Preservation Week 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 →

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? →

Call Number Podcast: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones

April 28, 2021

American Libraries senior editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project and honorary chair of Preservation Week, about the project’s origins, her team’s research, and why community archives are vital to preserving history. If you have feedback for the podcast team, email us or … Continue reading Call Number Podcast: A Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones →

Dewey Decibel Podcast: Telling Women’s Stories

March 17, 2020

First, American Libraries Editor-at-Large Anne Ford speaks with author and activist Mikki Kendall about her book Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot (Viking, 2020). Next, American Libraries Senior Editor Amy Carlton talks with author and cultural critic Roxane Gay, who will serve as honorary chair of Preservation Week, April 26–May 2, about the importance … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Telling Women’s Stories →

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 →

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 →

What Is Access without Equity?

By Nicole Umayam | March 1, 2018

For community-based or other participatory archive models, digital technologies offer a way to meaningfully engage with materials. Yet what good is a digital archive if the community does not have internet available? How can an individual fully participate in using or shaping digital heritage resources if they do not have the computer skills, or even … Continue reading What Is Access without Equity? →

To Preserve and Protect

By Amy Harpe | March 1, 2018

As we observe Preservation Week (April 22–26), keep in mind that even our youngest students are eager to hear about cultural and historic preservation from the people most invested in it. Our learners realize that everybody has a story and that these stories make a difference. My own preservation journey with 3rd graders at Pilot … Continue reading To Preserve and Protect →

American Libraries Dewey Decibel Podcast: Episode One

Experience the Dewey Decibel Podcast

April 25, 2016

You can hear it in Dewey Decibel host and AL associate editor Phil Morehart’s voice—just how darn excited we are to be sharing our conversations with librarians, authors, thinkers, scholars, and others, about topics from the library world and beyond, in this new monthly offering. In the first podcast episode, “Preservation: If You Don’t Have … Continue reading Experience the Dewey Decibel Podcast →

To Protect and Preserve

By Jeanne Drewes | April 22, 2013

The voice on the phone sounded exhausted. “I have lost my life’s work,” the man said. He was an artist who had his paintings stored in a basement somewhere in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was November 2, 2012, four days after Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast, and the call came … Continue reading To Protect and Preserve →

Think Digitization During Preservation Week

By Julie A. Mosbo | April 25, 2012

For libraries and archives, digitizing materials has become a key concern, especially as more and more patrons and users go online to research information. But several factors must be considered: Copyright law Librarians interested in beginning a digitization project must first consult copyright laws. If the item is in the public domain, copyright is fairly … Continue reading Think Digitization During Preservation Week →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.

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