speakers Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Attendees crowd around travel author Rick Steves for autographs following his Auditorium Speaker Series presentation at the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting. Photo: Cognotes

2019 Midwinter Wrap-Up

By Anne Ford | February 5, 2019

The Emerald City played host to more than 9,200 attendees (as compared with 8,036 in 2018 and 8,995 in 2017), who came to soak up the words of big-name speakers, learn from the practices of their peers, and network around subjects practical and theoretical. As with recent Midwinters, many sessions focused on the empowerment of … Continue reading 2019 Midwinter Wrap-Up →

Preview of the American Library Association's 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle.

2019 Midwinter Preview

By Greg Landgraf | January 2, 2019

Featured speakers Opening Session Friday, January 25, 4–5:15 p.m. Philanthropist Melinda Gates, cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has dedicated her life to transforming the health and prosperity of families, communities, and societies. Core to her work is the empowerment of women and girls. Gates is the author of the forthcoming The Moment … Continue reading 2019 Midwinter Preview →

Skip Prichard addresses the crowd at the 2018 OCLC Americas Regional Council Conference on October 25 in Chicago. (Photo: OCLC)

Game Changers for Libraries

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | October 26, 2018

When Skip Prichard opened the 2018 OCLC Americas Regional Council Conference on October 25 in Chicago, the president and CEO of OCLC ran through a list of changes that have occurred in recent years to the ways in which we live and work. “What influences change is control,” he told the more than 200 people … Continue reading Game Changers for Libraries →

Attendees of the American Library Association's 2018 Annual Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans display matching Michelle Obama T-shirts ahead of the Opening General Session. Photos: Cognotes and Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

2018 Annual Wrap-Up

By Anne Ford | July 18, 2018

Among the many big-name speakers in the Big Easy was former First Lady Michelle Obama, who opened the conference with an inspiring talk about work ethic, raising children, being a woman, striving for work/life balance, and the importance of remembering one another’s humanity. “I know that there are so many people in this country, in … Continue reading 2018 Annual Wrap-Up →

Welcome to Jason Segel’s Nightmare

By Phil Morehart | January 31, 2015

Segel is the co-author with writer Kirsten Miller of Nightmares!, the first entry in a new book series for kids. Nightmares! follows a young boy named Charlie as he battles the witches, goblins, and more that inhabit his nighttime dreamworld. Segel spent much of his very funny Saturday morning talk at Midwinter, part of the … Continue reading Welcome to Jason Segel’s Nightmare →

Interview with Melissa Sweet

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 27, 2014

Among Sweet’s awards are a Caldecott Honor for A River of Words (Eerdmans, 2008) and, more recently, a 2014 Sibert Honor for A Splash of Red (Knopf), which was announced at the January 27 Youth Media Awards. Video: Melissa Sweet on the Influence of Libraries See, hear, and read more about what’s going on … Continue reading Interview with Melissa Sweet →

Latest Library Links

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We often forget that intellectual property rights are not ends in themselves, but instruments at the service of development, creativity, innovation, and welfare. Today, for World Intellectual Property Day 2019, IFLA presents this side of intellectual property, and how it has an impact on libraries. It is not the case that more rights mean better outcomes. Scholars have underlined on several occasions how more flexibility contributes to development, rather than stronger protection. Exceptions and limitations are key for many public interest activities. Copyright needs to be mindful of its impact on cultural heritage, research, and education.

IFLA Library Policy and Advocacy Blog, Apr. 26
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Matthew Humphries writes: “Thinking of a secure password is hard, so demanding a user change it every 60 days fills many with dread and leads to weaker security. Microsoft has realized this and decided to remove default password expiry as a security baseline feature in Windows 10. As part of its security baseline, Microsoft had stipulated a 60-day password expiration policy, but now admits that ‘periodic password expiration is a defense only against the probability that a password (or hash) will be stolen during its validity interval and will be used by an unauthorized entity. If a password is never stolen, there’s no need to expire it.’”

PC Magazine, Apr. 26
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Trustees of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on April 25 deferred a vote on changes to the library’s collection development policy. The policy will likely be voted upon at the board’s May meeting. Questions on weeding raised by residents at a public hearing in March are expected to be answered by the end of April. “The board wants to make sure that they give adequate time and attention to issues they need to think about before they vote,” Library Director Greta Southard said. The goal of the revised collection development policy is “to continue with the spirit of the policy as it’s always existed,” but seeks to clarify the language.

Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, Apr. 25
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Police investigators say Boyd N. Klingensmith was denied computer access at the Greensburg Hempfield (Pa.) Area Library on April 18 because of an outstanding library fine at the affiliated Penn Area Library in Harrison City. This didn’t sit well with Klingensmith, who, according to court records, said, “I hate Penn Library. I’ll have to shoot them. If I go and shoot them, will that take care of the fine?” Library staff let him use a computer, but police later showed up. Klingensmith said he had been joking, but police found an unregistered pistol in his car. Klingensmith is being held on a $10,000 bond and was charged with terroristic threats and weapons counts.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Apr. 25
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The ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section has selected six winners, three honorable mentions, and a notable citation for the 2019 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab American Book Prices Current Exhibition Awards. The awards recognize in five categories outstanding printed exhibition catalogs, guides, and electronic exhibitions produced by North American and Caribbean institutions. The winning catalogs will be on display at the 2019 RBMS Conference Booksellers’ Showcase in Baltimore.

ACRL, Apr. 25
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Sally Pewhairangi writes: “When did you last describe your current project as ‘beautiful’? We know beauty when we see it right? So why not beautiful library projects? Wouldn’t you love to think back on a beautiful library project that you worked on 2, 5, or 25 years ago? I think it’s less about what projects you do, and more about how you do them—the work itself. So if you want to make your next project one that you will recall fondly in years to come, here are seven ways you can do that.”

The Library Boss, Apr. 23
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A Geneva Bible, one of 321 rare items stolen from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, has been recovered in the Netherlands. The bible was among the rare books, maps, plate books, and atlases that were discovered missing from the library’s Oliver Room. It has been closed since April 3, 2017, because it is a crime scene. A former archivist at the library and a rare book dealer are accused of stealing more than $8 million of those books. Investigators believe the scheme dates back to the 1990s. The bible, published in 1615, was traced to the American Pilgrim Museum in Leiden. It was returned to the Carnegie Library on April 25.

KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, Apr. 25

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