Contents
Highlights
Advocacy
Authors
ALA Publishing
Division Sessions
Other Events
Awards
Tech Events
Seen Online

Frontline advocacy highlights ALA Annual Conference
Librarians and library supporters spoke loudly and clearly about the value of libraries during the ALA 2010 Annual Conference, held in Washington, D.C., June 24–29. Advocacy was a central theme and the focus of two key programs developed by ALA President Camila Alire and her task force: “Surviving in a Tough Economy: An Advocacy Institute Workshop” and the “Frontline Advocacy Train the Trainer Program.” Attendees also gained valuable tips on the use of technology....
Public Information Office, June 29

50 years of Mockingbird
Aubrey Madler writes: “Of everything I saw and heard on Saturday, what still sticks with me the following morning is the experience of listening to Nancy Pearl’s interview with Mary McDonagh Murphy. This event was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and the book and documentary Murphy created in its honor. There was not a dry eye in the auditorium as reflections from Oprah Winfrey, Rosanne Cash, and Tom Brokaw were projected on the screens.”...
OIF Blog, June 27

Toni Morrison and libraries
Jeanna Vahling writes: “Nobel Prize–winning author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and ‘charming and witty’ are all words to describe Toni Morrison, this year’s Opening Session Keynote Speaker. More importantly, she is a library advocate with a genuine love for our profession. ‘I suspect that every single author that speaks to librarians can tell you about his or her intimate, steady, and vital relationships to libraries,’ she said in her opening remarks.” Watch a clip (4:42) from her talk....
Cognotes, June 28, p. 16; ALA YouTube, June 27

Marlo Thomas reminisces
Reminiscing with an audience of early Monday risers, Marlo Thomas previewed her forthcoming book from HarperCollins, Growing Up Laughing, with jokes and stories about her life as the daughter of comedian Danny Thomas. With the likes of George Burns and Bob Hope frequently showing up in her living room, said Thomas, laughter became “the cushion for life,” she said, noting that her father said adults should laugh 75 times a day, as children do....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 28

John Grisham thanks libraries
Kathryn Shields writes: “‘I have a long, wonderful history with libraries and librarians. From a purely selfish view, I want to say thanks,’ said author John Grisham as he began his talk on Monday. Grisham, who will serve as the honorary chair of National Library Week in 2011, said he owes much of his early success as an author to libraries and librarians.” A clip of the speech is here (4:27). Prior to his talk, Grisham spoke about the value of libraries in the Green Room; watch the video (2:57)....
Cognotes, June 29, p. 1, 8; ALA YouTube, June 29; Visibility @ your library, June 28

Kidd and Taylor on memoirs
Amy Pace writes: “Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees, and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor, with whom she recently wrote a new book, Traveling with Pomegranates, spoke Saturday morning about their memior. Family photographs—vacations, celebrations, and candid pictures—flashed on the screens before the two took the stage. Kidd described the photos as a visual collage of their book.”...
Cognotes, June 27, p. 1, 27

The enigmatologist speaks (but not cryptically)
At the PLA President’s Program on Sunday, New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz gave an appreciative crowd a peek at the world of crosswords, and particularly what makes for good—and bad—solving. Shortz said the difficulty of a crossword puzzle should come from challenging clues rather than obscure words, and crosswords should contain “lively, colorful vocabulary” with a minimum of archaic, vowel-dense words that are primarily used only in crosswords....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27

Salman Rushdie puts messages in a bottle
Brad Martin writes: “Salman Rushdie spoke on Saturday about the writing of Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Luka and the Fire of Life, weaving in similar examples of other authors’ children’s books that had been written for specific children. Rushdie told how both his books involve fathers and sons, but they differ as a result of the shifting perspectives we experience in life.” Watch Steve Zalusky’s interview with Rushdie (4:18) in the green room....
Cognotes, June 27, p. 5, 30; Visibility @ your library, June 27

“Many Voices, One Nation” plays to a full house
Frederick J. Augustyn Jr. writes: “José Aponte, director of the San Diego County (Calif.) Library, served as MC for the ‘Many Voices, One Nation’ program on Friday. Introducing the event with readings from novelists, storytellers, and poets as the lighter side of librarianship, Aponte asserted that ‘we are librarians and we understand the value of both oral and written traditions.’”...
Cognotes, June 27, p. 26

Eppo’s vision of the future
Stacy L. Voeller writes: “On Sunday, the ALA President’s Program featured inspirational speaker, Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer. He greeted the crowd by saying, ‘Hello, I’m a librarian. Ever since I’ve become a librarian, I don’t get invited to parties.’ He started the DOK Library Concept Center in Delft, Netherlands, with the idea that it ‘would always be ahead.’ Architects ‘think in terms of forms, not of people,’ he said. ‘They miss the point of really designing a library that’s useful.’”...
Cognotes, June 29, p. 1, 22

