement issued shortly after the budget was released, American Library Association (ALA) President Loida Garcia-Febo said, “As discouraging as it is that the administration has again proposed eliminating IMLS, the bipartisan support in Congress over the past two years gives us reason to hope.” The president’s proposal slashes IMLS yet again despite his … Continue reading ALA #FundLibraries Campaign Kicks Off for FY2020 →

ALA President Issues Statement on White House Budget

February 13, 2018

In response, American Library Association (ALA) President Jim Neal issued the following statement: “The administration’s FY2019 budget is out of touch with the real needs of Americans and the priorities of leaders in Congress who represent them. The president miscalculates the value of more than 120,000 libraries across America, just as he did in his … Continue reading ALA President Issues Statement on White House Budget →

Your Efforts Are Helping to #saveIMLS

By Jim Neal | September 20, 2017

I am pleased to report that on September 14, the full House of Representatives voted as part of a large spending package (H.R. 3354) not to make any cuts in federal funding for IMLS. This includes all funding for IMLS programs under the Library Services and Technology Act, and for the Department of Education’s Innovative Approaches to … Continue reading Your Efforts Are Helping to #saveIMLS →

Businesses Unite to Fight for Library Funding

May 17, 2017

In a May 17 statement, ALA President Julie B. Todaro praised CCLI, saying, “It’s thrilling to see such significant companies and associations across so many industries come together to fight alongside ALA and librarians for federal library funding.” She added that “libraries mean business,” and that working with CCLI can help ensure “that law- and policymakers fully … Continue reading Businesses Unite to Fight for Library Funding →

Fight for Libraries

By Julie B. Todaro | May 1, 2017

Right now, here are some possible scenarios with regard to the federal budget: We win most: The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) are funded but partially cut. We win a few: IMLS and LSTA are funded but seriously cut, and IAL … Continue reading Fight for Libraries →

Latest Library Links

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Jane Roberts writes: “Earlier in March, Hoopla—an online service that allows public library cardholders to download or stream movies for free—quietly pulled the documentary Vaxxed from its collection. The film, which peddles a repeatedly debunked theory linking vaccines to autism and claims to expose a vaccine-related coverup within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can still be found in libraries around the US. Terry Donahue, Hoopla’s communications manager, indicated that several libraries had contacted the service asking that the film be removed. ‘They didn’t want to be a source of misinformation,’ Donahue said.”

Undark Magazine, Mar. 22
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The Federal Communications Commission has settled a case over its refusal to comply with a public records request, agreeing to pay $43,000 to a journalist who sued the commission. Freelance writer Jason Prechtel filed a FOIA request with the FCC in mid-2017, asking for data that would identify who made bulk comment uploads in the proceeding that led to the repeal of net neutrality rules. Prechtel was trying to research comments that were falsely attributed to people without their knowledge. A settlement agreement says the FCC agreed to pay Prechtel to cover attorneys’ fees and court costs. Chairman Ajit Pai’s FCC did not admit any wrongdoing.

Ars Technica, Mar. 22
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Whitson Gordon writes: “Want to play the latest games, but aren’t sure if your PC can handle them? Graphics are a huge part of the PC gaming experience, but not every computer is built for the best games on the market. You’ll need to know what graphics card you have installed and compare that to the minimum requirements for the game you want to play. Here’s how to figure it out.”

PC Magazine, Mar. 20
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Mark Hachman writes: “Now that Google Stadia and Microsoft XCloud have been unveiled at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, it’s safe to say cloud gaming has arrived, promising a future where content will be streamed to smartphones over high-speed Wi-Fi and 5G. But if these services are to flourish, something else must die: the data caps ISPs impose upon most consumer internet service plans. No one ever liked these limits except the ISPs. Now that major tech companies have some skin in the streaming game, data caps may finally have too many enemies to survive.”

PC World, Mar. 22
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The Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library board of trustees approved 16 “possibly controversial” LGBTQ, diversity, and health programs in a packed meeting room March 21, but pushed off a vote on the policy that put the programs in limbo in the first place. After two extensions on the meeting and multiple motions to adjourn, the board at the Odenton Regional Library meeting voted to allow library staff to begin planning the “possibly controversial” programs CEO Skip Auld presented to the board in February. The library system will also participate in the Annapolis City Pride Parade.

Annapolis (Md.) Capital Gazette, Mar. 21
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Welsh government officials threatened to cut National Library of Wales funding in a dispute about a Welsh-language job advertisement, emails show. The library had gone against the government’s wishes when it advertised for a Welsh-speaking chief executive. Partially redacted emails reveal government officials discussed using funding for the National Broadcast Archive as leverage against the move. The Welsh government said matters with the library had been resolved. Apparently Welsh Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport, and Tourism Dafydd Elis-Thomas was adamant there should be no Welsh language requirement in the job description.

BBC News, Mar. 21
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On a typical day in the Spokane (Wash.) Public Library, a custodian could be greeted by blood in bathroom stalls, needles in the toilets, and paper towels spread everywhere. Now library leaders are trying to put a stop to it by installing blue lights in the men’s public restrooms, which are designed to make needle injections more difficult. So far it seems to be working, as evidence of drug use has decreased. The blue lights make it more difficult for drug users to find a vein. Library Director Andrew Chanse said increased drug use in the bathroom is just one symptom of a larger opioid epidemic.

Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review, Mar. 22

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