Special Post–Annual Conference Issue
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Contents

Conference Highlights | ALA News | Authors
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Division Sessions | Other Events | Awards
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Tech Events | In Other News | Twitter Noted & Quoted

The e-newsletter of the American Library Association | June 27, 2012

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Conference Highlights

ALA President Molly Raphael (left) and keynote speaker Rebecca MacKinnon discuss MacKinnon's book Consent of the Networked during the Opening General SessionMacKinnon calls for digital liberty
Journalist and internet policy specialist Rebecca MacKinnon (on right) was the keynote speaker Friday at the Opening General Session, introduced by ALA President Molly Raphael. Formerly a CNN reporter in China and Japan for 14 years, MacKinnon is a cofounder of Global Voices, a citizen media network that helps people speak out online in places where their voices are censored. “If we want the internet to remain compatible with our civil liberties,” MacKinnon said, “we should not assume it will always remain that way. We have to work for it, just as we need to constantly work to keep democracy alive.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 22

David WeinbergerDavid Weinberger envisions libraries as platforms
Technology consultant and internet philosopher David Weinberger (right), who currently serves as a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, spoke to ALA attendees Saturday morning about the explosion of digital knowledge and its consequences. He takes the position that the universe of knowledge is so wide that it can only begin to be comprehended by knowledge networks, aided by the platforms that they reside on. Watch an interview (10:59) with Weinberger in which he talks about information overload, Linked Data, and the limits of computer analysis....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 23; AL Focus, June 23

Dan Rather at the ALA Annual ConferenceDan Rather warns of media control
Veteran journalist and newscaster Dan Rather (right) provided a little taste of the stories in his new book Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News at the Monday ALTAFF President’s Program, and warned of the increasing “dumbing down and trivialization” of the news. Rather began by saying, “I think I am a pretty good storyteller. I should be, after more than 60 years as a reporter.” He went on to address what he called the “elephant in the room”—that he had not left CBS “under the best of good circumstances.”...
Cognotes, Highlights issue

Screenshot from Jodi Picoult/Samantha Van Leer interviewPresident’s Program features Picoult, Van Leer
The ALA President’s Program on Sunday featured a conversation between Molly Raphael and bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer. The mother-daughter author team appeared as part of their tour for the launch of Between the Lines. When asked about the process of coauthoring the book, Picoult and Van Leer agreed that they shared a nearly identical vision for many aspects of the novel. Van Leer said, “A lot of the time, we were seeing the same things.” Watch an exclusive interview (17:49) with Picoult and Van Leer....
Public Information Office, June 26; YouTube, June 25

Chris Colfer at Annual Conference. Photo by Curtis ComptonChris Colfer was gleeful to be at ALA
Actor and children’s book author Chris Colfer (right), best known for his starring role as Kurt Hummel in the award-winning TV comedy Glee, discussed his first children’s book, The Land of Stories, at the Auditorium Speaker Series presentation Saturday afternoon. His June 23 tweet, “Had a great time speaking at the 2012 ALA! My love for librarians is eternal!” was widely retweeted....
Cognotes, June 24

William Kamkwamba and Talia Leman answer questions during their Auditorium Speaker Series presentation, “Teens Making a Difference,” on SaturdayTeens, making a difference
“How can we do something greater than we know how to do? How can we become someone greater than we know how to be?” Talia Leman asked the audience at Saturday afternoon’s Auditorium Speaker Series presentation, “Teens Making a Difference.” Sharing the stage with William Kamkwamba, the 16-year-old philanthropist is the founder of RandomKid, a nonprofit organization designed to engage and mobilize kids for global action and relief....
Cognotes, June 25

Dan Ariely, bestselling author of "Predictably Irrational" and "The Honest Truth About Dishonesty," addresses ALA attendees Sunday morning during his Auditorium Speaker Series presentation. Photo by Curtis ComptonDan Ariely: We’re all dishonest
Dan Ariely (right), the affable author of Predictably Irrational and now The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone (Especially Ourselves), loves to use examples to illustrate his points. He began his Auditorium Speaker Series presentation Sunday by asking the audience how many had told a lie in 2012, followed by how many had told a lie in the last month, and then the last week. Naturally, virtually everyone raised their hands. Watch an interview (14:55) in which Ariely tells librarians how they can keep their collections safe and their patrons honest....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24; YouTube, June 26

Writer Stephen King jams out. On the left is author Amy Tan, decked out as a dominatrix. Photo by Sanhita SinhaRoyRock Bottom Remainders rock out
As though it needed proving, the Rock Bottom Remainders’ final performance Saturday night at the Scholarship Bash proved that librarians know how to party. Nearly 2,200 people attended the group’s last concert, as many danced and sang along with band members who livened the stage. Among those who performed were authors and illustrators Stephen King (right), Amy Tan (on the left), Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening (in a Marge Simpson mask), and Scott Turow....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 23

