Sports Archives | American Libraries Magazine

Author Linda Holmes, photo by Tim Coburn

Newsmaker: Linda Holmes

By Sallyann Price | August 1, 2019

Holmes recently spoke with American Libraries about her fiction favorites, the breadth of the romance genre, and why librarians are the original influencers. Tell me about your relationship with books and reading. Where does fiction fit in your personal pop-culture landscape? When I was a teenager I read a ton of big, heavy commercial fiction, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Linda Holmes →

Newsmaker: Andrew Luck

By Terra Dankowski | November 1, 2018

Have you always been an avid reader? Do you have any fond book or library memories from childhood? I always have been an avid reader. It was encouraged in our household. I remember an 18-hour car ride to Colorado from Houston, and reading Lonesome Dove [by Larry McMurtry] for like 17-and-a-half of those 18 hours. … Continue reading Newsmaker: Andrew Luck →

Students play videogames during the grand opening of the Nest, the e-sports facility at University of North Texas in Denton. Photo: Photo: University of North Texas

Wide World of E-Sports

By Timothy Inklebarger | May 1, 2018

The biggest competitions in the world of e-sports—of which the most popular include League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., and Overwatch—fetch top players millions of dollars in prizes, and in 2017 the industry is estimated to have earned $696 million in revenue. Universities across the country have established e-sports teams, and some of the top … Continue reading Wide World of E-Sports →

Julie Foudy during the United States Women's National Soccer Team/South Korea Women's National Football Team international friendly match. (Photo by Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)

Newsmaker: Julie Foudy

By Phil Morehart | April 11, 2017

Where did the title Choose to Matter come from? It comes from a summer leadership academy we’ve been doing for 10-plus years, which is a combination of sports and leadership woven together for a weeklong residential camp. Our tagline is “Choose to Matter” with the kids, because our message is that leadership is personal, not … Continue reading Newsmaker: Julie Foudy →

New York Public Library posted this image on Twitter on October 29 to signal comeback hopes for the New York Mets in the World Series. The friendly social media exchange among several New York and Kansas City libraries has caught the attention of several mainstream media outlets.

Libraries Take Part in World Series–Themed Twitter “Battle”

By Alison Marcotte | October 30, 2015

Some #bookspinepoetry for our friends @BlueJays & @torontolibrary #TaketheCrown #GoRoyals #ALCS pic.twitter.com/Zj5ZvhFljv — KCMO Public Library (@KCLibrary) October 20, 2015 Toronto Public Library responded, saying, “Warning.” “Kansas City.” “It Ain’t Over till It’s Over.” Well played @KCLibrary but we’ve got a way with words too. ‘Til tomorrow! @BlueJays #ComeTOgether #GoJaysGo pic.twitter.com/qED5PFp95t — TorontoPublicLibrary (@torontolibrary) October … Continue reading Libraries Take Part in World Series–Themed Twitter “Battle” →

At Yankee Stadium during the 1955 World Series, Brooklyn batter Roy Campanella and New York catcher Yogi Berra both start toward first base: Campy attempting to beat out his grounder and Yogi preparing to back up the play.

Take Me Out to the Library

By Ron Chepesiuk | October 23, 2015

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the March 1999 issue of American Libraries. The librarian headed first for the file cabinets that contained biographical records on every individual who played major-league baseball, and then to the library’s collection of hundreds of thousands of photographs. The records Gates retrieved showed that Paul Derringer (1906-1987) played … Continue reading Take Me Out to the Library →

Seabiscuit with jockey George Woolf and trainer Tom Smith after winning the Pimlico Special, November 1, 1938. (Photo: Keeneland Library)

And They’re Off!

