Update: The Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act was signed into law on October 9, 2018. The legislation, passed by the US Senate in June, provides a copyright exception for “authorized entities”—including libraries—to make materials available across borders to people with print disabilities whose countries have already ratified the treaty. In fact, 350,000 accessible titles are already … Continue reading Miracle in Marrakesh Makes It to US
The comments submitted by the coalition elaborate on the harm that would result from adding such a question to the 2020 Census, including diminished data accuracy, an increased burden of information collection, and an added cost to taxpayers. The submission also points to the US Census Bureau’s own January 19 technical review, in which Associate … Continue reading ALA Urges Commerce Department to Reject Census Citizenship Question
Nicky Rigg, Google’s computer science education manager, said that the project’s primary focus was on inclusion and diversity, targeting girls and others who are not typically encouraged to develop math and computing skills. “We are still learning from this process,” she said. “In addition to tangible resources, such as teaching aids, that are being designed, … Continue reading Encouraging Kids to Code
CES also has a public policy track, which included the “2018 Preview: Federal Communications Commissioner Roundtable” with commissioners Brendan Carr, Mignon Clyburn, and Michael O’Rielly, moderated by Julie Kearney, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Much of the roundtable talk focused on recent net neutrality actions; Clyburn is a Democrat, … Continue reading Technology and Library Advocacy at CES
Neal says the Association has always had a group of library workers with practical and policy experience it could call on to testify before national committees and speak with the press on behalf of libraries. But that advocacy network, which was already small, is shrinking even more as longtime advocates retire or move out of … Continue reading Policy Corps: A New Generation of Advocacy
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins September 15, Google Cultural Institute has collaborated with more than 35 museums and institutions to launch a new platform on September 7 within Google Arts & Culture: Latino Cultures. The platform brings more than 2,500 Latino cultural artifacts online and—through immersive storytelling, 360-degree virtual tours, ultra-high-resolution … Continue reading Latino Cultures Platform a New Library Resource
Some 25–50 participating libraries will receive funding from ALA, along with consulting expertise and operational support from Google. Individual libraries may use the funding for devices, staffing, marketing, and other costs associated with piloting and rapidly implementing a CS educational toolkit developed in partnership with libraries, for libraries. The toolkit, set to release in conjunction … Continue reading ALA, Google Partner for Phase III of Libraries Ready to Code
The number of attendees was the highest in 10 years, spurred by the Trump administration’s proposed 2018 budget that would eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the agency that distributes federal funding to state library agencies and other grant programs. As ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels said in his opening statement … Continue reading Advocacy in Critical Times
That was the question at the center of “Improving Federal and State Policy to Support Family Engagement in Libraries,” a Saturday morning panel sponsored by the Public Library Association (PLA) at ALA’s 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Atlanta. Caspe reinforced that family engagement is a shared responsibility, can happen anywhere, and can happen at … Continue reading Changing Policy to Support Family Engagement
This question was posed to three panelists at a policy hackathon, cohosted by ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Internet Association on November 17 at Google’s Washington, D.C., office. Chaired by ALA President Julie B. Todaro and with welcome remarks by Google’s Head of Global Industry Relations Carley Graham Garcia, the session … Continue reading Partnering with Tech
While collecting information for this document last week, I had the pleasure of visiting a Veterans Resource Center—one of 10 in the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system—at the LAPL’s Exposition Park branch. Many thanks to LAPL Adult Service Librarian Edwin Rodarte and veteran volunteers Paola Martinez and Veronica Hansel for briefing me and answering … Continue reading Helping Veterans
The National Policy Convening brought together experts from across the beltway policy ecosystem to address some of the most pressing policy issues facing the library community. Programming consisted of three sessions: “Youth Engagement with Technology,” “Advancing Economic Opportunities in Communities,” and “Future Directions for the Library of Congress.” Youth engagement with technology Sen. Angus King … Continue reading ALA’s National Policy Convening