J. R. Martinez at the Closing Session. Photo by George EberhartJ. R. Martinez’s message of strength and survival
Incoming ALA President Maureen Sullivan introduced motivational keynote speaker J. R. Martinez (right), who overcame the severe burn injuries he sustained over 40% of his body in a Humvee incident in Iraq on April 5, 2003, to become the winner of Dancing with the Stars eight years later, an early literacy practitioner, and the author of a book, Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit, forthcoming in November. “There is a reason you take the journey, there’s a reason you take the path,” he said. “Life is jumping in the pool. Jump in the pool and learn to swim.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 26

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ALA News

Results for question: "Have you ever wanted to borrow a particular ebook from the public library and found that....?" on page 52Raphael responds to new Pew report
ALA President Molly Raphael released the following statement regarding the June 22 release of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project report, Libraries, Patrons, and Ebooks. The report examines the roles that libraries play in the shifting digital terrain as e-reading, tablet computers, and ebook readers become more popular. The research confirms that many people look to librarians to support digital literacy and learn new skills that lead to wider adoption of technology....
Office for Information Technology Policy, June 22

Screenshot of video interview with President-Elect Barbara StriplingBarbara Stripling talks about tough times
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Barbara Stripling, ALA’s incoming president-elect, took time to talk with American Libraries at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim on Friday. She talked about some of the difficulties facing school librarians. As a school librarian, she said, she would tell herself that she was going to make a difference to every student she worked with. Keeping an eye on that priority helped her forget about daily hassles. Watch the video interview (7:33)....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 22

Connect2Compete logoThe buzzword is “digital literacy”
Jordan Usdan, director of public-private initiatives at the FCC, outlined Connect2Compete on Saturday at the ALA Washington Office Update session. Connect2Compete is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to bring together leaders from communities, the private sector, and foundations to help Americans access the technology needed to improve their lives and be more competitive in the global economy....
Cognotes, June 24

Golden Rules for creating coalitions
The ALA Washington Office introduced a new advocacy tool called Mobile Commons on Saturday morning, and paired it with presentations from speakers representing the FCC, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and OpenTheGovernment.org. Mobile Commons provides a way to use text-messaging services to send out action alerts and a text-to-call feature, whereby users can instantly connect to their representatives via email....
Cognotes, June 25

The ALA Membership Meeting
ALA Annual Conference attendees at the Membership Meeting on Saturday approved two resolutions to be passed to Council the next day: a resolution opposing voter suppression in America and one stating that school libraries and librarians are critical to educational success (both approved by Council)....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 23

Screenshot from Bridging Cultures videoBridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys
Public and Cultural Programs Advisory Committee Chair Terrilyn Chun interviewed (5:00) Reed College Professor Kambiz GhaneaBassiri (right) about the “Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys” bookshelf, how it can help to increase cultural awareness, and the need for discussion in libraries about religion and its role in public life. The bookshelf is a collection of books to help public audiences in the US become more familiar with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims around the world....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

ALA Council I
In an unusual session, ALA Council I in Anaheim on Sunday took time to discuss its own effectiveness, working with ALA President-Elect Maureen Sullivan. Council members broke into small groups and, after several minutes of discussion, reported out on each group’s priorities. Councilors also heard a report from Digital Content and Libraries Working Group Cochairs Sari Feldman and Robert Wolven....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

ALA Council II affirms school libraries
In new business on Monday, a resolution that school libraries and librarians are critical to educational success, which was referred from Saturday’s Membership Meeting, was passed unanimously. Councilors also discussed a report on streamlining Annual Conference Programming....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 26

ALA Council III session ends early
Council III zipped through a short agenda on Tuesday, meeting for just a half hour. Memorial resolutions were read for Ray Bradbury, Kathleen Hegarty, Sara Fine, James Clifton Welbourne, Wanda L. Crenshaw, Jane Howell, Alexander Boyd, and Richard E. Bopp. A tribute to Abbé Charles-Michel l’Épée, inventor of sign language for the deaf, was also read....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 26

Retaining young professionals
Nicole Pagowsky writes: “Sunday I went to a meeting of the Young Professionals Subcommittee. The main issue we are trying to tackle is how to get and keep young professionals engaged in ALA and the profession. During the meeting, a distinction was astutely made between our mission and what many would consider to be work only for the New Members Round Table: namely, the difference between members who are new to ALA and members who are new to ALA and the library profession.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

The ACRL Residency Interest Group representative at the Association Options FairCheck your Association Options
Annie Pho writes: “ALA Annual has lots of sources for library school students and new grads on the job market. I headed over to the Association Options Fair, one of the Emerging Leader projects. It was so awesome to actually sit down with representatives from the various ALA divisions, sections, and interest groups. I want to highlight the ACRL Residency Interest Group because they are geared towards new professionals like myself who are just getting their first jobs.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Tom Sawyer at Disneyland
Erik Bobilin writes: “The successful ALA conference experience is one in which conference-goers, through their unique pattern of attendance—at panels, discussions, cocktail hours, breakfasts, parties, meet-ups, tweet-ups, walk-offs, and ice cream socials—are able, by the time they are nestled comfortably in the aisle seats of their return flights, to reflect on a process that has left them in more rarified company than when they arrived.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 23

