Legislation Archives | Page 5 of 7 | American Libraries Magazine

The Prescription for Finding Healthcare Information

By George M. Eberhart | July 1, 2013

The ALA Washington Office held a special informational session on Sunday afternoon to let librarians get a head start on helping their patrons enroll for healthcare through the new Affordable Care Act, which aims to provide reasonable health insurance for all Americans equally, regardless of any pre-existing conditions. Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff replayed … Continue reading The Prescription for Finding Healthcare Information →

New Digital Supplement on Ebooks Launches

May 22, 2013

Digital Content: What’s Next, the third supplement on ebooks and digital content from American Libraries, is now available. The supplement, launched May 22, examines both the big picture and the nitty-gritty of libraries and publishing, looking at how libraries are evolving in response to the digital revolution, from taking advantage of opportunities in content creation … Continue reading New Digital Supplement on Ebooks Launches →

Member POV, Saturday Edition: They Don’t Teach You Politics in Library School

January 27, 2013

Libraries must be engaged with their communities. Community engagement requires political engagement. This is unfortunate, but I believe libraries cannot be apathetic to the political process if they are to succeed. That is why I attended the Saturday morning Washington Office Update; I felt it important to get a political overview as it pertains to libraries. … Continue reading Member POV, Saturday Edition: They Don’t Teach You Politics in Library School →

“Book Traffickers” Meet Tucson Ban on Mexican-American Studies

By Beverly Goldberg | February 22, 2012

Educators in the Houston metro area are readying a “book trafficker” caravan that would travel March 12–18 from Houston, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, to donate books about the Mexican-American experience to four volunteer libraries. The donations are meant to counter the January removal of at least seven titles from Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) … Continue reading “Book Traffickers” Meet Tucson Ban on Mexican-American Studies →

What Comes After Victory

January 31, 2012

Congratulations, Libraryland! School library boosters hit the 25,000-signature threshold this morning on the White House petition urging that every child in America have access to an effective school library program. (To be exact, there were 25,594 signatures as of 1:49 p.m. Central time.) You’ve got the attention of the Executive Branch now, per the rules … Continue reading What Comes After Victory →

Just Over 6,000 More Signatures Needed on White House School Petition

January 27, 2012

The email below was sent January 27 to all ALA members with email addresses. The goal is a mere 6,344 signatures away from reaching the 25,000 goal: the magic number that allows the petition to reach the desk of President Obama. I hope that by now you have heard about AASL President Carl Harvey’s White House Petition on School … Continue reading Just Over 6,000 More Signatures Needed on White House School Petition →

Copyright Fair Use – Update

January 26, 2012

If you missed the fair-use panel presented by the ALA Washington Office at Midwinter, you may want to check out ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy and get access to policy briefs, webinars, and more. Also, the Association of Research Librarians has a webinar today from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern time about ARL’s new … Continue reading Copyright Fair Use – Update →

Copyright Fair Use on Digitized and Orphaned Works: Washington Office Update #alamw12

January 21, 2012

A panel of five copyright experts offered helpful tips and advice on orphaned works and digitization at the ALA Washington Office session this morning in Dallas. Much of the conversation revolved around copyright fair use and the willingness of academic and public library leaders to take risks that authors and copyright owners might appear and … Continue reading Copyright Fair Use on Digitized and Orphaned Works: Washington Office Update #alamw12 →

Good News on the Road to ESEA

December 21, 2011

School librarians have regained a bit of ground at the federal level as the push continues to get school libraries restored to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is due for reauthorization. The foothold comes in the congressional appropriation of $28.6 million for literacy programs in the $916-billion budget for FY2012, and, reading … Continue reading Good News on the Road to ESEA →

Sign Here for School Libraries

November 29, 2011

The URL had barely expired November 27 on a bold online petition demanding the restoration of strong school libraries in every American school when another campaign got off the ground to gather 25,000 signatures within 30 days in favor of mandating quality education for America’s children through the provision of fully funded school libraries run … Continue reading Sign Here for School Libraries →

Talking Turkey about School Libraries

November 23, 2011

An online petition is demanding that the Obama administration mandate the full funding and staffing of school libraries. It’s posted to a new interactive We the People web page, hosted by the White House, where U.S. citizens can petition the government for a redress of grievances as stated in the First Amendment. The petition was … Continue reading Talking Turkey about School Libraries →

The Brass Ring of Sustainability

November 16, 2011

Last week’s Election Day brought some remarkably good news for many public libraries across the country that sought operating millages and capital bonds for improvements. Seasoned advocates are well aware, however, that those victories were no reason for library boosters to rest on their laurels or stop reaching for the elusive brass ring of fiscal … Continue reading The Brass Ring of Sustainability →

Latest Library Links

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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.
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In Episode 94, Call Number celebrates Preservation Week, to be held this year April 28–May 4. The week’s events aim to raise awareness of the role libraries and cultural institutions play in protecting historic and culturally significant collections. Segments include Traci Sorell, honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week, discussing the role of preservation through storytelling; Kathleen Monahan, special collections public services supervisor at Boston Public Library, addressing the importance of security in preservation; and Rosie Grayburn and Melissa Tedone, cofounders of the Poison Book Project, talking about their research on potentially toxic bookbinding materials from the 19th century.

AL: The Scoop, Apr. 15
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Leigh Kunkel writes: “The legalization of marijuana in many states and municipalities in recent years has created a newly legal industry and budding entrepreneurs who can benefit from the expertise of business librarians. As soon as Washington state introduced an initiative to legalize recreational cannabis use in 2012, Seattle Public Library librarian Jay Lyman started fielding questions from potential entrepreneurs. Since then, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis use, and 14 more have legalized medical use of cannabis. This cultural shift brings a new opportunity for libraries to step in with support services.”

American Libraries Trend, Mar./Apr.

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