Inside ALA Archives | Page 10 of 51 | American Libraries Magazine

ALA Executive Board Supports APALA in Recognizing and Condemning Ongoing anti-Asian Hate Crimes

March 11, 2021

The Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) stands in solidarity with the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) in recognizing and condemning anti-Asian hate crimes. The ALA Executive Board affirms APALA’s March 3 statement in which it writes, “Our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been deeply impacted by attacks that have … Continue reading ALA Executive Board Supports APALA in Recognizing and Condemning Ongoing anti-Asian Hate Crimes →

ALA Announces 2021 Annual Conference Will Be Virtual

January 28, 2021

The American Library Association’s Executive Board announced today that the 2021 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition scheduled for June 23–29 in Chicago will take place virtually. “We hoped that by this summer, it would be safe to meet again in person. However, that is clearly not the case. Despite the promise of vaccines, the pandemic continues … Continue reading ALA Announces 2021 Annual Conference Will Be Virtual →

Council III Tackles Privacy Issues, Vaccines for Library Workers

By Amy Carlton | January 26, 2021

Memorials were read for Susan S. Lazinger (M#1), Vicki J. Terbovich (M#2), Yvonne J. Chandler (M#3), Luisa Vigo-Cepeda (M#4), Marjorie Lewis (M#5), Judy Yung (M#6), Susana Liu (M#7), and Violette Y. Brooks (M#8). Tributes were read to recognize former Public Library Association Director Barb Macikas (T#1), Patricia Ann Tumulty (T#2), Ona Šimaitė (T#3), Barbara Johns … Continue reading Council III Tackles Privacy Issues, Vaccines for Library Workers →

Council II: Reports and Resolutions

By Amy Carlton | January 25, 2021

Jim Neal, chair of the Committee on Organization (COO), reported on COO actions since ALA Virtual in June (CD#27) and presented five action items, all of which passed: a motion to establish the Council Committee on Sustainability; a motion to discontinue the Library Education Assembly; a motion to discontinue the Exhibits Round Table; a motion … Continue reading Council II: Reports and Resolutions →

Council I: Forward Together Reports Presented

By Amy Carlton | January 24, 2021

The minutes from the 2020 June, September, and December Virtual Council Meetings (CD#2, 2.1, 2.2) were adopted. ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall reviewed the Executive Board actions since the 2020 June Virtual Meeting (CD#15) and implementation of the 2020 Virtual Meeting Council Actions (CD#9). Patty Wong, chair of the Committee on Committees, presented the … Continue reading Council I: Forward Together Reports Presented →

ALA Business Advisory Group with headshots of members in a grid

ALA Creates Business Advisory Group

January 15, 2021

The American Library Association (ALA) today announced that Executive Director Tracie D. Hall has appointed 13 members to the newly revived ALA Business Advisory Group. Well recognized for their individual achievements, this group of advisors comes from libraries, civic life, technology, and academia and brings the power of its collective expertise to supporting ALA’s business … Continue reading ALA Creates Business Advisory Group →

ALA Condemns Violence on Capitol Hill, Calls for Advocacy

January 7, 2021

The Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) gives thanks for the safety of the staff in our Public Policy and Advocacy Office in Washington and ALA members who work on Capitol Hill, as well as for elected legislators, congressional staff, and other government workers who put themselves in jeopardy to defend the seat … Continue reading ALA Condemns Violence on Capitol Hill, Calls for Advocacy →

2020 Year in Review

January 4, 2021

ALA Headquarters Move After 57 years on East Huron Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, ALA headquarters relocated to Michigan Plaza at 225 N. Michigan Avenue. ALA Welcomes New Executive Director Tracie D. Hall began on February 24 as the American Library Association’s (ALA) new executive director (ED). The 10th ED—and the first female … Continue reading 2020 Year in Review →

ALA’s Financial Future

By Maggie Farrell | January 4, 2021

In 2020, the Executive Board, Budget Analysis and Review Committee, Finance and Audit Subcommittee, and member leaders extensively reviewed and discussed the Association’s fiscal management practices and the changes that have exacerbated past revenue gaps and declines. We are fortunate to have our new executive director, Tracie D. Hall, steer operational and staffing decisions as … Continue reading ALA’s Financial Future →