Dave Isay and StoryCorps
Brad Martin writes: “About seven years ago, a booth was set up in Grand Central Terminal in New York to record interviews that would later be preserved for future generations to hear. Studs Terkel cut the ribbon and made a remark about people knowing who designed the famous railroad terminal, but that we didn’t know much about the everyday people who built it. Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, spoke about this ongoing project on Sunday in this session sponsored by American Libraries and shared many examples of the recordings.” Watch the clip (1:10)....
Cognotes, June 28, p. 18; ALA YouTube, June 27

Haunting graphic tales
Amy Pace writes: “What do David Small and Audrey Niffenegger have in common? Both have recently written graphic novels, beautiful and evocative and written for adults. The haunting book trailer featuring poignant black-and-white illustrations by David Small introduced attendees to the work of art and memoir that is Stitches. On Monday, Small and Niffenegger shared their works and their reasons for creating graphic novels at the Graphic Novel Panel.”...
Cognotes, June 29, p. 3

An inside look at national policies
“All Politics Is Local: Positioning Libraries for Success in the Capital,” the ALA Washington Office update, featured District insiders including FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. She spoke about the role of libraries in the national broadband plan and underscored ALA’s position that anchor institutions—such as libraries—must be supported by the federal government in order to ensure that all members of the public have access to broadband as well as digital literacy skills.”...
District Dispatch, June 28

Natalie Merchant at Exhibits Closing
On Monday after the exhibits closed, songwriter Natalie Merchant performed selections from her newly released Leave Your Sleep, a set of songs adapted from the works of various classic and contemporary poets. The special event was presented by Baker & Taylor, Nonesuch Records, and WEA....
ALA Membership Blog, June 29

Amy Sedaris keynotes Closing Session
Author and comedian Amy Sedaris demonstrated some of the reasonably twisted craft projects from her forthcoming book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People during the Closing Session on Tuesday morning. “If you want to have some gingham shoes,” she said, “go buy some cheap tennis shoes, use a magic marker, and you can make your own (above). Aren’t they cute?”...
ALA YouTube, June 30

Libraries Build Communities at DC Public Library
Robin Brown, information literacy librarian for the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s Randolph Memorial Library, volunteered at the District of Columbia Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Friday. She writes: “Since I was on my own in a strange city and available, I naturally wanted to sign up for the Libraries Build Communities project. The day seemed like a gift, and a great chance to meet other librarians.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 27

Roberta Stevens inaugurated ALA President
Friends, family, and colleagues, including new division presidents, helped Roberta Stevens (right) of the Library of Congress celebrate her inauguration as 2010–2011 president of ALA. Instead of a traditional presidential speech, Stevens turned the podium over to four of her favorite authors: Marie Arana, Brad Meltzer, Sharon Draper, and Carmen Agra Deedy....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 30

Council handles full agenda
ALA Council sailed through its last Annual Conference session, which began early on Tuesday to accommodate the Library Advocacy Day rally on Capitol Hill. Among other things, it approved the establishment of a Retired Members Round Table recommended by the Committee on Organization. On Sunday, Council unanimously passed the ALA 2011–2015 Strategic Plan....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27, 29

Report from the ground on Library Advocacy Day
Matthew Moffett writes: “Like so many at this year’s ALA Annual, I took advantage of being in D.C. to play a part in Library Advocacy Day on Tuesday. The event started a few minutes early with YA author Lauren Myracle (right)—who was introduced by ALA President Camila Alire (above) as this year’s most banned author—warming up the crowd with a reading from her new book Luv Ya Bunches. Both Senator Jack Reed (left, D-R.I.) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (right, R-Mich.) delivered short speeches on the importance of libraries.” ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels empowered the state delegations meeting with Congress to remember they represent the millions of schoolchildren and Americans who depend on library services every day. Watch the video (33:46)....
YALSA Blog, June 29; District Dispatch, June 30

Arne Duncan meets with AASL leaders
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (right) had an informal meeting with the AASL Board of Directors on Monday. The meeting was scheduled to discuss how school librarians can be included in A Blueprint for Reform, President Obama’s plan for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. However, Duncan stressed that without the passage of the jobs bill, education would see a level of destruction as never seen before. “Use your loud librarian voices” for lobbying, he said. If the bill doesn’t pass, there will be severe devastation for education, including library positions....
AASL, June 29; AASL Blog, June 28

Nine ways to defend your budget
At the Advocacy Institute on Friday, Committee on Library Advocacy Chair Carol Brey-Casiano and Office for Library Advocacy Director Marci Merola offered a nine-point plan on what to do when your budget is threatened. Watch a clip (3:15). More information is available in a newly released toolkit on the Advocacy University website, “Budget in the Crosshairs? Navigating a Challenging Budget Year.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 25; ALA YouTube, June 27

Alire talks about Frontline Advocacy
Steve Zalusky writes: “We caught up with ALA President Camila Alire following her Friday speech before those gathered for the Advocacy Institute. ‘We want to engage frontline librarians and other library employees,’ she said, ‘in a different level of advocacy, one that they are comfortable with.’”...
Visibility @ your library, June 25

