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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Jacqui Higgins-Dailey writes: “There was a request for reconsideration waiting for me to research on my first day of work in the collection development department of the Phoenix Public Library. The title was Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham. The request came from a parent concerned about being misled by the book’s title. The book was shelved in 567.9 (dinosaurs) but the book was a biblical interpretation of the timeline of when dinosaurs walked the earth. The parent was concerned that it was shelved with the other books about dinosaurs from a scientific perspective and requested that the library remove the book or shelve it in a religious section.”
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Jan. 28
24m

ACRL has published three new books full of exercises, effective practices, innovative ideas, and detailed case studies that can help you develop your unique leadership potential, lead change within your academic library, and cultivate the skills of new library leaders. Becoming a Library Leader by Shin Freedman and James M. Freedman can help you understand and develop leadership. Developing the Next Generation of Library Leaders by Lori Birrell shows how the library profession can foster skill development. Leading Change in Academic Libraries edited by Colleen Boff and Catherine Cardwell helps you establish flexible decision-making processes.
ACRL Insider, Jan. 28
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Wearing a virtual reality headset, Deng Kaiyang saw a four-character idiom with one character missing at the new Jiangxi Provincial Library in Nanchang, China. The 8-year-old used the controllers to shoot a digital arrow at a lantern with the right character to play a word game. Other visitors entered small booths and followed the words displayed on the screen, reading stories or poems aloud, then downloading the works via their cellphones to share with family and friends. In a corridor, children stepped excitedly on a projection piano keyboard to play a delightful tune. Readers borrowed books through a facial recognition system.
Xinhua News Agency, Jan. 27
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The LITA Committee Recognizing Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction has released the 2020 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists. The lists are composed of notable children’s and young adult science fiction published between November 2018 and October 2019 and organized into three age-appropriate categories. The annotated lists are posted on the LITA website.
LITA. Jan. 27
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The ALA Film and Media Round Table’s Notable Videos for Adults Committee has compiled its 2020 list of Notable Videos for Adults, a list of 15 outstanding films released on video within the past two years and suitable for all libraries serving adults. Its purpose is to call attention to recent video releases that make a significant contribution to the world of video. The committee selected 15 outstanding titles from among 45 nominees for this year’s list.
Film and Media Round Table, Jan. 26
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Claudette S. McLinn is the 2020 recipient of the ALSC Distinguished Service Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions to library service to children and to ALSC. McLinn is the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature in Inglewood, California, and a long-time literacy consultant, advocate, and speaker on library services to children and culturally diverse children’s literature.
ALSC, Jan. 25
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AASL President Mary Keeling will hold online office hours at 6:00 p.m. Central on Thursday, February 6, to answer questions regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in school libraries. The EDI office hours are a part of Keeling’s presidential initiative to expand efforts in AASL to provide a safe, respectful, and inclusive space for diverse voices and perspectives. The session will start with a discussion on #OwnVoices before the floor will open to discuss other topics.
AASL, Jan. 25

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