ALA Executive Board Affirms Support for Library Workers

November 2, 2020

“In this time of unrest and uncertainty, the Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) affirms our unequivocal support of ALA members, all library workers, and the broader library community. “2020 has taken a toll on libraries and library workers. All of us have had to pivot to provide services online, and for many … Continue reading ALA Executive Board Affirms Support for Library Workers →

ALA Statement on Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

October 29, 2020

“On September 22, the White House issued its Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, prohibiting federal employees, contractors, and grant recipients from discussing or considering concepts such as critical race theory and white privilege and discouraging diversity education and training. This order is based on the patently false and malicious claim that diversity … Continue reading ALA Statement on Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping →

ALA presidential candidates for the 2022–2023 term, from left: Stacey A. Aldrich, Ed Garcia, and Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada

ALA Presidential Candidates Announced

October 26, 2020

“Stacey A. Aldrich, state librarian, Hawaii State Public Library System, Honolulu; Ed Garcia, director, Cranston (R.I.) Public Library; and Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, adult services assistant manager, Palos Verdes Library District in Rolling Hills Estates, California, are candidates for the 2022–2023 presidency of the American Library Association (ALA). Aldrich currently serves on the ALA Center for the … Continue reading ALA Presidential Candidates Announced →

Latest Library Links

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Angela Hursh writes: “Libraries have great stories to tell. But getting the media to listen isn’t always easy. Here are the top 10 practical tips that Leslie Marinelli, communications manager at Forsyth County (Ga.) Public Library; Ray Holley, communications manager at Sonoma County (Calif.) Library; and I shared [at a recent online panel] for getting your library into the news.”

Super Library Marketing, June 30
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Pranay Parab writes: “I’ve mostly been really happy with my M1 MacBook Air, which I’ve been using for nearly three years now. However, I regret not going for the variant with 16GB of RAM. The newer laptop still occasionally slows down when I open too many browser tabs. Luckily, I did some troubleshooting and fixed the problem, and I’m here to share what I’ve learned with you. So, if Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari or other browsers are slowing down on your computer, try some of these tips to nip that problem in the bud.”

Lifehacker, June 26
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Victoria Cox writes: “LaRue County (Ky.) Board of Education heard both criticism and praise last week when members were asked to remove 14 books from the high school library. Although the vote was split, the board ultimately refused to ban the books, citing the need to uphold the constitutional rights of students” by a 4–1 vote. Books the board considered include The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

LaRue County (Ky.) Herald News, June 25
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Jennifer A. Keach, Jenne M. Klotz, and Galen J. Talis write: “Library leaders at all levels are well-placed to create opportunities for joy in their organizations and to model how to do so with nuance and balance. Toward that end, we explored the multidisciplinary literature and compiled an annotated bibliography for leaders who wish to support joy within groups, organizational change agents who want to create equitable conditions for joy in the workplace, and readers seeking to develop their personal practice of joy. We provide a guide exploring five themes: defining joy, finding individual joy, work and organizational joy, empowering change with joy, and joy-adjacent emotions.”

Library Leadership and Management, June 30
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David Vickers Loertscher and Michelle Young write: “This tutorial introduces school librarians to the use of data visualization tools for documenting and communicating their impact on teaching and learning. By leveraging accessible platforms like Google Forms and Google Sheets, the authors demonstrate how librarians can build dashboards and real-time visual reports to showcase co-teaching, instructional collaboration, and student engagement. The tutorial features real-world examples, highlights common data sources already available to librarians, and argues that dynamic visual storytelling is a powerful alternative to traditional library statistics.”

Learning Hub, June 25
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “It wasn’t until seven years into my career as a user experience librarian that I realized I’d been accidentally excluding a sizable segment of users from my user research. Interviews, surveys, and usability studies favor people who are gifted at oral and written communication. What about people who are more gifted at visual communication? In the context of user research, this participatory design invites participants to design their own response to a given prompt.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, June 30
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Stories from communities nationwide come to life on ALA’s new Show Up for Our Libraries interactive site map. The stories illustrate the real-life consequences of potential funding cuts to rural, research, city, state, and university library programs and, in turn, to the hundreds of millions of library users across the country. Services such as summer reading programs, telehealth resources, interlibrary loan, and ebooks have all been affected. ALA collected the stories in conversation with patrons, library professionals, and advocates across the country to better understand the impact of federal funding cuts since the President’s executive order to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, June 25

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