Sony unveils Reader Library program
In recognition of Library Advocacy Day on June 29, Sony unveiled its Reader Library program, a new initiative to support the work of public libraries as they expand and promote their e-book collections. The program provides public libraries with training on digital reading devices, educational materials to help readers learn about e-books and digital texts available to them through their local libraries, and digital reading devices for library staff use. Sony spokesperson Leanne Drown said libraries that have worked with Sony on other media projects are likely to be the first candidates for the Reader Library program....
Sony Electronics, June 29; AL: Inside Scoop, June 29

Grassroots 2.0: Tips from the advocacy experts
The joint ALSC/AASL program “Grassroots 2.0: New Technologies” program on Sunday morning brought together three experts on delivering effective library messages to legislators. Curtis R. Rogers of the South Carolina State Library presented a slideshow of social media resources that librarians can use to promote the library and engage lawmakers. Libraries should all have an electronic newsletter, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, a blog, and a YouTube channel as a matter of course, he said....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27

When library schools are threatened
The Committee on Education invited two special guests to its meeting Saturday afternoon—Linda Smith, associate dean of the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and Beth Paskoff, director of the Louisiana State University School of Library and Information Science—both of whom had stories to tell about attempts made by the university administration, in the face of severe budget constraints, to shut down or restructure the library school....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 26

Pam Ehrenberg: YA author at large
2010 ALA Rainbow Project author Pam Ehrenberg had it made in the shade Saturday. Literally. It seems like the YA author arrived a bit too early for the Exhibit Hall and decided to kill some time and beat the heat by working under a shady tree nearby. Well, it was too interesting an image to pass up, so our man on the street Steve Zalusky decided to go in for a closer look....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27; ALA YouTube, June 27

Live at the LIVE @ your library Reading Stage
Live readings from popular and up-and-coming authors were hosted at the LIVE! @ your library Reading Stage in the Exhibit Hall. Public Programs Office Deputy Director Mary Davis Fournier caught up with authors Kwame Alexander (right) and R. Dwayne Betts to ask how libraries impacted their lives. See also interviews with Laurie Halse Anderson and Heid E. Erdrich....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27, 29

ALA Exhibit Hall 2010
Betsy Bird writes: “So it was on to the Exhibit Hall for fun and profit. First up, I needed to grab my press badge, and while doing so who else did I see but Tom Angleberger, author of the widely (and justifiably) acclaimed The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, being interviewed by Barb Langridge of the Howard County (Md.) Library and the television show Books Alive! Authors were in abundance this day, so I took a great deal of fun in snapping quicky pics of them.”...
School Library Journal: A Fuse #8 Production, June 27

A day of authors
Children’s librarian Travis Jonker shot this cleverly produced video (1:52) of author signings and events that he encountered at conference. Included are snippets on Libba Bray, Jon Scieszka, Notable Book nominees, and the Newbery/Caldecott banquet....
YouTube, June 29

Chef authors heat up the exhibit floor
Sean Fitzpatrick writes: “Libraries and foodie culture have an obvious tie: cookbooks. All weekend long, the Cooking Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall celebrated that relationship with cookbook authors showing their chops with live demos and talks. I caught the first session, on healthy living through veganism. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb talked about the state of veganism today (it’s not just for tie-dyed hippies, they assured) and the health benefits of avoiding meat while discussing their book To Get Healthy, Go Vegan.” Watch Warren Brown (above), author of United Cakes of America, mix up a sweet potato cake in this video (1:52)....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 26; ALA YouTube, June 27

It’s a comic world
Booklist’s Books for Youth Annual Forum on Friday night drew a roomful of comics admirers who came to hear an art editor, a children’s book illustrator, a publisher, and a comics creator share their thoughts on how graphic novels have evolved from collections of newspaper comic strips and formulaic superhero fare into a massive mainstream publishing phenomenon. First up was Françoise Mouly (left), founder of Raw magazine and art editor of the New Yorker (who also happens to be married to comics artist and Maus creator Art Spiegelman). First Second publisher Mark Siegel (right) offered a rundown of the graphic novels in his catalog since 2006....
AL: Inside Scoop. June 26

RDA Toolkit cake
The RDA Toolkit launch was celebrated at the Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access meeting on Monday. The free, open-access period started on June 23 and catalogers marked this significant moment with ALA Publishing (representing the copublishers) when Joint Steering Committee members Barbara Tillett (Library of Congress) and John Attig (Pennsylvania State University) cut the cake. RDA: Resource Description and Access is the new, unified standard designed for the digital world and an expanding universe of metadata users....
RDA Toolkit, July 1

Reference works from conception to fruition
Sue Polanka writes: “This year the Reference Books Bulletin session focused on the process of creating a reference work, from idea to reality. The speakers included Casper Grathwohl from Oxford University Press, Rolf Janke from Sage Reference, and Frank Menchaca from Gale Cengage. Here is a summary of each panelist’s comments.”...
Points of Reference, July 1

Everyone’s a critic
Barbara Bibel writes: “During a lively Booklist presentation called ‘Everyone’s a Critic,’ panelists discussed the fine art of reviewing in the age of instant comments. Otis Chandler (Good Reads), Ron Charles (Washington Post), Jon Fine (Amazon.com), and Jennifer Huber Swan (Reading Rants) talked about the role of professional reviewers, the nature of authority, and the significance of reviews. Do readers want heavy analysis or do they care more about whether their friends enjoyed a book? There is room for both.”...
Points of Reference, June 30