ALA 2012 Virtual Conference logoThe 2012 ALA Virtual Conference
“Mapping Transformation: Experimentation and Innovation,” the 2012 ALA Virtual Conference on July 18–19, offers you the chance to get inspired by two days of interactive web sessions, discussions, and insights. From building our own ebook platforms to publishing the local community’s unique content and adding a DIY/Maker service for users, the presenters highlight how new services are transforming both their libraries and their communities. Sessions offer starting points for discussion as well as practical ideas for moving forward....
ALA Conference Services

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Authors

John Irving. Photo by Curtis ComptonJohn Irving discusses writing, family, sexuality
Bestselling author John Irving introduced his latest novel, In One Person, to a packed audience on Saturday morning. This is Irving’s 13th novel, which he said he didn’t begin writing until June 2009. When he did write it, “it’s as though the story already existed,” he said before explaining elements of his writing process. “Plot is the engine that drives my novels,” Irving said, adding that the passage of time “is almost as important as a major/minor character in the story.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 23

Screenshot from Sapphire videoAn interview with Sapphire
Annual Conference blogger mk Eagle had the opportunity to speak to Sapphire (right), author of Push and The Kid and an Auditorium Speaker on Sunday in Anaheim. Watch their conversation (12:29), which covers the challenge of writing from a teen perspective, the need for libraries to provide access to novels with challenging content for teens who need them, and the literary landscape for young African-American and Latino readers....
AL Focus, June 24

Sherman Alexie at the PLA President's ProgramSherman Alexie: Librarians are my superheroes
Sherman Alexie, author of 22 books, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, entertained a sizable crowd at the PLA President’s Program on Sunday. Alexie began his talk by saying that librarians “are my superheroes.” Because he grew up on a small Indian reservation in Washington state, Alexie said he checked out everything from his library—nearly 90% of all the books, he estimates—because it introduced him to the outside world....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

George R. R. Martin, author of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, from which HBO developed the hit series Game of Thrones, signs books at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. Photo by Sanhita SinhaRoyGeorge R. R. Martin draws an SRO crowd
Whether ALA attendees knew George R. R. Martin (right) from his ongoing book series A Song of Ice and Fire or the hit HBO series Game of Thrones (namesake of book one), a standing-room-only horde of excited fans were on hand Saturday at “Traveling the Spectrum: From Interstellar Adventures to Epic Fantasy, the Influence of Science Fiction and Fantasy on the World Today” to hear him speak about these genres. The program, which also featured Blake Charlton and Lois McMaster Bujold, was sponsored by LITA....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Chris Colfer, actor and authorChris Colfer creates an adventure for the imagination
Chris Colfer has been writing his new children’s novel, The Land of Stories, since he was 10 years old. Best known for his role as Kurt Hummel on Glee, Colfer is excited to have a new outlet for telling stories. “I really love storytelling,” he said. “Whether it’s behind the camera, in front of the camera, writing a book, or writing a screenplay.” In The Land of Stories, twins Alex and Connor inherit a magical book that transports them to a fairy tale land full of classic characters....

Cognotes, June 25

Screenshot from A. S. King interviewAuthor and library board member A. S. King
A. S King (right), author of Ask the Passengers, was among the authors appearing on the LIVE! @ your library reading stage. After her session, ALA’s Mary Davis Fournier interviewed her about how libraries have influenced her life and career and her experiences serving on her local library board. Watch the video (2:00)....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Interview with Javier HuertaLIVE! @ your library: Javier Huerta
Poet Javier O. Huerta (right), author of Some Clarifications y otros poemas (which received the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize) and American Copia: An Immigrant Epic, spoke (3:09) with ALA’s Mary Davis Fournier after his reading on Saturday about how libraries influenced him as a child, his time on a US Navy aircraft carrier, and as a student at the University of Houston....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

Historical fiction authors
“The authors on our panel create an authentic experience—the sense, the touch, the smell of a historical period,” said Barbara Hoffert as she introduced ALTAFF’s “Historical Fiction @ Your Library” Saturday morning. Authors spoke of wandering the streets of Venice and Manhattan imagining their characters in another time, of wearing historical clothes to feel what it was like to live in them, and of cooking up old herbal remedies. One author even wielded a replica of a medieval broadsword....
Cognotes, June 25

