Inside ALA Archives | Page 45 of 45 | American Libraries Magazine

IMAX Offers Library Patrons Seats to Hubble 3D Movie

By Greg Landgraf | March 3, 2010

Avid library patrons will be able to journey through distant galaxies and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult tasks in history of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), thanks to a new partnership between IMAX and the American Library Association. Through April 30, ALA’s public awareness website, atyourlibrary.org, will host “Explore … Continue reading IMAX Offers Library Patrons Seats to Hubble 3D Movie →

APA Success Relies Upon Certification Program

January 21, 2010

ALA–Allied Professional Association Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels told members of the ALA-APA governing Council during the Midwinter Meeting that success of the financially struggling organization lies within its Library Support Staff Certification Program, set to begin accepting applications January 25. >Fiels said there are about 150,000 professional librarians working in libraries in the United … Continue reading APA Success Relies Upon Certification Program →

Turock Appeals for Spectrum Funds; Donates $100,000 to Presidential Initiative

January 19, 2010

ALA past president Betty Turock, in her role as chair of the Spectrum Presidential Initiative, made a special appeal to the Association’s governing Council asking divisions, affiliates, and members to help reach a $1 million goal. Turock has provided a gift of $100,000 to the program on behalf of the Turock family. The gift will … Continue reading Turock Appeals for Spectrum Funds; Donates $100,000 to Presidential Initiative →

Council Tackles the Association’s Business in Record Time

January 19, 2010

ALA’s governing Council ended two of its three Midwinter Meeting sessions early in dealing with the Association’s business and also received good news about conference attendance in Boston. A total of 11,095 people attended Midwinter—8,526 registrants and 2,559 exhibitors representing 432 companies. That compares with attendance of 10,220 from the 2009 Midwinter Meeting in Denver. … Continue reading Council Tackles the Association’s Business in Record Time →

Midwinter Tracker Available

January 11, 2010

The Midwinter Tracker, which gathers tweets and Flickr photos related to Midwinter and displays them in one place, is now operational. Developed by Heather Devine, the Midwinter Tracker currently includes materials that bear the hashtags #alamw10, #alamw, #alamwttt (for Top Tech Trends), and #totebag (for "ALA Midwinter Meeting Snark"). "The tracker for ALA Annual 2009 tracked 18 different hashtags, … Continue reading Midwinter Tracker Available →

American Libraries launches revamped website

January 6, 2010

We at American Libraries are kicking off 2010 with a whole new way of keeping on top of library-related news, views, and perspectives with this revamped website. The site offers many new benefits, including expanded news content, web-only spotlights, HTML versions of most of the print magazine’s content, comment-enabled articles, an archive of every issue … Continue reading American Libraries launches revamped website →

Treasurer Says Happy New Year

December 31, 2009

American Library Association Treasurer Rod Hersberger made the following announcement today on the ALA Council list: "Our financial advisors at Merrill Lynch reported that at November 30, the total value of ALA's endowment stood at $28,398,452. This compares to the endowment's month-end low point at February 28 of $21,298,663. That represents a recovery of $7,099,789. Pretty … Continue reading Treasurer Says Happy New Year →

IFLA Assembly Learns Streamlining Works, Finances Stable

September 3, 2009

The General Assembly of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions met August 26 during the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Milan, Italy. Formerly known as the Council, the General Assembly has been re-engineered to reflect a swifter, streamlined IFLA, with an emphasis on the core activities and priorities of its active … Continue reading IFLA Assembly Learns Streamlining Works, Finances Stable →

IFLA Closing Day Puts Focus Back on Global Economy

September 3, 2009

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) closed its 75th World Library and Information Congress August 27 with National Organizing Committee chair Mauro Guerrini announcing that the five–day conference in Milan had attracted 3,931 registrants, along with 228 volunteers and members of the Italian staff, 128 exhibitors, 34 press, 30 interpreters and assorted … Continue reading IFLA Closing Day Puts Focus Back on Global Economy →

Latest Library Links

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Adi Robertson writes: “For weeks, tech news has been dominated by billionaire Elon Musk’s attempts to buy (and subsequently avoid buying) Twitter. And since Musk announced his plans in April, people have debated whether it’s better for online social spaces like Twitter to remain publicly traded companies—where they’re under pressure from shareholders—or be owned by a single wealthy figure like Musk. But Ben Tarnoff, author of the upcoming book Internet for the People, believes there’s a better way. Tarnoff’s book discusses common proposals like lessening the power of internet gatekeepers with antitrust reform, but it also argues that promoting competition isn’t enough: there should also be a political movement advocating for local, noncommercial spaces online.”