AASL President’s Program
Author Allison Zmuda was the keynote speaker at the AASL President's Program on Saturday. Her presentation, “Leading the Transformation of Education for the 21st Century,” was a call to action for school librarians to position themselves at the forefront of the push to transform American education into the 21st century. Zmuda is also a survivor of a recent stroke, which she talked about. Watch the video (5:34)....
ALA YouTube, June 28

National Preservation Week: Pass It On
Beth Doyle writes: “The first annual Preservation Week took place May 9–15. By all accounts it was a success. Next year’s Preservation Week is scheduled for April 24–30. At a joint ALCTS/AASL/PLA program on Sunday, three panelists outlined their events for 2010, then the audience brainstormed slogans and ideas for the 2011 event.”...
Preservation and Conservation Administration News, June 29

Help! My patron is a cyber patient
Mana Tominaga writes: “LaVentra E. Danqua of Wayne State University’s Shiffman Medical Library presented an excellent PLA session on health literacy and reference Saturday morning. She’s worked as a health reference librarian for more than 14 years and shared her tips and resources for helping customers. More than half of American adults (90 million people) are considered to have low health literacy. Librarians should follow these tips when answering health questions.”...
PLA Blog, June 26

I’m doing events at my library from now on
Beverly Lawler writes: “This PLA session, presented by librarians from the St. Louis County (Mo.) Library, dealt with bringing authors to libraries to provide programs for the community. They have an awesome program, run by Carrie Robb, who was spirited away from a corporate position to facilitate the author program series. The library hosts 50 well-attended author events a year, for both children and adults.”...
PLA Blog, July 1

RUSA’s Annual Research Forum
Jennifer Howard writes: “This year’s RUSA Research Forum focused on three studies driven by academic libraries. First up was Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries. Led by Andrew Asher, a research anthropologist, the project seeks to establish how undergraduates at five Illinois institutions actually use their campus libraries. Steven J. Bell, associate university librarian at Temple University, presented findings on a study he and colleagues did of LibGuides, which are subject- or course-specific guides designed to help students find relevant library resources.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education, June 29

Reference evolution
Stephen Francoeur writes: “On Friday, I was one of four presenters at a day-long preconference workshop on ‘Reference Evolution: Envisioning the Future, Remembering the Past,’ sponsored by RUSA. First up was Joe Janes, who gave a great keynote presentation on what’s changed in reference and what’s stayed, often for not good reasons, the same as ever. Amy VanScoy spoke next about why librarians should be more reflective about their personal philosophy of reference.”...
Digital Reference, June 28

A–Z of electronic reference products
Sue Polanka writes: “On Saturday, RUSA sponsored a panel discussion on product development of electronic reference resources. Panelists discussed a variety of topics including: how product topics are selected and the role of librarians in that selection, technology expenses, time needed for product development, how items are priced, and the use of online products. The comments of all four panelists are summarized here, by topic.”...
No Shelf Required, June 26

LITA Happy Hour
Tanya Cothran writes: “Who says that librarians can’t let their hair down and have some fun? The LITA happy hour on Friday at the Mixx Bar was a great example to the contrary. The bar area was filled with people networking, chatting, and generally having a good time. The take-away message? Don’t be afraid to have a good time with your fellow librarians/techies. After a long day of panels and discussions, it’s nice to have a chance to talk shop over a pint of beer and see what new solutions and opportunities arise.”...
LITA Blog, June 29

Strategies for reaching Latino youth
Megan Hodge writes: “The Saturday panel, ‘Reaching Latino Teens through Multiple Literacies: A Program for School and Public Librarians,’ sponsored by Reforma, PLA, YALSA, and AASL, discussed the strategies and programs three librarians have used to reach out to and increase the literacy of the Latino teenagers in their communities. The program opened with a video interview of then-16-year-old spoken word artist Diego Mosquera, who said he was very interested in rap early in his teens.”...
Cognotes, June 28, p. 8, 10

The Year of Cataloging Research
Megan Hodge writes: “Moderated and organized by Allyson Carlyle of the University of Washington’s iSchool, this Sunday panel brought together four experts on current cataloging trends in order to provide research ideas for what ALCTS has dubbed the Year of Cataloging Research. Lynn Silipigni Connaway of OCLC said that users want catalog or database searches to be ‘as easy as Google Book Search.’ She analyzed 12 user studies published in the U.S. and U.K. over the last five years, in order to determine what the digital researcher looks like today.”...
Cognotes, June 28, p. 30

Strategic future of print collections
Beth Doyle writes: “Gary Frost began this joint ALCTS/ACRL session on Sunday by describing the interplay between print and screen reading. He urged us to think about the potential interdependence between the self-authenticating nature of print and the self-indexing nature of the screen. This ‘and’ not ‘or’ was investigated by Walt Crawford, the next speaker, who believes that digital resources enhance print resources.”...
Preservation and Conservation Administration News, June 30