Screenshot from Jason Shiga videoJason Shiga, stuck in loops
Jason Shiga, author of Meanwhile and a speaker at the “Beyond Books: Graphic Novels and Magazines of Color” on Sunday, talks in this video (5:57) about how people can get stuck in loops in his books, how it feels to return to Annual Conference 10 years after attending as a library staffer, how his experiences working in libraries affect his work, and his current 712-page project....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Cover of A Plain Death, by Amanda FlowerMore religion publishers in ALA exhibits
Lynn Garrett writes: “There were a dozen or so religion/spirituality specialty houses at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference, along with several general trade publishers with religion imprints. Most are long-time exhibitors at the conference, but a few Christian houses are relatively new. B&H Publishing brought Amanda Flower—a librarian—to sign her Amish mystery, A Plain Death. ‘We had a steady line for that for about an hour,’ said B&H’s Jamie Phillips.”...
Publishers Weekly, June 26

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Division Sessions

Comedian and ALTAFF spokesperson Paula PoundstonePaula Poundstone headlines “The Laugh’s On Us”
As a spokesperson for ALTAFF for the past several years, comedian Paula Poundstone was back to headline “The Laugh’s On Us” (a comedic event that also featured entertainers such as Lizz Winstead, Carlos Kotkin, Tracy McMillan, Julia Pandl, and Joel Stein). More than 240 people purchased tickets to attend the Sunday evening show. Poundstone said in an interview before the event that it never occurred to her to persuade host Peter Sagal and show announcer Carl Kasell to become Friends of their libraries....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Duct tape marketing
What should libraries do to promote themselves when they have no budget, resources, or time? That’s what small-business marketing expert John Jantsch, owner of Duct Tape Marketing and author of the book of the same name, addressed on Sunday morning at the ASCLA President’s Program. Jantsch offered practical, step-by-step solutions through which libraries can blossom, using both in-person and new media services....
Cognotes, June 25

Moving beyond text
“When we’re looking for ourselves in kids, we don’t always see what we expect to see.” That statement from Stephen Abram, library futurist, was the takeaway lesson at the ALSC/YALSA Joint President’s Program on Monday. Michelle Poris, of the Smarty Pants marketi research and strategic consultancy, revealed that, of several hundred young people who participated in her study on digital activity, 68% agreed that “Grownups need to do a better job of finding out what’s important to kids.”...
Cognotes, Highlights issue

Defining public services for research libraries
Chris Bourg writes: “For the meeting of the ACRL Public Services Directors of Large Research Libraries Discussion Group on Sunday, I volunteered to kick off a discussion on how we define ‘public services.’ I think for large research libraries, public services are research services; and as AULs, or directors, or whatever our titles are, we should be talking at the strategic level.”...
Feral Librarian, June 24

Leading at all levels
Picture a V-shaped formation of Canada geese, moving together in one direction and changing positions as one after the other take their place in the lead and then move back as others take their place. As they travel, wind currents impact their speed and direction, but they adjust for this. Heather Krasna used this image at the LLAMA President’s Program on Saturday to represent how jobs can and do change throughout one’s career....
Cognotes, June 25

Two Duplo pieces and one normal Lego brickALSC and Lego Duplo announce partnership
In Anaheim, ALSC and Lego Duplo invited librarians to learn more about the impact that play can have as an integral part of early literacy. (Duplo is a product range of the construction toy Lego, designed for children aged 1½ to 5 years old.) As part of their collaboration, ALSC and Lego Duplo will be announcing a program called “Read! Build! Play!” that combines reading and building....
ALSC, June 22

Gamestar Mechanic website, one of AASL's 25 bestAASL celebrates the Best Websites
Despite the early morning hour and a few microphone glitches, the AASL session “2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning” drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. The seven AASL Best Websites for Teaching and Learning Committee members on the panel took turns introducing favorite sites that are “free, friendly, and encourage you to learn,” according to Chair Heather Moorefield-Lang. Updated annually, the Top 25 Websites list is based on feedback and nominations from AASL members....
AL: Annual Conference blog, AASL, June 23

Getting LITA’s ITIG up and running
Nicole Pagowsky writes: “There were about 20 people in attendance at the LITA Instructional Technology Interest Group meeting on Saturday, and it covered both a discussion and business meeting. We talked about how to keep up with new technology and best practices for choosing technology to use in instruction. There were a number of suggestions for nonlibrary resources to escape the echo chamber, particularly in education.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 23

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Other Events

International AL Direct logoInternational AL Direct to launch
The International Relations Office announced the launch of an international version of American Libraries Direct. International AL Direct will be emailed bimonthly to ALA’s 2,000+ international members in more than 115 countries and anyone interested in subscribing. If you would like a story featured, contact the editor....
International Relations Office, June 21

Librarians from all types of libraries meet and discuss at the Unconference. Photo by Annie PhoUnconference, Emerging Leaders
Annie Pho writes: “This year is my second Annual, but I’m hoping I can go every year because I think it’s awesome. For some folks, it’s too big of a conference, or they prefer smaller ones with a specialized focus. But I look forward to seeing my librarian friends from across the country (and from other countries) and talking to them about the cool stuff they’re doing in their libraries.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 22

