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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Kelly Jensen writes: “It’s been making the rounds in every single library publication and social media outlet: Reese Witherspoon is looking for a librarian-in-residence and as long as you’ve worked in a library, that could be you. Sounds great, right? How fun to work with Reese and her team at Hello Sunshine to talk about and promote books and stories by and about women. You just need to submit a 90-second video. To say it’s surprising how quickly this story spread without any critical examination is an understatement. This is a contest—not any sort of job, internship, or position. The winner will receive nothing financial in exchange.”
Book Riot, Jan. 23
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Michael Crider writes: “There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re looking for something new in the world of smartphones. And if you happen to be in the market for a new phone this year, you’re probably wondering what’s on the horizon. Likely features include folding phones, sorta-folding phones, crazy camera arrays, high refresh rate displays, facial recognition, and 5G expansion.”
Review Geek, Jan. 22
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Jessica Booth writes: “You’ve probably heard your electronic devices—especially your phone and laptop—are disgusting. Studies have found over 25,000 bacteria per square inch on the average cell phone, and your laptop is 20,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. It’s time to clean both thoroughly. Merely running a damp cloth over your phone and laptop isn’t going to cut it. Actually, that could damage the screen or other small parts. Here are some tips to keep all the dirt and grime away.”
LifeSavvy, Jan. 23
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Rebecca Hill writes: “Getting to the truth today takes more effort. Finding it with a barrage of information on social media and 24-hour news cycles, is exhausting. According to Lee McIntyre, research fellow at the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History, we are now living in a post-truth society. McIntyre believes that post-truth is an attempt to compel someone to believe in something, whether evidence exists for it or not. Recently, McIntyre published Post-Truth for MIT Press’s Essential Knowledge series. I talked to McIntyre and here is what he shared with me.”
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Jan. 22
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An Illinois bill would allow public libraries to get a cut of the taxes on recreational cannabis sales, but it would come at the expense of county-level taxes. House Bill 4135 would allow the state’s more than 600 public libraries to impose a 1% tax on recreational cannabis sales in their jurisdictions. State Rep. Dan Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) said the idea for his legislation came from a conversation with a local librarian. In exchange, the county the library is in would be limited to taxing cannabis sales in the library district at up to 2%. Under existing law, counties can tax local cannabis sales up to 3%. Didech’s bill would essentially redirect 1% of that to libraries.
Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, Jan. 22
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Patrons of the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Public Library will soon have access to tools and resources toward living a healthier lifestyle as part of a new pilot program. A $50,000 grant to the Iowa Department of Health from Telligen Community Initiative is funding a “Harnessing the Power of Iowa Libraries” program. Cedar Rapids is one of the first libraries where it will be tested. Library Director Dara Schmidt said they are looking at integrating a social or community health worker into library hours, offering cooking and nutrition classes, and lending wellness equipment.
KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jan. 22
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Jamie Gregory writes: “It’s certainly nothing new for a sex education book to be challenged in school and public library systems. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley has been on the hit list for almost two decades. But the underlying problems parents and politicians have with sex ed in public schools is concerning when incongruously paired with a growing emphasis on educating students against disinformation. This past summer, the Arizona Department of Education met to discuss some proposed changes to sex-ed instruction, which is already pretty vague in that state.”
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Jan. 20

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