Food Network gets a librarian, and a new blog is born
Ian Kahn writes: “LC’s Mark Dimunation, Cristina Favretto (director of special collections at the University of Miami), Aidan Kahn, and I had lunch at John’s Roast Pork on Day 2 of the ACRL/RBMS Preconference in Philadelphia. On the door was a large notice that they were filming for the Food Network. It turns out Michael Symon (of Iron Chef fame) was filming a new show. Cristina agreed to order a spinach and pork sandwich and was filmed doing so. One possibly exciting result of this lunch was the decision to start a group blog that revolved around our mutual love of food and books.”...
Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis, June 23; . . . And a Side of Books

Librarians just want to have fun
Kathryn Shields writes: “On Saturday morning, you could find librarians wielding plastic clappers, blowing bubbles, and eating Tootsie Rolls while listening to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Where? At ‘Librarians Just Need to Have Fun: Utilizing Fun and Humor in the Workplace to Enhance Employee Performance,’ a program sponsored by ACRL’s College Libraries Section.”...
Cognotes, June 27, p. 6

What every new librarian needs to know
Kathryn Shields writes: “On Saturday afternoon, Lisa Carlucci Thomas and Karen Sobel spoke to a packed audience in an ACRL program entitled ‘Starting Out? Start with You: What Every New Librarian Needs to Know.’ Sobel focused on a challenge that many new (and experienced) librarians face—research—and encouraged new librarians to plan out projects in great detail before starting. She provided tips for surviving the Institutional Review Board process, including being prepared for bizarre questions.”...
Cognotes, June 28, p. 25–26

Librarians can change society
Amy Pace writes: “How can librarians become more engaged in social movements? On Sunday morning, activists, historians, librarians, and other creative thinkers discussed their research and work to promote civic engagements to help provoke this question. The ACRL program was moderated by Annie Paprocki, anthropology and sociology librarian from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”...
Cognotes, June 28, p. 18, 23

YALSA’s virtual President’s Program
This year, YALSA President Linda Braun wanted to create a completely virtual program. Since the planning committee had already decided to provide a take-away—some kind of “risk kit”—to program participants, an online program really made the most sense (even if it did make them nervous). Watch what the Search Institute, Media MashUp project, and FIERCE can teach about taking risks....
YALSA President’s Program 2010

YALSA at Annual
YALSA’s Flickr slideshow offers a glimpse of some stellar events: Friday’s YALSA Happy Hour at Old Dominion Brew House; the Margaret A. Edwards luncheon on Saturday honored Jim Murphy, winner of the 2010 Margaret A. Edwards Award; and Sunday’s YA Author Coffee Klatch, which provided an opportunity to meet with the division’s award-winning authors....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27

Lights! Cameras! Booktrailers!
The YALSA Teens and Technology Interest Group organized a panel program on booktrailers and video on Saturday afternoon. New York Times best-selling author Simone Elkeles discussed two of her booktrailers: Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction. She said she was a “child of the eighties” and wanted to make a booktrailer like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s opening credits—a rap book trailer. She felt that because teens are on the internet, that is where she needed to get them interested in her books....
YALSA Blog, July 1

ALA unites to grant a wish
ALA President Camila Alire hosted a once-in-a-lifetime “make-a-wish” luncheon for a special young lady who describes herself as “crazy about books and reading.” Laura Rodgers, 9, from Lebanon, Indiana, suffers from mitochondrial disease, and she recently contacted the Association indicating her desire to attend Annual Conference. Neither she nor her mother mentioned the disease, but her social worker called to explain why this would make her happy since she has only a few years to live. Watch the interview (2:10)....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27; ALA YouTube, June 28

Ogletree: Libraries a mirror of societal success
“There are far too many libraries today that are not open seven days a week, weekends, or at  night,” Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor Charles Ogletree said in an exclusive American Libraries interview. Ogletree, founder of Harvard Law’s Charles Hamilton Institute for Race and Justice, serves as one of several celebrity honorary cochairs of ALA’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative. He addressed Library Champions at a reception held in their honor....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 25

Carol Brey-Casiano tells a Patriot Act story
The Leroy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund—established in 1970 to provide financial aid to librarians who are in jeopardy for their stand on intellectual freedom—celebrated its 40th anniversary Monday with a gala dinner in the Folger Shakespeare Library. Besides the Shakespeariana and Elizabethan maritime rarities on display, the highlight of the evening was the story former ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano told about an experience she described as the worst in her professional career. It involved a Texas Ranger, a lawyer named Paco, the Patriot Act, and the Merritt Fund....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 29

Google Books panel
Karen E. Brown writes: “There are many resources to help one try and understand the complicated aspects of the Google Books Settlement. A more engaging avenue was listening to Monday’s discussion by the ALA Task Force on Google Books panelists. As it is now, the settlement decision is in the hands of Judge Denny Chin; ultimately, Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters (right) believes the case will turn to litigation.”...
Cognotes, June 29, p. 4, 6

GLBTRT 40th anniversary recognized in House
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table was recognized by a June 23 resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives, congratulating it on its 40th anniversary. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), the resolution recognizes GLBTRT for seeking to “improve the lives of librarians, archivists, other information specialists, and library users who are part of the GLBT community.”...
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table, June 29