By Alison Marcotte | June 5, 2015

“This is the job of my dreams,” says Becky Ryder, director of Keeneland Library. Founded in 1939, the public research and reference library is one of the largest sources of equine industry information. It holds hundreds of thousands of thoroughbred-related books, articles, and photographic negatives, such as the Daily Racing Form’s archives and materials on … Continue reading And They’re Off! →

James L. Gates Jr. (Photo: Milo V. Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame)

Bookend: National Pastime

November 1, 2014

Since its opening in June 1939, the Hall has served as the cornerstone of baseball, honoring the sport’s greats and marking its significance in history over the years. Pictured here, James L. Gates Jr., library director, holds the promissory note for the sale of Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York … Continue reading Bookend: National Pastime →

Friday Night Library Lights

By Adam Doster | November 26, 2013

Helping patrons manage their fantasy football rosters was one way Waelchli thought to do it. “I really enjoy helping people research and problem-solve and crack the nut of trying to find the information that they’re looking for,” he says. “I enjoy playing fantasy football, too.” Nothing in America brings people together quite like sports. Although … Continue reading Friday Night Library Lights →

Latest Library Links

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Julius C. Jefferson Jr. writes: “When I kicked off ALA’s ‘Holding Space’ virtual tour on July 27 in Washington, D.C., my primary goal was to elevate the stories and successes of libraries whose work takes place just out of the spotlight. If you scroll through my tweets between July 27 and August 7, you will see a series of crowded Zoom screenshots. But they don’t do justice to the expert librarians and community partners who participated in our discussions.”

AL: The Scoop, Aug. 12
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The ALA Executive Board announced August 6 that the 2021 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits scheduled for January 22–26 in Indianapolis will take place virtually. “It is clear that as we continue to coexist with coronavirus, we need to adjust our approach to meetings and events,” said ALA President Julius C. Jefferson Jr. “In the last few months, we have successfully pivoted our delivery to present ALA Virtual in June and ALA’s ‘Holding Space’ tour series this summer. Though we very much hoped to be able to meet in person in Indianapolis, the health and safety of conference attendees, ALA members and staff, exhibitors, and other stakeholders are the priority.”

AL: The Scoop, Aug. 6
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The manager of a library in South Carolina said he was pushed out after he became “inappropriately involved” in assisting organizers with a Drag Queen Story Hour in early 2019, according to court filings. Now the county is settling with him for $30,000. Jonathan Newton headed up the Five Forks branch of the Greenville County Library System in Simpsonville until he was reportedly forced to resign in March 2019 — three weeks after the Drag Queen Story Hour event, according to a lawsuit filed April 6 in state court against the county library system and its executive director.

The State (Columbia, S.C.), Aug. 11
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Chelsea Price, director of Meservey (Iowa) Public Library, writes: “Though the community spread seems to have waned, I am hesitant to open again. My original gut instinct—to keep the library closed in the first place—was correct, and I should have trusted it. Our state’s numbers have never steadily declined, and it is the only state with no mask mandate in place that also requires in-person schooling with no mask requirement in classrooms. I worry that that Iowa is going to become even more of a disaster when school starts, and I don’t want to play this ‘open–close–open–close’ game.”

Programming Librarian, Aug. 12
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Joe Keeley writes: “During standard use, your computer should run fairly quietly. While you can expect the fans to get louder when doing intensive tasks like gaming or video editing, you shouldn’t hear scratching, beeping, or rattling from inside your computer case. If you do hear unusual or loud noises from your computer, it could be a sign that something is wrong. A component could be failing and need replacing.”

Make Use Of, Aug. 9
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US Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) have introduced the bipartisan Accelerating Connected Care and Education Support Services on the Internet Act (ACCESS the Internet Act), which includes funding for libraries. The $2 billion legislation addresses immediate gaps in internet access necessary for distance learning and telehealth. The distance learning provision will fuel a two-year, $200 million hotspot pilot program for libraries, to be administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. A minimum allotment of $1.6 million per state will allow states, tribes, and territories to purchase and distribute internet-connected devices to libraries in low-income and rural areas.

ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Aug. 7
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When it comes to reading habits across generations, there are similarities—but also surprising differences. The five generations—gen z, millennials, gen x, baby boomers, and the silent generation—have different life experiences and expectations for everything from marriage to work to entertainment. But what about their reading habits? Nate Hoffelder created infographics to illustrate the differences.

The Digital Reader, Aug. 5

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