Library of Congress Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Library of Congress Changes Illegal Aliens Subject Heading

November 12, 2021

The American Library Association (ALA) praised the Library of Congress’s decision to update the cataloging subject headings aliens and illegal aliens. The Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress, which maintains Library of Congress Subject Headings, announced the decision to replace the terms with new subject headings noncitizens and illegal immigration at its … Continue reading Library of Congress Changes Illegal Aliens Subject Heading →

Council III: Resolutions and Updates

By Amy Carlton | June 29, 2021

Memorials were read for John T. Ma (M#9), Vartan Gregorian (M#10), Kathie Coblentz (M#11), Henrietta M. Smith (M#12), Cheryl McCarthy (M#13), Eleanor “Penny” Brome (M#14), Latanya N. Jenkins (M#15), Anita Schiller (M#16), Xiaoqiu Li (M#17), Bernadette Storck (M#18), William C. Robinson (M#19), Margaret R. Myers (M#20), Michele Leber (M#21), Leonard Kniffel (M#22), William G. Asp … Continue reading Council III: Resolutions and Updates →

“Our Songs Came Through”

By Sallyann Price | January 24, 2021

“I think of those old traditions of poetry, like African and Indigenous traditions all over the world. The poets are the truthtellers,” Harjo said. “They tell the truth that has roots in the spiritual realms and has roots in the very earth itself, in the original teachings. I always like thinking of a poem like … Continue reading “Our Songs Came Through” →

Library of Congress Evacuated Amid D.C. Violence

By Anne Ford | January 7, 2021

Incited by a nearby rally in which President Trump told them, “We will stop the steal,” the rioters marched to the Capitol and surged through police barricades. As congressional leaders were evacuated, the mob smashed windows, broke into offices, looted items from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and elsewhere, and raised Trump … Continue reading Library of Congress Evacuated Amid D.C. Violence →

Conscientious Cataloging

By Anne Ford | September 1, 2020

Tired of the delays, some librarians have taken matters into their own hands by making the change in their own catalogs, without waiting for LC to take the lead. Communicating inclusion Two early adopters of the change: Sol López, technical services manager at the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) at University of New … Continue reading Conscientious Cataloging →

How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic

By Lara Ewen | June 1, 2020

It’s an unprecedented situation. Conservators, who are experienced in diagnosing and repairing collection damage, say that historical information on sanitizing library materials is lacking. Besides a bit of anecdotal evidence in a 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article, there’s very little historical data available, says Evan Knight, preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners: “There’s … Continue reading How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic →

From left: Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cranston (R.I.) Public Library Director Ed Garcia, and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden at Cranston Public Library. Photo: Ed Garcia

Stories That Stand the Test of Time

By Ed Garcia | November 11, 2019

Housed in the library’s American Folklife Center, the VHP collects and preserves interviews and remembrances of US military veterans from World War I through the present. VHP also includes memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps, and other historical documents that capture the diverse experiences of veterans from every state. Hayden’s goal for … Continue reading Stories That Stand the Test of Time →

Sade Wilkins El (right), an intern with Public Library Association's Inclusive Internship Initiative (III), networks at the III wrap-up event in Washington, D.C.

2019 Inclusive Internship Initiative Concludes in D.C.

By Mary Hirsh | September 24, 2019

The program formally began September 21 at the Library of Congress (LC). ALA President-Elect Julius C. Jefferson Jr., section head of the Congressional Research Service at LC, welcomed the group and shared that his own career path started with a library internship. He thanked mentors and interns alike for their commitment to increasing inclusivity within … Continue reading 2019 Inclusive Internship Initiative Concludes in D.C. →

Victoria Van Hyning guides local students in transcribing letters from Library of Congress collections during the Letters to Lincoln crowdsourcing kickoff event on November 19, 2018. Photo: Shawn Miller

A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library

By Greg Landgraf | March 1, 2019

“What you’re doing in helping us transcribe these letters is bringing to life the letters and the thoughts of people from decades and centuries ago,” Hayden said at the event. Letters to Lincoln is just one of the many projects launched or under development as part of LC’s new five-year digital strategy announced October 1. … Continue reading A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library →