Civil rights leader Julian Bond at the ProQuest customer breakfast. Photo by George EberhartJulian Bond speaks at ProQuest breakfast
Electronic information publisher ProQuest is working with civil rights leader, former legislator, professor, and writer Julian Bond (right) to convert the nearly 2-million-page microfilm archives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) into a fully searchable collection within its ProQuest History Vault initiative. Bond spoke at the company’s customer breakfast on Monday morning to provide some background on his role in civil rights activism in a talk he called, “How I Got in the Movement.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

ALA Councilors Aaron Dobbs and Michael Golrick attempt to place their game pieces in a spinning wheel in the Hamster Rolle gameALA gets its game on
High hilarity and wholesome enjoyment were in full flower at ALA Play on Friday night, where fun-loving gamers and comics fans gathered to compete in various games and dress up in either Doctor Who costumery or in the gears, goggles, corsets, and hats of the steampunk aesthetic. Games and activities were provided by the Games and Gaming Round Table, while the costumed fun was led by the Graphic Novel Member Initiative Group....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 23

GameRT logoGamification and GameRT
Erik Bobilin writes: “The Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT), having recently evolved from special interest group status, announced June 23 that it will expand on its mission to support libraries of all types by launching Games in Libraries, an update to the Library Gaming Toolkit. The new toolkit will serve as a clearinghouse for scalable resources to support programming and promote collection development.”...
ALA Membership Blog, June 24

Screenshot from Girl Gone Wild performanceGirl Gone Wild @ ALA
One highlight at the ALA PopTop Stage on Monday was the debut performance of the 817’s (for you Dewey-challenged folk, that’s “American humor and satire”), a comedy troupe consisting of Stand-Up Librarian Meredith Myers (center), MLIS of Fortune (and singer) Danica Sheridan, and RUSA’s own Mr. Reference, Dave Tyckoson. In addition to the finale song, a karaoke version of Madonna’s “Girl Gone Wild” (be sure to watch the amazing video, 4:54), the 817’s performed stand-up and improv, and debuted a hilarious Dos Equis spoof video, “The Most Interesting Librarian in the World,” featuring none other than former ALA President Michael Gorman....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 26

The Learning Round Table Ignite session couchAddressing the couch in the middle of the room
Paul Signorelli writes: “A colleague entering the room where Sharon Morris and I were facilitating the Learning Round Table’s ‘Ignite, Interact, and Engage: Maximizing the Learning Outcome’ session Sunday admits to being momentarily confused. ‘I didn’t remember ordering a couch,’ she said when she joined the session in progress.”...
Building Creative Bridges, June 25

Screenshot from Cecil Castellucci interviewArtist Alley interviews
Graphic novels have had a spot at ALA’s Annual Conference for several years, and comic-related events have been growing in popularity. This year, they’ve grown into GraphiCon, a miniconference that includes the Gaming and Graphic Novel pavilions, the graphic novel stage with a full weekend of programming, the ALA Play event, and Artist Alley, where attendees could meet their favorite authors and illustrators face to face. Watch these interviews with Faith Erin Hicks, Cecil Castellucci (above), Keith Knight, Alexis Fajardo, Matt Dembicki, and others....
AL Focus, June 25

Instructor Heidi Hong (right) guides ALA yogis in the Solar GreetingEarly morning yoga in the Anaheim sun
More than 100 conference attendees gathered on an outside terrace of the Anaheim Convention Center Sunday morning at 7:30 for an hour-long yoga session with certified instructors Heidi Hong and Jennifer Sproha from Yoga Stone. Think Fit Yoga guided participants through the Solar Greeting, the Triangle pose, and other asanas....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

Debut program: Retired Members Round Table
On Saturday afternoon, ALA’s newest group, the Retired Members Round Table, offered its first session titled “The Legacy of Library Elders: What Could, Should, Would It Be?” Dedicated to fostering lifelong professional involvement, such as mentoring and networking, this organization’s annual meeting was presided over by Chair-elect Carolyn Caywood, who stated that one need not be retired to be a member and, in fact, “retired librarian” may almost be a misnomer....
Cognotes, June 25

Beaumont (Calif.) Library Director Clara Di Felice stands in front of her new family bookmobile, geared for children 0-5On the road with the bookmobile
Panelists at Saturday morning’s “Serving Communities outside the Walls of the Library” had stories to tell about their adventures with bookmobiles. They recounted driving down dirt roads on rural California dairy ranches, searching for low-income neighborhoods in Tulsa, and helping visually impaired preschoolers pick out Braille books. But their work was far from over when they parked the bookmobile at the end of the day....
Cognotes, June 24

