Librarians at Annual Conference can view a videotaped thank you from President Barack Obama on Sunday, June 30, at 8:30 a.m., in McCormick Place room South 100C. Pres. Obama will be expressing his appreciation for US libraries’ help in educating their patrons about their new health-insurance options under the Affordable Care Act. The next implementation … Continue reading Pres. Obama to Send #ala2013 Video Thank You
Thursday, June 27 I flew in Thursday morning, and the rest of the day was dedicated to a Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) meeting, which analyzed access to information cases toward ensuring the legal defense of First Amendment rights. Right after, we were joined by many colleagues for refreshments at the FTRF Member Reception, from … Continue reading What I’m Doing at ALA Annual Conference | Loida Garcia-Febo
Snow Fall. After several years of hypothetical discussion about the possibilities of transmedia, it took a sportswriter working for a newspaper to demonstrate the power of internet-based publishing. In a single blow, the New York Times reset the bar for interactive online narratives. Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek is a gripping story of … Continue reading The Unpackaged Book
Children’s departments began to appear in public libraries around 1900. Today, it‘s hard to imagine a public library without one. In many libraries, children’s materials account for more than a third of circulation. Now we have dedicated children’s librarians, children’s acquisitions people, and children’s programming experts. We have a host of early literacy specialists using … Continue reading Wanna Write a Good One? Library as Publisher
Sadly, ebooks have not only failed to deliver on much of their promise, they have become a vast lost opportunity. They are becoming a weapon capable of considerable social damage; a Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll … Continue reading Ebooks in 2013
As librarians, our skills are as embedded in our personal lives as in our work, and they do not desert us when we leave our positions. After retiring in 2009, I began volunteering at Hedgebrook, a writing residency program for women on Whidbey Island in northwest Washington State. Inspired by its founder, Nancy Skinner Nordhoff, … Continue reading Retired, but Embedded
Not all publishers are created equal. It seems publishers are becoming the bad guys because many of the biggest companies have placed various restrictions on our use of their content. However, lumping all trade, reference, and scholarly publishers together is not fair to those who have been willing to work with librarians. Nor is it … Continue reading Working Directly with Publishers: Lessons Learned
We have made progress. I know this because I now experience the condition of ebook derangement syndrome. In early 2012, the urgent questions revolved around why the Big Six wouldn’t do business with libraries or, for those publishers who did, why the terms were so unfavorable. We really focused on these issues last year and … Continue reading I’m Crazy for Ebooks
It has been a privilege this year to serve as your president. The experience exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I especially enjoyed representing ALA in the larger world. One of the special joys was working closely with Immediate Past President Molly Raphael and President-Elect Barbara Stripling to ensure continuity across our terms to … Continue reading Representing ALA
Almost every state in the Union has adopted the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize that students read literary nonfiction. A great way to stimulate students’ curiosity and encourage youngsters to pick up informational books is to include nonfiction in your library programs. With a wealth of new narrative nonfiction being published each year, a … Continue reading Nonfiction Programming
Along with calls for ammunition and assault-weapon restrictions, as well as heightened school security nationwide, came renewed concerns about violent videogames. The Obama administration directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January to study the causes of gun violence, including the effects of violence in videogames, the media, and social media on real-life … Continue reading Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries
“Far too many people are floundering in our educational system and I believe libraries can change that.” “What else is a coffee-obsessed, over-organized, well-read information analyzer with a love for technology to do?” “I am a convener, a catalyst for action, a collaborative project manager.” “I want to be forever bothered—bothered people make great things … Continue reading The Applicant Pool