The Verge, May 23
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Hannah Natanson writes: “On a hot, dusty Wednesday afternoon, 10 girls gathered in their high school library to talk about a book the adults said they weren’t allowed to read. The teens came complaining about tests and chattering about TikTok dances—but they quieted when Ella Scott, the 16-year-old cofounder and copresident of the Vandegrift High School (Tex.) Banned Book Club, cleared her throat. Ella looked at her notes for the club’s 14th meeting, convened to review I. W. Gregorio’s None of the Above. The book tells the story of Kristin, a high school student who discovers she is intersex, a condition in which people are born with atypical combinations of chromosomes, hormones, gonads, or genitals. In December, the Leander (Tex.) Independent School District had banned the novel from classroom libraries and from use in high school student book clubs—along with 10 other books.”

The Washington Post, May 22
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Austin Persinger writes: “Last November, our local police department wrote on Facebook that it had received complaints about misused and abandoned shopping buggies strewn about Hinton, our city of 2,800 people. The police, using the tools at their disposal, threatened disciplinary measures for what it referred to as the unlawful removal of buggies. I thought this was a knee-jerk reaction and not the best solution for the situation. I read this story through the lens of a rural librarian conducting a reference interview. The story that I heard was that there are lower-income people in our community who take these carts because they live in a food desert and lack reliable transportation.”

American Libraries Trend, May
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Annemarie Mannion writes: “When her son brought home speech cards from elementary school to help him better learn and articulate words, Jen Taggart could barely see what the cards depicted. The cards had been duplicated and the images were blurry, says Taggart, head of youth services at Bloomfield Township (Mich.) Public Library (BTPL). That experience more than 13 years ago inspired her to start BTPL’s Youth Accessibility Support Collection, a set of items designed to meet the needs of children with various types of disabilities and learning needs. Since 2009, families have been borrowing from the collection, which includes adaptive toys, sensory storytime boxes, speech therapy cards, and skills development sets.”

American Libraries Trend, May
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livius writes: “Librarians at the Leeds (U.K.) Central Library took advantage of the lockdowns to thoroughly survey and catalogue the rare book and special collections. In the process, they documented more than 3,000 items that had fallen through the cracks, including a Bible so small that you need a magnifying glass to read it.” The survey also found a copy of Oliver Twiss, a low-cost contemporary that lifts heavily from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.

The History Blog, May 9; The Independent (U.K.), May 5
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The Public Library Association is now accepting applications for public libraries to receive funding to conduct digital literacy workshops using DigitalLearn.org resources. The PLA Digital Literacy Workshop Incentive Program, supported by AT&T, provides up to $7,000 to support outreach and training in local communities. The application deadline is June 10. Library staff can learn more about this opportunity on May 19, 2022, at 1 p.m. Central as part of the PLA Digital Literacy Workshop Incentive Office Hour. The webinar also will be archived and posted online.

Public Library Association, May 17
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Julie Kim writes: “Watching an adorable kid lovingly curl up with their favorite stuffed animal can be achingly cute … until you think about where that stuffie has been. The sandbox, the car trunk, the dog’s mouth—oh, my! And then, ugh, what’s been on that stuffie (I have observed a kid burying boogers into the fur of their favorite stuffed lion). Officially grossed out? Fortunately, many stuffed animals and plush dolls are machine-washable. Vinyl dolls should never be submerged in water. But with some supplies and techniques, you can remove grime and even undo a doll’s marker makeover.”

New York Times, May 12

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