Libraries at the crossroads
Rachel Lux writes: “At the Saturday Public Programs Office session, ‘Libraries at the Crossroads: Programming for Civic Engagement,’ four librarians from a wide variety of backgrounds discussed why civic engagement isn’t always an evident role for the library and why and how we need to change this. It makes perfect sense for a library to promote civic engagement: They have neutral, safe spaces for discourse, employ people whose missions are to protect information freedom, and have access to resources that can promote healthy forum discussion.”...
Programming Librarian, June 23

Two librarians from Malaysia at the International Librarians Reception at the MuzeoReception for international librarians
Some 430 librarians from 87 countries attended Annual Conference in Anaheim, and many of them made their way to a reception at the Muzeo on Monday night, hosted by the International Relations Round Table. Recognition was given to the four winners of the ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative Library Projects, as well as the winners of the John Ames Humphry Award for significant contributions to international librarianship and the Bogle-Pratt International Library Travel Fund grant....
International Relations Round Table blog

HackLibSchool and networking
Annie Pho writes: “Second day on the ground, and what a day it’s been. This conference I tried to be a little more active, so I submitted a HackLibSchool Conversation Starter. A few weeks before the conference, I was a bit nervous about how things would go. Good thing the Hackers are all awesome. Many of us met for the first time in person at our session, which goes to show how the internet can bring good people together. We had some really good takeaway points.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

James Barry and Margaret FloydNaked cooking at ALA
Food processor whirring, chef James Barry whipped up cauliflower couscous in a leafy wrap in less than 10 minutes at the What’s Cooking at ALA? stage Friday. Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You (Harbinger, 2011), coauthored with Barry The Naked Foods Cookbook: The Whole-Foods, Healthy-Fats, Gluten-Free Guide to Losing Weight and Feeling Great (Harbinger, 2012), which includes more than 150 simple-to-prepare recipes....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 23

It’s the people
Chris Kyauk writes: “I attend ALA to get jazzed. I look forward to it all year as a time when I get to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and learn new things. I remember feeling very isolated and alone my first Annual—but now walking the conference is an exercise in serendipity. I never know which acquaintance I’ll run into or what session I might get pulled into.”...
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 24

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Awards

Covers of Anne Enright's The Forgotten Waltz and Robert K. Massie's Catherine the GreatEnright, Massie win first-ever Carnegie Medals
ALA celebrated a first June 24 in Anaheim when Anne Enright’s The Forgotten Waltz and Robert K. Massie’s Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman were named the respective winners of the inaugural Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The medals recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published the previous year in the US. The awards are sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation and administered by Booklist and RUSA....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 24

Screenshot of Kirby Heyborne at the Odyssey AwardOdyssey Award rocks the house
Mary Burkey writes: “Kirby Heyborne’s ode to librarians closed the amazing Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production celebration on Monday. The Odyssey Award–winning title Rotters closed the program, with Kelly Gildea, executive producer of Rotters, speaking about the process of creating the audiobook, with Rotters author Dan Kraus in the front row. Heyborne, the narrator of Rotters, took the microphone for an astounding reading from the title, then closed the program with his guitar and vocal salute to librarians (1:28).”...
Booklist Online: Audiobooker, June 26; YouTube

Betsy Bird at the Banquet. Photo by Rocco StainoNewbery/Caldecott Banquet tips and tricks
Betsy Bird (right) writes: “Day Three of ALA and I can say with certainty that lots of interesting things to do abounded. Collection specialist meetings, meals with Newbery medalists (both past and future), a final sweep of the conference floor for anything missed (Jim Murphy’s The Giant and How He Humbugged America = win!). But when it all comes down to it at the end of the day, the only thing to really discuss was the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet.”...
School Library Journal: A Fuse #8 Production, June 27

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize. Left to right: Nancy and Carl Gropper (president of the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation); Jack Bauer, Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library; Dylan Flesch, King County (Wash.) Library System; Viola Dyad, Oakland (Calif.) Public Library; John Shablesky. Photo by Tracy EdmundsWill Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries
The Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries was launched this weekend. Three libraries—Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library, King County (Wash.) Library System, and Oakland (Calif.) Public Library—were selected for the award. This year’s winners were announced June 24 at the Graphic Novel stage. The prize will be awarded yearly at the ALA Annual Conference....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 25

Spectrum scholars pose for a photo in the ALA Exhibits Area at the Office for Diversity booth before cutting into their million-dollar cake. Photo by George EberhartSpectrum reaches $1 million goal
ALA’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative recently reached its goal of $1 million in donations and celebrated with a cake shortly after the exhibits opened June 22. Spectrum, an initiative dedicated to diversity and recruitment in the library profession, supports master’s-level scholarship, provides two $25,000 doctoral scholarships, and develops special programs for recruitment and career development....
AL: Inside Scoop, June 22

