Legislation Archives | Page 6 of 7 | American Libraries Magazine

Librarians Weigh Kindle Ebook Lending against Reader Privacy

October 19, 2011

The library world was thrilled at the September 21 announcement that library vendor OverDrive had enabled its library customers to loan the ebooks they’d licensed from OverDrive to patrons with Kindle e-readers—provided that the ebooks were in Kindle-maker Amazon’s sales inventory. Since then, examination of the fine print between OverDrive and Amazon has caused ethical … Continue reading Librarians Weigh Kindle Ebook Lending against Reader Privacy →

Message from ALA President Molly Raphael

October 11, 2011

“All hands on deck” is the message ALA President Molly Raphael is sending in regards to funding for school library programs. Her Presidential Task Force on School Libraries comprises members from all facets of the library profession, and in that spirit she’s calling on library practitioners to get involved in the crisis affecting school libraries. … Continue reading Message from ALA President Molly Raphael →

Unveiling the ALA 2015 Strategic Plan

May 25, 2011

An Open Letter from ALA President Roberta Stevens and ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels: Dear Colleagues: Here is ALA’s new 2015 Strategic Plan (PDF file). The plan outlines the vision and goals that will guide us through what promises to be a period of unprecedented challenges and opportunities for libraries. It reflects the work … Continue reading Unveiling the ALA 2015 Strategic Plan →

Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 2

March 25, 2011

London-based blogger, science-fiction author, and digital-rights champion Cory Doctorow opened Day 2 of the Conference on Privacy and Youth via Skype. “There comes a day when kids have to use their good judgment,” he said, arguing that adults are unwittingly undermining that goal by berating young people to guard their personal information while subjecting them … Continue reading Conference on Privacy and Youth: Day 2 →

A Capitol Weekend in Wisconsin

February 28, 2011

On February 26, several dozen librarians brought library-themed picket signs to the Wisconsin Capitol Building in Madison to show solidarity with protesters entering their third week of demonstrations opposing Gov. Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill, which includes the permanent abolishment of most collective-bargaining rights for the state’s public-sector employees. “Librarians fight for everyone’s rights,” read … Continue reading A Capitol Weekend in Wisconsin →

Action Alert: Protect Library Funding, ALA President Urges Library Community

February 25, 2011

In anticipation of the U.S. Senate reconvening February 28, American Library Association President Roberta Stevens has issued this call to action through ALA’s Washington Office: “I am writing to you today to enlist your participation in an association-wide advocacy campaign to protect funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy … Continue reading Action Alert: Protect Library Funding, ALA President Urges Library Community →

Capitol Protests Force Delay of Library Legislative Day (UPDATE)

February 22, 2011

Well aware that timing is everything, the Wisconsin Library Association postponed its 2011 Library Legislative Day, which had been scheduled for February 22, less than 48 hours before it was to take place. Of course, it would have been difficult to stay focused on biennial budget issues while tens of thousands were converging on the … Continue reading Capitol Protests Force Delay of Library Legislative Day (UPDATE) →

New Congress Still Offers Opportunities for Libraries

January 9, 2011

“Libraries have traditionally done well under Republicans,” according to ALA Washington Office Director Emily Sheketoff, who told those attending the Washington Office Update Break-Out Session, “New Congress, New Challenges,” that “all is not bleak, but all is not well either.” Casey Dominguez, assistant professor of political science at the University of San Diego, provided an … Continue reading New Congress Still Offers Opportunities for Libraries →

Bipartisanship, Thy Name Is Libraries

December 15, 2010

There was a bit of a holiday-season miracle over the past week: the bipartisan passage by consent of the Museum and Library Services Act in both the House and Senate. The MLSA is now on its way to President Obama’s desk for his anticipated signature, to the delight of the library community, which can rest … Continue reading Bipartisanship, Thy Name Is Libraries →

Acceptable-Use Policies Go Mobile in Delaware

By Beverly Goldberg | September 21, 2010

A new Delaware law that went into effect September 15 is enabling public libraries to get their internet use policies ready for the inevitable influx into their facilities of patrons wielding wireless devices. HB 340 extends libraries’ acceptable-use policies to any mobile devices that individuals bring onto library premises, and specifies that, while in the … Continue reading Acceptable-Use Policies Go Mobile in Delaware →

In Their Own Words

By Roberta A. Stevens | August 12, 2010

“Our Authors, Our Advocates” was launched at my Inaugural Banquet during Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., in June. I was deeply honored to have as my special guests four wonderful authors who spoke so eloquently. They were, by turns, funny, passionate, compelling, and thoughtful, and they illustrated how authors can partner with us to advocate … Continue reading In Their Own Words →

If You Google Net Neutrality, What Do You Get?

August 11, 2010

There’s been no dearth of opining in the past few days about the implications of Google and Verizon banding together to “find ways to protect the future openness of the internet and encourage the rapid deployment of broadband,” which is how a joint policy statement between the two firms is being framed by Alan Davidson, … Continue reading If You Google Net Neutrality, What Do You Get? →

Latest Library Links

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Michael Kan writes: “Are you still using ‘chocolate,’ ‘naruto,’ or ‘monkey’ for your passwords? You really need to stop. All three are among the most commonly used passwords, putting your accounts at risk of hacking, according to new data from NordPass. The password manager’s sixth annual list of the top 200 most commonly used passwords is pulled from a 2.5TB dataset of stolen logins taken from various sources.” ZDNet offers tips for creating stronger passwords and improved security measures.

PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
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John Sharp writes: “Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama, and there is no mistaking their conservative bona fides. But according to early statistics about library card applications, their libraries appear to be bucking a trend embraced by conservative-leaning groups and the Alabama GOP: Their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries. More than 60% of parents at Fairhope Public Library and Athens-Limestone County Public Library have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.”

AL.com, Nov. 17
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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13

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