Inside ALA Archives | Page 48 of 51 | American Libraries Magazine

Libraries and Information Key for Little Rock Nine Member

August 7, 2010

"It was the Little Rock Public Library's [then] small Ivory branch for colored people that helped me to begin to process information," Terrence Roberts said during the opening session John Tyson Lecture, August 5 during the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's (BCALA) seventh National Conference of African American Librarians in Birmingham, Alabama. Roberts, an … Continue reading Libraries and Information Key for Little Rock Nine Member →

Facts, with a Generous Helping of Heart

August 4, 2010

Two different library stories in Texas crossed my desk in the past week that gave me pause. The first was the discouraging news from far southeast Jefferson County that county commissioners seeking to close a several-million-dollar deficit have zeroed out the $297,236 budget for the 80-year-old county library, which serves 33,000 residents in unincorporated and … Continue reading Facts, with a Generous Helping of Heart →

Post-Annual Conference Interactive Issue of Cognotes Now Available

July 28, 2010

A post-conference interactive issue of Cognotes is now available online. ALA is going green this year and sending it out electronically to attendees. Deidre Ross, head of Conference Services, invites feedback and suggests that you send her a short e-mail with your thoughts, to dross@ala.org. If you were at the Annual Conference, this issue … Continue reading Post-Annual Conference Interactive Issue of Cognotes Now Available →

Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading

July 27, 2010

Librarians and their supporters spoke loudly and clearly about the value of libraries during the American Library Association’s 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24–29. On Library Advocacy Day, June 29, some 2,000 librarians and library supporters registered for a rally at Upper Senate Park, according to Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA’s Washington … Continue reading Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading →

There’s More to “Like” as AL Delves into Facebook

July 12, 2010

A couple weeks ago I was experimenting with FBML AL site (that's how we get those "Like" buttons on the blog posts, for example) and at the same time experimenting with Dlvr.it to push out content. Well, one thing led to another, and now we have a Facebook Page. Because I'm on Facebook at least … Continue reading There’s More to “Like” as AL Delves into Facebook →

What Came Home from D.C.

By Jennifer Burek Pierce | July 8, 2010

The last thing I did before checking my suitcase at Washington National Airport was to tuck the pink steno pad in which I’d been scribbling all conference long into the front pocket of my suitcase. Well before the end of my trip, I had tired of lugging and protecting the accoutrements of conference life, so … Continue reading What Came Home from D.C. →

Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress Inaugurated 2010-2011 ALA President

June 29, 2010

Friends, family, and colleagues, including new division presidents, helped Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress celebrate her inauguration as 2010–2011 president of the American Library Association. Instead of a traditional presidential speech, Stevens turned the podium over to four of her favorite authors: Marie Arana, Brad Meltzer, Sharon Draper, and Carmen Agra Deedy. Calling … Continue reading Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress Inaugurated 2010-2011 ALA President →

Top Technology Trends at ALA10 Part 3: Long-term Trends

June 29, 2010

LITA's trendsters seemed to have some fun—and words of caution—with their predictions for libraries 3–5 years out. All the trend predictions had a clear emphasis on end-user experience over back-end library technology and future-proof, forward-thinking information services over preserving old workflows. For a complete re-cap of the entire panel discussion, see the ustream video. Jason … Continue reading Top Technology Trends at ALA10 Part 3: Long-term Trends →

Council Handles Full Agenda in Early Last Session

June 29, 2010

American Library Association's governing Council sailed through its last Annual Conference session that began early morning to accommodate the Library Advocacy Day rally on Capitol Hill. Council approved six action items from the Committee on Legislation: a measure that urges Congress to commit a minimum of $100 million designated for school libraries in FY20111 and … Continue reading Council Handles Full Agenda in Early Last Session →

Associations of Color Provide Value to Minority Communities

June 29, 2010

"Associations of color can take the responsibility of sharpening their tools for maximal benefit to minority library users as well as those who are trained or in training to support them," said Satia Orange, former director of the American Library Association's Office for Literacy and Outreach Service. She served as keynote speaker for "Sky is the … Continue reading Associations of Color Provide Value to Minority Communities →

ALA Treasurer Says New Business Still Key for Association’s Financial Strength

June 29, 2010

"As we experience the worst recession in 80 years, we need to deal with the immediate challenges of downsizing and getting through tough times," outgoing American Library Association Treasurer Rod Hersberger told the the Association's governing Council. "Through prudent management of our resources, we can leverage the Association's financial strength (to support new business development) and … Continue reading ALA Treasurer Says New Business Still Key for Association’s Financial Strength →

Black Caucus Celebates 40 Years with Tribute to E. J. Josey, Effie Lee Morris

June 28, 2010

With a tribute to its founder, the late E. J. Josey, and children's library services advocate the late Effie Lee Morris, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) celebrated 40 years of service to African-American librarianship at a gala event at the Historical Society of Washington during Annual Conference. W. Paul Coates, founder … Continue reading Black Caucus Celebates 40 Years with Tribute to E. J. Josey, Effie Lee Morris →

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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