Preservation Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Call Number Podcast: Preserving History

April 15, 2024

First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Indigenous author Traci Sorell, the honorary chair of this year’s Preservation Week. Sorell, a former attorney who worked on Native Nations policy, discusses preservation’s part in telling stories. Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kathleen Monahan, special collections public … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: Preserving History →

Christine Mackenzie, IFLA President 2019-2021, in the opening session

IFLA: Working Together for a Better Future

By Raymond Pun | August 25, 2021

Between August 17–19, the virtual conference drew thousands of attendees from around the world to more than 150 sessions with topics that ranged from digital controlled lending to new skill sets for school librarians to climate impact on libraries. Drawing inspiration from 2019–2021 IFLA President Christine Mackenzie’s theme “Let’s Work Together,” the 86th WLIC focused … Continue reading IFLA: Working Together for a Better Future →

Shalom Sabar, professor of Jewish art and folklore at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, presents a program at the 2021 AJL Digital Conference.

What We Keep

By Sally Stieglitz | July 8, 2021

Shalom Sabar, professor of Jewish art and folklore at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, opened the conference with the session “The Hidden Treasures of Jewish Ephemera.” Sabar challenged attendees by asking, “What do we put in our museums? What treasures of cultural heritage are worthy of preservation for the future?” Discarded everyday items, he explained, are … Continue reading What We Keep →

Recipe for Success

By Erin Baucom | June 1, 2021

Digital preservation is a relatively young field. And as a result, it lacks established pathways and processes. What’s more, guidance for practitioners has been purposefully written from a high-level perspective to allow for flexibility by different types and sizes of institutions. But to translate lofty digital preservation theory into on-the-ground practice, we need workflow documents … Continue reading Recipe for Success →

Letters of the Law with Tomas A. Lipinski

How Much of a Threat Are Copyright Trolls?

By Tomas A. Lipinski | May 18, 2021

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 How Much of a Threat Are Copyright Trolls? →

Dewey Decibel: Libraries Respond to COVID-19

Dewey Decibel Podcast: Libraries Respond to COVID-19

April 21, 2020

First, American Libraries Senior Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart speaks with Felton Thomas Jr., executive director and CEO of Cleveland Public Library, about the library’s use of 3D printers to make personal protective equipment for emergency workers. Then Morehart talks with Evan Knight, preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, about … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Libraries Respond to COVID-19 →

Personal protective equipment donated by University of Maryland's Preservation Department

University Libraries Help Hospitals with PPE Donations

By Timothy Inklebarger | March 27, 2020

Archivists and conservators from university libraries across the country have been pitching in to help bridge the supply gap, donating their supplies of the PPE typically used in the restoration of materials. Through networking with local health care providers, libraries are getting lifesaving supplies where they’re needed most. Eric Alstrom, head of conservation and preservation … Continue reading University Libraries Help Hospitals with PPE Donations →

How to Sanitize Collections in a Pandemic

By Lara Ewen | March 27, 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 from 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 →

Preservation as Risk Management

By Erin Baucom | September 3, 2019

The best type of program is an interlocking system of policies, workflows, technical solutions, and efforts meant to keep digital objects usable in the long term. Digital objects are made up of bitstreams—sequences of 1s and 0s that require specific software and hardware environments to remain accessible. Some are born digital (those materials with no … Continue reading Preservation as Risk Management →

Newsmaker: Kenyatta D. Berry

By Phil Morehart | April 26, 2019

You have a law degree. How did you get started in genealogy? Do you see a correlation between the two fields? I absolutely see a correlation. I love research and writing. I love reading and digging and finding clues. And that’s what genealogy is. I started doing genealogy when I was in law school. I … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kenyatta D. Berry →

Preservation Showdown: Environmental Edition

By Carli V. Lowe | June 27, 2018

The debate was moderated by Kara McClurken, director of preservation services at the University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville. The panel took place as part of the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans Monday, June 25. As the debate opened, McClurken explained that some of the debaters had been asked to defend … Continue reading Preservation Showdown: Environmental Edition →

Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty

By Phil Morehart | April 27, 2018

Twitty serves as honorary chair of Preservation Week, held April 22–28, which focuses this year on cooking and community archiving. American Libraries spoke with him about what can be learned about the past through food and about his work with Preservation Week. What drew you to food and its history? Going to living-history sites like Colonial … Continue reading Newsmaker: Michael W. Twitty →

Latest Library Links

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Chase Hunter writes: “Chabot College Library and Learning Center in Hayward, California, held a ceremonial opening last week, but students have already gone so often that it’s quickly become a campus cornerstone. More than 35,000 Chabot College students have visited the new library and learning center—the tallest building on campus—this semester, already surpassing last year’s total. The new building’s geometric clean lines and splashes of orange—the school’s color—over a chrome exterior is attracting students in a way that Chabot College hasn’t experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Mercury News (San Jose, California), Oct. 28
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Michelle Ehrhardt writes: “Like the Metaverse and NFTs before it, it feels near impossible to follow tech news right now without hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI). I understand it can get annoying: The tech is still in development, and everyone’s still figuring out the ethics of generating AI Art, or how to make it not suck. It’s tempting to write AI off entirely. There are a few key use cases I’ve found where AI shines better than pretty much any other alternative. As an AI skeptic, here’s where I think AI is most useful.”

Lifehacker, Oct. 28
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Katherine Klosek writes: “The Librarian of Congress—based on recommendations by the register of copyrights—issued an expansion to the 2021 Digital Millennium Copyright Act regulation that permits researchers to circumvent technological protection measures to conduct text and data mining research. The updated regulation clarifies that academic researchers can securely access research collections of literary works or motion pictures hosted by other institutions of higher education for purposes of collaboration, or to facilitate their own independent research projects.”

Association of Research Libraries News, Oct. 28
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Michele Gile and Matthew Rodriguez write: “A group of Huntington Beach (Calif.) residents known as ‘Protect HB’ said they’ve gathered enough valid signatures to try repealing a new ordinance that could impact which books are put on public library shelves. More than 15,000 people have signed a petition that’s headed to the city clerk. If valid, voters will decide whether the city council majority’s community parent-garden review board [which has relocated books on puberty and potty training to the adult section] will exist.”

KCAL-TV (Los Angeles), Oct. 28
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “Three things are certain in this world: death, taxes, and librarians sending out surveys. We are a patron-focused profession, and we crave user feedback. Moreover, some of us yearn for peer feedback for articles we write or hypotheses we test. When you create a survey—if you haven’t yet, it’s just a matter of time—there are a few things you should keep in mind. These tips will improve your survey and help make it more likely that people will respond.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Oct. 23
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Danika Ellis writes: “Halloween approaches! Even if you’re not usually a horror reader, this is the perfect time to dip your toe in those bloody waters. Especially when it comes to horror books, immersing yourself entirely in the story by reading it all at once allows the tension to build more effectively, and reading late into the night invites your rational brain to take a back seat while your lizard brain panics at the strange sound you just heard. If you’d like to give it a try, I’ve selected eight horror books you can read cover-to-cover on Halloween.”

Book Riot, Oct. 28
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Kathleen McBroom writes: “After emerging from pandemic lockdowns and district closings many public and school librarians started reporting changes in kids’ behavior. Many adults noticed actions that were concerning, ranging from inabilities to reengage in play and normal conversations to actions demonstrating a lack of empathy. A call went out for remedial social emotional learning programming. Many librarians and educators appreciate the positive differences these interventions have made, and desire to expand and continue these efforts. Luckily, there are inexpensive and effective themes and presentation strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into existing programming.”

ALSC Blog, Oct. 26

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