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Tech Events

Barry Trott (left) and Dave Tyckoson perform “Why Can’t an Ebook Be More Like a Book?”Why can’t an ebook be more like a book?
Four ebook experts got together Monday afternoon in a session sponsored by the ALA Publishing Committee to discuss various forms of e-content and how and why they differ from their print counterparts. The participants were Sue Polanka, Frank Menchaca, Amy Pawlowski, and Dave Tyckoson. Before each of the others made their presentation, the irrepressible Tyckoson enlivened the audience with an ebook-related song, accompanied by librarian and musician Barry Trott and actress-turned-librarian Danica Sheridan....
AL: Annual Conference blog, June 26

Penguin announces an ebook lending program
On the first day of Annual Conference, ALA President Molly Raphael welcomed a June 20 announcement by Penguin that the publisher is instituting a pilot program with New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library to sell its front-list ebook titles to them. According to the June 20 Wall Street Journal, Penguin will make all 15,000 of its ebook titles available to the library market, but will embargo sales of its new ebook titles to libraries for six months after publication....
AL: E-Content, June 21; Wall Street Journal, June 20

The ebook elephant in the room
On Saturday morning, a panel of librarians presented the facets of the ebook challenge to an overflowing audience in “The Ebook Elephant in the Room.” Sue Polanka (Wright State University) started with a presentation of the unique approach OhioLINK has taken to providing universal access. Alene Moroni of King County (Wash.) Library System discussed how her system has made adjustments to fund ebooks....
Cognotes, June 24

Meredith Farkas on the LITA Top Tech Trends panelLITA’s Top Technology Trends
Watch panelists Lorcan Dempsey (OCLC), Meredith Farkas (Portland State), Nina McHale (Arapahoe Library District), Stephen Abram (Gale Cengage), and Clifford Lynch (Coalition for Networked Information) discuss trends and advances in library technology at the LITA Top Tech Trends program on Sunday. Part 1 (4:49) was interrupted by a fire drill; Part 2 (16:12) and Part 3 (63:33) continue the discussion....
LITA Blog, June 24; Ustream, June 24

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ALA 2012 Annual Conference in Anaheim logo

A grand total of 20,134 librarians and library staff, exhibitors, and library supporters attended ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, June 21–26. Attendance was 9 registrants better than last year’s conference in New Orleans, which totaled 20,125. The Washington, D.C., Annual Conference total was 26,201 in 2010.

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Visit Flickr (tagged #ala12 and the ALAannual12 member pool) to see the hundreds of photos uploaded by Annual Conference attendees, and watch videos (including many authors) on the official ALA YouTube channel.


Find more conference coverage in the online version of Cognotes.


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Twitter Noted & Quoted

Can I just say that I love the fact the #partyhard map is listed in the official #ala12 app.”

—Kelly, June 21

“I am so jealous of everyone who is going to #ala12! *cries* #SadLibrarianIsSad.”

—Kayla Beck, June 21

“Sadly, #ala12 app does not include ability to clone self to attend all the things. Bummer.”

—Beth L. Gallego, June 21

“George R. R. Martin is on my flight. Top that!”

—Angie Manfredi, June 22

“ALA President Molly Raphael just asked the room how many were attending their first conf – 75% raised their hands – wow! Welcome!”

—New Members Round Table, June 22

“ALA report from exhibits opening: 12 broken heels, 3 found iPads, 8 cardigans, & 1 warm pot of Earl Gray outside the hall.”

—FakeLibStats, June 22

“C. Alire on the importance of collaboration: ‘If you think you’re leading, but no one is following you, you’re just taking a walk.”

—Audrey Barbakoff, June 23

“Librarians are my archetype for sexy.”

—Molly Ringwald, June 23

“I feel like we can sum up the ebook debate with this line from Network: ‘I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.’”

—Kate Kosturski, June 23

“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find another profession that fosters as much collaboration, friendship, and advocacy as librarianship.”

—Lindsey Levinsohn, June 23

“It’s awesome that #ala12 is trending
. . . even though the FCC ignores the role of #libraries in digital, technology, and information literacies.”

—Troy Swanson, June 23

“Today I was told I have so many ribbons on my badge that I ‘look like the general of the librarian army.’ Truer than they know.”

—Emily Clasper, June 23

“First Daniel Handler reads erotica, then Amy Tan shows her dominatrix nature. Definitely creating #ala12 urban legends!”

—Cynthia Dudenhoffer, June 23

“It’s that time in the conference where I have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the outside world.”

—Jenny Levine, June 24

“Someone just said the words: ‘Overenthusiastic FRBRization.’ Time to drink!”

—Tom Bruno, June 24

“Missed my goal of getting ‘top ten tweets’ notice from @alaannual. Remains on my bucket list. Better luck next year.”

—Roy Tennant, June 25

“Based on #ala12 tweets, my proposed session for #ala13 will be called: ‘Stop Being Creepy, Here’s a Conference Ribbon, Now Let’s Find a Bar.’”