Research, research everywhere
A number of poster sessions provided librarians and students an opportunity to share research projects. On Friday, the Emerging Leaders had their turn, at a reception where they showed off the group projects undertaken as part of the EL program. All of the Emerging Leaders’ projects are available on ALA Connect, and AL showcases four of them: Visual Map of ALA, updating the librarians and the internet, staff development day, and international partnership for advocacy....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 26; ALA YouTube, June 28

Poetry as a community builder
M. Rini Hughes writes: “If the three panelists at this Public Programs Office session on Saturday can’t turn you on to poetry, you might want to get your hearing checked. Kwame Alexander opened the discussion by reading his own poetry. His dynamic delivery engaged the listener from the moment he opened his mouth, living evidence of the power of poetry. He was followed by Stephen Young of the Poetry Foundation, who talked about exciting programs aimed at getting young adults interested in reading and writing poetry.”...
Programming Librarian, June 28

Getting graphic at the Graphic Novel Pavilion
The Graphic Novel and Gaming Pavilions hosted a plethora of miniprograms, author signings, demos, and events. Friday night featured a Drink and Draw reception that pitted such luminaries as Owly’s Andy Runton, Unshelved’s Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum (right),and American Elf’s James Kochalka against each other in the art of drawing pictures on the fly. On Saturday, the Cosplay on Parade cocktail reception allowed attendees to dress up....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27

Graphic novels: More bang for your book
Lisa Goldstein writes: “Christian Zabriskie of Queens (N.Y.) Public Library discussed ‘where graphic novels and circulation mesh’ Monday in one of over 40 hours of programming devoted to graphic novels. ‘Superbooks: How Graphics Can Save Your Library’ was a numbers-based case for graphic novels as a solid investment. Using statistics, graphs, and his own cost/circ ratio, Zabriskie demonstrated that the graphic novels in his collection cost about 38 cents per circulation.”...
PLA Blog, June 28

Better services to the underserved
Stacy L. Voeller writes: “The Office for Literacy and Outreach Services hosted the program ‘Library Services for the Poor and Homeless’ on Sunday. Victoria Hill, cluster children’s specialist at Brooklyn Public Library who does a lot of outreach services to schools and hospitals, said, ‘You have to meet the people where they are, which is not always within our doors.’ She added that clustering or grouping of four to six neighboring branches that share resources to better serve the community became their model for achieving this.”...
Cognotes, June 29, p. 8

Bookmobiles on parade
The 2010 Parade of Bookmobiles featured bookmobiles from the Frederick County (Md.) Public Library, the Jefferson-Madison (Va.) Regional Library, Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library, the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, the Bowling Green (Ohio) Public Library, and a vehicle from Meridian Specialty Vehicles with Montana plates....
ALA Membership Blog, June 28

Thoughts on Burning Man
The Sunday Intellectual Freedom Round Table program featuring Burning Man Executive Director Larry Harvey and IFRT Chair Lauren Christos featured a dialogue that ranged from what it truly means to participate in a civic-minded society to creating culture amidst the vast expanse of the backdrop known as Black Rock City. Harvey eloquently delivered the concept of commodification of our culture while balancing the innate instincts of the human soul to give and connect freely to others....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27

Documentaries: The ethical challenges
Alexander Street Press held its customer appreciation breakfast Sunday morning, this one celebrating its 10th anniversary as a provider of large-scale digital collections to libraries. As breakfast speaker, the company brought in Patricia Aufderheide (right), director and founder of the Center for Social Media at American University, who discussed the behind-the-scenes ethical choices documentary filmmakers must make in attempting to portray real events....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27

Talking financial literacy
In the “Money Smart Week: Promoting Financial Literacy in Your Library” program on Monday, Bobbie Rudnick of Naperville (Ill.) Public Library and Lori Burgess of Fond du Lac (Wis.) Public Library talked about their libraries’ financial programming. Money Smart Week is a series of classes and activities designed to to help consumers better manage their money that was started by the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago in 2001....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 29

Black Caucus of ALA celebrates 40 years
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association celebrated 40 years of service to African-American librarianship Friday night at the Historical Society of Washington. Following a tribute to the late E. J. Josey and Effie Lee Morris, Black Classic Press Editor W. Paul Coates talked about BCALA’s legacy and future....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 28

Virtual communities and libraries
Tom Boellstorff, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, spoke at the Virtual Communities and Libraries Member Initiative Group meeting on Saturday. Boellstorff spoke from Second Life (using voice chat) regarding research and his book Coming of Age in Second Life....
Flickr, June 27

Focusing a global lens on local communities
Karen E. Brown writes: “Imagine if your bandwidth were so slow, you had to physically mail a CDR or thumb drive containing PDFs of your hard work to another location for someone else to upload? What if the only computers you have to help digitize your beloved cultural materials are infested with worms and viruses? These were legitimate difficulties encountered, along with extremely positive experiences, by some of the speakers of the ‘Libraries as Gateways to Local History Around the World’ panel, hosted by the International Relations Round Table.”...
Cognotes, June 28, p. 24

