John Chrastka, ALA’s director of membership development, is leaving the Association effective August 31 to become a partner in a Chicago-based association consulting agency. His immediate supervisor, ALA Associate Executive Director for Communications Cathleen Bourdon, says of John: He was the friendly face of ALA to thousands of ALA members and a true colleague to … Continue reading ALA Bids Farewell to John Chrastka
I received a pleasant surprise about a week ago when ALA Publishing colleague Ben Segedin forwarded a voice-mail to me from a librarian who had phoned to request a few copies of American Libraries’ May/June 2011 issue. It would have been routine except for one detail: The caller identified herself as the heretofore unidentified woman … Continue reading Community-building “Cover Girl” Comes Forward
The survival of many public libraries has been threatened as their funding has dried up in recent years. City and county officials are casting about for a lifesaver, and some have snagged a promising catch in the form of private companies that take over the management of public libraries. A September 26, 2010, New York … Continue reading Who’s the Boss?
The one-hour PBS documentary special Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness screened Monday during ALA in New Orleans, in advance of its September 21 national broadcast. The preview screening was part of Not In Our Town’s outreach to libraries nationwide, to invite them to use the film and related resources for free community screenings … Continue reading Free to Libraries: PBS Filmmakers Offer “Not in Our Town” Program Aids
As tabulated Monday, June 27, attendance figures for ALA in New Orleans totaled 20,186, which exceeded projections. Advance registration totaled 11,273 and on-site came to 3,696. Exhibit personnel totaled 5,217. Registration for an Annual Conference in New Orleans is never expected to be as large as Washington, D.C., or Chicago, which attract attendees from nearby … Continue reading New Orleans Attendance Tops 20,000
At the invitation of the vendors, I spent a chunk of time Monday at three booths in the exhibit hall in New Orleans during ALA to hear the lowdown on the new Springer Reference Database, Centurion Technologies’ Energy Saver, and Ship Index, the brainchild of Mike and Peter McCracken. Every night libraries around the country … Continue reading Exhibit Hall News: Springer “Pedia,” Centurion Rebates, Ship Index
A report by the Presidential Task Force for Improving the Effectiveness of ALA’s Council (Council Document #45), chaired by past ALA president Jim Retting, was the hot topic on the agenda of the third session of the Association’s governing Council in New Orleans. Three of the many suggestions required and received formal action. Others, except … Continue reading Council III: Effectiveness Task Force Recommendations Dominate Session
Entertainer and now children’s author Molly Shannon delighted a packed Closing Session Tuesday morning at ALA in New Orleans with tales of growing up as a just-a-tad-naughty child, not unlike the title character of her first book, Tilly the Trickster, published by Abrams, sponsor of the session. “I know you waited to see the real … Continue reading Molly Shannon Bubbles Over with Tales of Tricksterism
As seen in ALA blogs on Tuesday, June 28: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Information Science – Membership Blog Bohyun Kim reported, “On Saturday June 25, 2011, the LITA Imagineering Interest Group offered at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference ‘Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Information Science,’ a panel discussion program that looks at the present and future of … Continue reading Best of the ALA Blogs – Tuesday
ALA’s governing Council referred the report from the Presidential Task Force on Equitable Access to Electronic Content (EQUACC) to the Budget Analysis and Review Committee during its second session at Annual Conference (Council Document #41.1). The task force was directed to study the challenges and potential solutions for libraries regarding improved electronic content access, distribution … Continue reading Council II: Financial Impact of Equitable Electronic Access under Review
As seen in ALA blogs on Monday, June 27: Notice Anything at ALA11 Conference? – The PLA Blog Loretta Gharst wrapped up her conference experience with this post, noting that “…Overall I had the feeling that good changes were happening and everywhere I saw signs that the pieces of the puzzle of 21st-century library service were being … Continue reading Best of the ALA Blogs – Monday
Eight members of the new Polish American Librarians Association met informally over lunch at the National World War II Museum on Sunday during ALA in New Orleans to discuss the organization’s goals and objectives, which include the possibility of applying for affiliation with ALA. But first things first. PALA, which was incorporated in Chicago in … Continue reading Polish-American Librarians Aim to Raise Public Awareness
