public libraries Archives | Page 26 of 28 | American Libraries Magazine

Michigan State Capitol Building (Photo: Shutterstock/Dmitriy Bryndin)

Librarians Nationwide Protest Michigan Bill

By Amy Carlton | December 22, 2015

“While the intent of the Michigan legislature may be to ensure that government employees are proper stewards of public funding, in actuality this broad-sweeping bill prohibits one of their public bodies—the library—from doing one of its main jobs: providing the voters of Michigan unbiased access to information, including factual information about local campaigns and ballot … Continue reading Librarians Nationwide Protest Michigan Bill →

Some commercially sold drones can fly as high as 1,600 feet (500 meters), or higher than some of the world's tallest buildings. Composite image created from "Tallest Buildings in Asia in 2014" by Ali Zifan and Freepik, licensed under Creative Commons 4.0

Libraries and the New FAA Drone Rules

By Christopher Harris | December 17, 2015

“Make no mistake,” warned US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in his announcement of the new regulations, “unmanned aircraft enthusiasts are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility.” The real concern behind this move is that as toy technology advances, so have the capabilities of the drones that are available for the … Continue reading Libraries and the New FAA Drone Rules →

The Fee Library

By Joseph Janes | October 30, 2015

You can imagine my reaction when our local public radio station introduced a story about the plans for a new library, opening January 2016. Not the sort of thing one hears every day, and my interest deepened when the details emerged: This isn’t a new branch of Seattle Public Library (SPL); it’s a new subscription … Continue reading The Fee Library →

Marilynn Lance-Robb, branch manager at the Carvers Bay Branch Library in Georgetown, South Carolina, assists a patron with health information. Photo: Marilynn Lance-Robb

Improving Health Literacy, One Public Library at a Time

By Lea Radick | October 30, 2015

Instead, Davis assists patrons with their health care questions by helping them find information on Medline-Plus, an authoritative, free website where the public can find health information in more than 40 languages. Although Davis, a former medical librarian, is familiar with health care topics, most public librarians do not necessarily have a medical background. Still … Continue reading Improving Health Literacy, One Public Library at a Time →

A death cafe meets in the Ann Stevens Room in the Anchorage (Alaska) Public Library. Photo: Kris Green

When the Subject Is Death

By Timothy Inklebarger | October 30, 2015

Since the first gathering, named death café, was held in the US in Columbus, Ohio, in July 2012, the forums have spread across the nation. And many are beginning to appear in libraries, according to Lizzy Miles, an organizer for DeathCafe.com. Miles, who organized the Columbus death café, tells American Libraries that she was inspired … Continue reading When the Subject Is Death →

Many libraries purchase coloring books or print free pages online for their clubs. Other supplies—such as crayons, markers, and coloring pencils—are also provided.

Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries

By Alison Marcotte | October 30, 2015

Editor’s note: A shorter version of this article originally appeared in The Scoop in August. “We purchase a couple of coloring books, I print out some free coloring pages that are available online, and we just get together and color,” says librarian Kellie Porter, who started the library’s Coloring Club in May. The club has … Continue reading Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries →

Salt Lake City Public Library System staffers pose as characters from the Back to the Future films. From left, teen services coordinator Christina Walsh as Doc Brown, children's services coordinator Liesl Johnson as Marty McFly, and adult services coordinator Tommy Hamby as Jennifer Parker. Photo: Salt Lake City Public Library System

Marty, We’ve Got to Go Back—to the Library!