Preparing the librarians of the future
Jeanna Vahling writes: “Reforma and the New Members Round Table, collaborating for the first time, hosted a session titled ‘The New Professional Paradigm: Redefining the New Librarian’ on Sunday. It addressed the planning and passing on of knowledge and management skills across generations in this era of the ‘new librarian.’ Rutgers University Business Librarian Gene Springs suggested two levels of preparedness: institutional and individual.”...
Cognotes, June 29, p. 22

Off to read the wizard
It’s difficult to miss the OverDrive Digital Bookmobile stationed in the corner of a large parking lot across the street from the Washington Convention Center. But inside is not just the expected product information. The Digital Bookmobile is also home to a project called Lend Your Voice. “Lend Your Voice is a community-sourced audiobook production,” said Katherine Fleming of Random House Audio Listening Library, which is partnering with OverDrive on the project. Some 300 librarians collaborated on an audiobook recording of The Wizard of Oz. Random House’s Katherine Fleming explains the project (3:41)....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27; YouTube, June 27

MAGERT’s 30th anniversary celebration
The Map and Geography Round Table celebrated its 30th anniversary with a toast at the ALA Membership Pavilion on Sunday. The celebration included a book signing by Jim Coombs, map librarian at Missouri State University, past MAGERT chair, and author of Great Moments in Map Librarianship: Cartoons from the First 30 Years of base line, the round table’s newsletter....
ALA Membership Blog, June 27

Training Showcase on YouTube
Maurice Coleman writes: “Each of the exhibitors in the Learning Round Table Training Showcase has a short video giving their ‘elevator speech’ about why they participated and what they had to offer the LRT community. Here is Stacy Schrank (right) as an excellent example of the brief but effective videos. You can find the rest on my YouTube Channel.”...
Learning Round Table, June 28

ALA Dance Party 2010
Patrick Sweeney writes: “The ALA Dance Party was organized by the 8bitlibrary gaming folks. The event was advertised almost entirely via Twitter and Facebook and various blogs in an almost guerrilla fashion. In the end, about 100 librarians showed up at the Apex nightclub on Friday night and danced until the early morning hours. Attendees included Joe Murphy, Loida Garcia-Febo, and Stephen Abram.” Check out the video (0:29)....
PLA Blog, June 30

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Pitt wins Book Cart Drill championship
The “Night of the Living Librarians” team from the University of Pittsburgh won the sixth annual Library Book Cart Drill Team Championship on Sunday. Watch the video (8:14) of their performance. Drill teams made up of library workers performed themed dance routines with costumes and decorated book carts. Pitt’s team won the “golden book cart,” topping competitors from Delaware; Gettysburg College; Midlothian, Texas; and Roselle, New Jersey. All performances are on YouTube....
ALA Membership Blog, June 28; ALA YouTube, July 1

Jason Griffey crowned Battledecks champion
A raucous, standing-room-only crowd of about 250 stayed after the closing of the exhibit hall Monday to watch Jason Griffey (right) win the Battledecks competition. Battledecks is a not-completely-serious contest in which participants give a presentation  based on slides they’ve never seen before on a topic they get minutes beforehand. The results are frequently hilarious and often surprisingly insightful. Watch the video (4:03). Videos of all the participants are available here....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 29; ALA YouTube, June 29; Librarian by Day, July 1

Newbery/Caldecott: The pageantry, the splendor, the tats
Betsy Bird writes: “Each and every year I decide to celebrate the Newbery/Caldecott winners with a bit of old-fashioned body art. In the past, this has involved bands of the covers of the winners on either arm. This is fine and all, but this year I wanted to step it up a notch. So it was that I decided to go an entirely different route for 2010. In short, a kind of guessing game on either arm. As for the banquet itself, the flyers were consistently gorgeous.”...
School Library Journal: A Fuse #8 Production, June 28

Secrets of the John Cotton Dana winners
LLAMA sponsored a panel Saturday morning on outstanding community-centered marketing campaigns. “John Cotton Dana Winners Tell All!” brought together experts from libraries that won the John Cotton Dana Award to share their secrets about successful library PR and advocacy campaigns. Nancy Dowd (right), director of marketing for the New Jersey State Library, described the statewide 2009 campaign that allowed local libraries in New Jersey to tell strategic stories about how libraries transform lives....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 26

Crystal Apple goes to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland
AASL President Cassandra Barnett selected Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as the recipient of the 2010 Crystal Apple. The honor, announced at the AASL Awards Luncheon, is given at the discretion of the division president to an individual or group that has had a significant impact on school library programs and students. Barnett specifically mentioned Strickland’s Evidence-based Education Reform and Funding Plan, which includes a provision for phasing in funding for school librarians....
Cognotes, June 27, p. 8

A grand total of 26,201 librarians and library staff, exhibitors, and library supporters attended ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24–29. Attendance was short of the 28,941 who came to Chicago in 2009, but exceeded the 22,047 attendees in Anaheim in 2008.

Visit the ALA Annual Conference Flickr group pool to see the hundreds of photos uploaded by attendees (tagged ala10).