Lame-Duck Library Advocacy

By Kathi Kromer | December 6, 2018

Passage of the MLSA would reauthorize the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), reinforcing the agency—and America’s libraries—as a priority for the federal government. The proposed MLSA mirrors the previous authorization, which expired in 2016. The new legislation authorizes IMLS through 2025 and contains improvements to enable more libraries on tribal lands to participate … Continue reading Lame-Duck Library Advocacy →

Keep Copyright Office in Library of Congress

By Alan S. Inouye | October 1, 2018

On September 26, the US Senate held a hearing on the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act (S. 1010), which passed the House of Representatives in March 2018. One of the two witnesses at this hearing was our copyright counsel Jonathan Band, who also serves as counsel to the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA). This … Continue reading Keep Copyright Office in Library of Congress →

Subcommittee Calls for Library Funding Increases

By Kevin Maher | September 14, 2018

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): $2 million increase Title IV-Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act: $70 million increase National Library of Medicine: $13 million increase Career and technical education state grants: $70 million increase Adult education state grants: $25 million increase Head Start: $200 million increase Level funding was provided for … Continue reading Subcommittee Calls for Library Funding Increases →

Latest Library Links

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Melissa Baron writes: “Not every anti-chosen one on this list was able to fully turn away; after all, some reasons to answer the call are too compelling to ignore (the death and destruction of everything you love is a difficult one to shrug off), but it took a LOT OF CONVINCING to get you to agree, and by god you weren’t going to make it easy on them for upending your entire life when you did not ask for this, but fine, have it your way I guess.

Book Riot, June 17
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Alaina Yee writes: “Chrome may be the most used browser, but it isn’t necessarily the best one out there. Alternatives exist that could better meet your needs. One such option is Firefox. It’s a rare browser not based on Chromium. It’s also backed by a team with a long, storied history in browser development and a deep interest in online privacy.” PC World also has reasons for switching to Vivaldi and Microsoft Edge.

PC World, June 15
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34 signatories, including Adobe, Google, Meta, and Microsoft, have joined a revised European Code of Practice on Disinformation. First published in 2018, the code represents an agreement among online platforms, the advertising industry, fact-checkers, researchers, and civil society organizations on self-regulatory standards to fight disinformation. The revised code includes 128 measures on demonetizing purveyors of disinformation, transparency of political advertising, consistent fact-checking, and other factors. Signatories will have six months from June 16, the date of the signing, to implement agreed-upon measures.

European Commission, June 16
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Terra Dankowski writes: “If you find yourself in Portland, Maine, between May and October, Derek Meader will drive you around. In 2018, he started The Real Portland Tour, a sightseeing experience as authentic as they come. “You’re gonna get on a tour with a real local, born and raised,” says Meader, who is also reference librarian at Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) in South Portland. “The route literally goes by where I work [and] my high school.”

American Libraries column, June
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Danielle D. King and Megan R. McSpedon write: “Resilience, or the continued pursuit of goals despite adversity, is an important issue for organizations, because adversity is inevitable in people’s lives and careers. In the face of these challenges, resilience is essential. At the same time, current organizational attempts to improve employee resilience are largely ineffective. Organizational resilience efforts should not associate resilience with the absence of negative emotions during hard times. In fact, that association may be unrealistic and maladaptive.”

Harvard Business Review, June 17
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Peter M. Routhier writes: “Section 512 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is the 1998 law that established the notice-and-takedown system that protects online platforms of all kinds—including, libraries, archives, and other nonprofits—from liability for the copyright infringement of others. Unfortunately, Section 512 has been under attack for some time. In addition to various legislative proposals, the United States Copyright Office has repeatedly been asked to conduct work on Section 512 that could threaten the safe harbor status of libraries and nonprofits and the communities of their patrons and users.

Internet Archive Blogs, June 13
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Amanda Bartlett writes: “Police are investigating an incident that occurred during a Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Library on Saturday afternoon after Panda Dulce, the San Francisco drag performer hosting the reading, said they were targeted by “a group of 8-10 Proud Boys” who stormed the room and shouted homophobic and transphobic threats at them, forcing them to leave the event with a security guard and hide in a back office.” The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spoke to several of the Proud Boys members but filed no charges.

SF Gate, June 12; KGO-TV, June 16

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