By Alison Marcotte and Terra Dankowski | October 21, 2015

Many libraries are celebrating Back to the Future Day—October 21, 2015—with screenings of the Back to the Future trilogy and programming related to the films. The date, which is featured prominently in Back to the Future Part II, has been incorrectly depicted in internet hoaxes and memes for years. “We actually have a super fan … Continue reading Marty, We’ve Got to Go Back—to the Library! →

(left to right) Andy Cardimen, BMO Harris Bank managing director, Jackie Nytes, Indianapolis Public Library chief executive officer, Chris Cairo, director of project development at Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library, and Greg Ballard, mayor of Indianapolis, hold the One Book, Two Cities book selection, Vienna by Eva Menasse, at the program’s launch in December 2013. Photo: Indianapolis Public Library

The Indianapolis Public Library Goes Global

By Chris Cairo | September 29, 2015

With advanced technology and the ability to connect globally, the Indianapolis Public Library (IPL) formed partnerships with the eight international cities that are part of Indianapolis’s Sister City Program. IPL has made connections so far with Campinas, Brazil; Hangzhou, China; Cologne, Germany; and Piran, Slovenia. The first meetings involved a collection exchange between each city. … Continue reading The Indianapolis Public Library Goes Global →

A patron renews her driver’s license inside Ames (Iowa) Public Library in June. Iowa DOT unveiled 11 kiosks in libraries in May.

Driver’s License Kiosks Expand to Iowa Libraries

By Alison Marcotte | September 18, 2015

After a successful two-year pilot project to make driver’s license renewals easier for state residents via public kiosks, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) began implementing similar kiosks in 11 libraries in late May. One of those kiosks is inside Ames (Iowa) Public Library. Mary Logsdon, the library’s adult services manager, says providing the … Continue reading Driver’s License Kiosks Expand to Iowa Libraries →

Los Angeles Public Library’s Central branch, partnering with Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, provides free assistance filling out Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The May 2014 event drew 120 attendees and resulted in 90 applications completed. Photo: Los Angeles Public Library

Librarians as Immigration Lawyers

By Terra Dankowski | September 17, 2015

“We realized we had to go for accreditation because there’s a fine line between legal advice and helping someone on the computer,” says Homa Naficy, chief adult learning officer for Hartford (Conn.) Public Library (HPL). Naficy is referring to Board of Immigration Appeals Recognition and Accreditation (BIA R&A), granted by the Department of Justice (DOJ), … Continue reading Librarians as Immigration Lawyers →

Library Card Spokesdog

By Sari Feldman | September 3, 2015

Snoopy has inspired all of us at Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library (CCPL) to expand Library Card Sign-Up Month into a dog-tastic extravaganza. We are crowdsourcing a “top dog” to be featured on an official CCPL library card, and we’re giving customers the chance to create their own customized library cards during a special pet … Continue reading Library Card Spokesdog →

Woods Hole (Mass.) Public Library holds monthly coloring book clubs. The event attracts 15–20 people per month, ranging from tweens to 70 year olds.

Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries

By Alison Marcotte | August 24, 2015

“We purchase a couple of coloring books and I print out some free coloring pages that are available online, and we just get together and color,” says librarian Kellie Porter, who started the library’s Coloring Club in May. The club has seen about 15–20 members a month, ranging from tweens to 70-year-olds. “I really try … Continue reading Coloring Book Clubs Cross the Line into Libraries →

Latest Library Links

21h

Michael Kan writes: “Are you still using ‘chocolate,’ ‘naruto,’ or ‘monkey’ for your passwords? You really need to stop. All three are among the most commonly used passwords, putting your accounts at risk of hacking, according to new data from NordPass. The password manager’s sixth annual list of the top 200 most commonly used passwords is pulled from a 2.5TB dataset of stolen logins taken from various sources.” ZDNet offers tips for creating stronger passwords and improved security measures.

PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
1d

John Sharp writes: “Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama, and there is no mistaking their conservative bona fides. But according to early statistics about library card applications, their libraries appear to be bucking a trend embraced by conservative-leaning groups and the Alabama GOP: Their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries. More than 60% of parents at Fairhope Public Library and Athens-Limestone County Public Library have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.”

AL.com, Nov. 17
2d

Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
2d

Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
3d

John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
3d

Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
4d

Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13

View more Latest Library Links