Find more conference coverage in the online version of Cognotes.

Top Technology Trends 2010
Sean Fitzpatrick writes: “Maybe it was the cavernous ballroom, but LITA’s Top Technology Trends panel seemed to have the biggest attendance I’ve ever seen. It was also the most information-dense, so much so that I’ll split the coverage into three parts. The Trendsters had three minutes to project trends for current, imminent, and long-term timelines.” Read parts two and three. LITA has a complete video of the session. See the LITA summary here....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 28–29; LITA Blog, July 2

TechSource Gadget Petting Zoo
Daniel A. Freeman writes: “The petting zoo was a major success, with dozens of people coming by the ALA Publishing booth to talk with some of our bloggers about the latest gadgets and what they can do for our libraries. It’s hard to say which gadget got the most attention. Of course, we were expecting a ton of interest in the iPad and eReaders, and the interest was certainly there.”...
ALA TechSource Blog, June 28

Four major trends from the tech vendors
Sean Fitzpatrick writes: “I spent most of my time at Annual meeting up with tech vendors who discussed their product plans and strategies. The ideas they share play an important part in shaping trends in librarianship, for those trends almost always have an antecedent technology component, and the technology the vendors provide must always fill some need if it’s going to be viable in the marketplace. Here are some major concepts that came up again and again.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, June 30

Infrastructure for intermediation
As librarians, we know we’re better than Google at providing relevant information—it’s just that we’re rarely as fast. At LLAMA’s “Competing with Search Engines: Rethinking Websites and Social Media Strategies” program Saturday morning, NewsTrust Executive Director Fabrice Florin described a technological platform that allows his group to quickly and efficiently intermediate between producers and consumers....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 27

ProQuest unveils new tech
Attendees got a preview of ProQuest’s all-new platform, which promises to unify all ProQuest content in a single framework. It will now include ProQuest Extended Search, a Serials Solutions technology that will enable libraries to connect to other non-ProQuest databases as well. The platform is the highlight of a wave of new technology being released by the company throughout 2010. ProQuest will begin migrating customers to the new platform in late summer....
Information Today, June 28

How to tell librarians from vendors
A favorite game to play whenever ALA is in town is Spot the Librarian. It’s usually a safe bet to start playing on your plane ride, at the airport, and throughout the city. As you are traversing the wilds of ALA, including roller backpacks and people covered in buttons, if you are new to the scene you might find yourself confusing equally badged vendors with librarians. Here is a handy guide to spotting the differences between the two species....
Unintentionally Funny Books, June 27

Tutor.com’s Best of ALA 2010
Jennifer Kohn writes: “The Tutor.com team had a great time at the ALA Annual Conference— meeting with clients, spotting celebrities, enjoying a home-cooked meal away from home, and of course having wonderful conversations about how Tutor.com and libraries are making a difference in people’s lives. Here are the very best moments of our ALA 2010 experience.”...
Tutor.com Blog, June 29

NPR’s Diane Rehm showcases libraries
NPR’s Diane Rehm Show invited ALA President Camila Alire, PLA President Sari Feldman, and DCPL Board of Trustees President John Hill to the June 28 show titled “The Changing Role of Public Libraries.” They discussed the ever-growing need for public libraries’ free resources, and the ongoing state budget cuts. The comments are interesting....
ALA Membership Blog, June 28; NPR: Diane Rehm Show, June 28

Returning a library book, five years late
This weekend, ALA kicked off its annual conference, just across the street from NPR. It’s a bit too close for comfort for Matt Martinez (right), the senior supervising producer of All Things Considered. He has a book that’s five years overdue, and with the librarians so close, he decided to turn himself in. The show features ALA President Camila Alire and D.C. Public Library Director Ginnie Cooper. Find out why Martinez is fascinated with libraries in this video (6:18)....
NPR: All Things Considered, June 27; ALA YouTube, June 27

ALA10: A day in the life
Travis Jonker writes: “What with all the real-life interactions and events going on during ALA Annual Conference, it is remarkably easy to not blog. But that changes here and now, as I present a day in the life (Sunday) at ALA 2010.”...
100 Scope Notes, July 1

Lessons from ALA10
Cindi Trainor writes: “At the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., I wrote this blog post. I was a month into a new job and trying to find my way into the impenetrable depths of the seemingly endless ALA. My past experience in other associations told me that Woody Allen was right when he said that 80% of success is showing up. Associations like ALA and its chapters and divisions depend on volunteers to get business and planning done, and there are never enough volunteers. So, looking back, what have I learned?”...
ALA TechSource Blog, July 2; Citegeist, June 24, 2007

Notes from a first-timer
Britt Foster writes: “Let me just say straight off that when you check in with conference registration, and they give you your name tag, there should be a small device that allows you to mainline coffee. I was able to attend Annual Conference this year through the Student-to-Staff program, a great opportunity for students involved in their ALA Student Chapters. Rather than go through the conference day by day (yawn), I wanted to report on some of the major themes I took away from the conference, and what that meant to me in terms of being a student librarian.”...
Library Moth, July 1

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