Our online column Letters of the Law explores a wide range of legal issues that arise in libraries, with the help of a pair of leading authorities: Mary Minow, a librarian who became a lawyer; and Tomas A. Lipinski, a lawyer who became a librarian. Together they have authored four books on the subject, including … Continue reading Can a Patron Who Gets Sick Sue the Library?
My information literacy classes, like so many others, have largely shifted to video chat platforms. It was a difficult, abrupt switch, even for those of us who have taught online for years. As online learning librarians know, a lesson designed for a physical classroom cannot easily move to an online space but requires transformation for … Continue reading Remote Control?
“Part of our unwritten plan is to spend those first precious weeks when we can be together in person teaching those skills needed to access learning in a remote, virtual environment,” says Jennisen Lucas, district librarian for Park County School District and 2021–2022 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) president-elect. “We hope we will have … Continue reading School Librarians Face Reopening Challenges
Whether we laud its growth or fear its presence, online learning is here to stay. The Babson Survey Research Group, in its 2018 report, found that enrollment for distance education students has steadily increased for the past 14 years, with nearly 69% of all distance education students now enrolled in public institutions. Distance or online … Continue reading Online Learning Is Here to Stay
Living Language for Libraries Living Language for Libraries, from Books on Tape, provides access to online courses for more than 20 languages, teaching grammar, vocabulary, and culture from beginner to advanced levels. Courses include traditional tools such as flashcards and audio recordings as well as games designed by native speakers and other learning tools that … Continue reading Embracing Diverse Narratives
There is no one working in a library who wouldn’t benefit from continuous learning. At some institutions, only those in professional positions are granted time and money for professional development. This not only creates an uncomfortable divide between colleagues, it also suggests that only professionals really need to learn on the job. This couldn’t be … Continue reading A Learning Organization
Attendees say ALA’s Annual Conference is the “best gathering for professional development opportunities, exhibits and vendor reps, and networking possibilities that a librarian is likely to find” and “the gold standard in professional development and networking.” Join the discussion during ALA’s 136th Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, June 21–26. Hear from the two winning authors … Continue reading Annual Conference Preview: Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves
Looking back. Two years ago, I learned that I had won the ALA election. I felt exhilarated but also somewhat uneasy. Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels told my husband that I was ALA’s for the next couple of years. As president-elect, I worked hard to plan initiatives, appoint committees, and travel to conferences and speaking engagements. I … Continue reading Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
Even a decade ago, the area immediately surrounding the Anaheim Convention Center was more culinary wasteland than Shangri-La. How times have changed. These days your greatest quandary may be choosing where to dine, so bountiful are the options. “A number of celebrated chefs and restaurateurs are paying attention to Orange County,” says local food blogger … Continue reading Time to Dine in Anaheim
The focus on electronic publishing and access through libraries to digital editions (ebooks) has been intense, particularly in recent months. The policies and practices of the “Big Six” publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster—in relation to access to ebooks through libraries (or lack thereof), have elicited strong responses from across the library … Continue reading Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities
As director of Hooper (Nebr.) Public Library, Karla Shafer worked to transform the institution into a vital place in the community for six and a half years. Those efforts ended abruptly in 2010, however, when controversy erupted over Shafer’s teaching of English classes to immigrants in a nearby town on her days off. She resigned … Continue reading Merritt Fund Aids a Colleague in Distress
Many librarians are already exploring new ways to engage, embed, and integrate libraries into the life of their communities. Academic librarians are eager to deepen their engagement on campus—embedding services in the teaching, learning, and research processes. School librarians strive to collaborate more closely with teachers and integrate their programs directly into the curriculum. Public … Continue reading The Conversation Continues @ your library