—Andy Woodworth, June 26

“What if Cognotes were more like The Onion? Something to #makeithappen at #ala13? At least a hashtag for faux headlines: #cognope #ala12.”

—Sara Zettervall, June 25

“Standing in line at airport security gate. Feel like there should be an author signing at the front of the line.”

—Sarah P. Justice, June 26

“Reading #ala12 tweets makes me 100% devoted to the plan of going in 2013. Chicago yay!”

—Jennifer Laughran, June 24

@ More quotes...


Enjoy our latest content

Congratulations to Anne Enright and Robert K. Massie, Winners of the 2012 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction!

Step up to the plate at your library 2012

Great Movies: 'Marnie,' Hitchcock's Last Masterpiece

Theater of the Street Explored Through the Photogaphs of Walker Evans, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank

Great Songs: 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'

How to Get a Great Job: Honing Your Interview Skills

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In Other News

City budget saves Queens Library staff, services
Threatened cuts to Queens Library service and library staff were averted, thanks to a final New York City budget agreement that restored nearly $90 million of a proposed $96 million cut to public libraries citywide. All of the 600+ jeopardized library staff jobs were saved, and every library will remain open at least five days a week. More than 85,000 people signed petitions, wrote postcards, and attended rallies over the past few months....
Queens Library, June 26

Soaked books at the Jim Dan Hill Library, University of Wisconsin-SuperiorUW-Superior recovers slowly from flooding
On the University of Wisconsin campus in Superior, books damaged by the June 20 flooding at the Jim Dan Hill Library will get a cool makeover. Early estimates indicate that about 75% of the collection (150,000 books and an unknown number of periodicals) can be saved through the freeze-drying process. Refrigerated trailers are being brought in to freeze the books. All water has been pumped from the library and workers are cleaning the lower level. Virtually all of the buildings on campus were damaged by flood waters from record rainfall....
Superior (Wis.) Telegram, June 27; University of Wisconsin-Superior, June 26; Wisconsin Public Radio, June 21

New Arizona obscenity law
School and public libraries in Arizona have been filtering online content for years to protect minors from accessing obscene materials on their computers. A new Arizona law, which goes into effect August 1, establishes significant consequences for those entities that don’t have a strict policy against such materials. House Bill 2712 specifies the types of material that schools and libraries must block and includes a tough penalty—the state can withhold 10% of its funding if the school or library doesn’t comply....
Phoenix Arizona Republic, June 24

451 error codeA 451 error code for internet censorship?
Andrew Couts writes: “Government-imposed online censorship has become increasingly prevalent over the past few years. Enter Tim Bray, a software developer at Google who has proposed a solution: a ‘451’ error code that displays anytime you visit a site blocked by the government. The number 451 is in honor of late author Ray Bradbury, whose Fahrenheit 451, first published in 1950, warned of a dystopian world defined by government-imposed censorship (in the form of burning any house that contains books).”...
Digital Trends, June 22; Boing Boing, June 13

Fort Myers library dig rankles history buffs
The 50-acre military base that gave Fort Myers its name held almost 60 buildings during its mid-1800s lifetime, and about five of those acres will become Lee County (Fla.) Library System’s newest branch. Neither city nor county hired an archaeologist to research the site before construction started, and now that it has, pausing would be pricy....
Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press, June 26

Arabic Manuscripts Digital Library of Jerusalem home pageAncient Arabic manuscripts to go online
The Arabic Manuscripts Digital Library of Jerusalem, inaugurated in mid-June at ceremonies in Jerusalem and Ramallah, will see the development of an online platform showcasing collections from the Khalidi Library, the Budeiri Library, Al-Aksa Library, Al- Ansari Library, and the Wakf Restoration Center in the Old City. The project’s stated goal is to “promote the written heritage of east Jerusalem and to make this heritage accessible to all with the sole caveat of an internet connection.”...
Jerusalem Post, June 26

LC acquires Carl Sagan papers
The Library of Congress has acquired the personal papers of American astronomer, astrobiologist, and science communicator Carl Sagan (1934–1996). The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive comprises approximately 800 boxes of materials that document Sagan’s life and work and includes his extensive correspondence with scientific colleagues and other important figures of the 20th century....
Library of Congress, June 27

Map of the northwest coast of North America from the Wytfliet atlasSwedes find stolen atlas in New York
One of the missing books stolen from the National Library of Sweden by Manuscript Librarian Anders Burius prior to 2004 has turned up in New York City. A copy of the earliest printed atlas of the Americas, Descriptionis Ptolemaicae augmentum by Flemish geographer Cornelius Wytfliet (Louvain, 1597), was recovered after a Swedish librarian noticed that it was offered for sale in 2011 by a New York map dealer, W. Graham Arader III, who had acquired it at an auction in 2003....
New York Times, June 26

Sample Cat Librarian Calendar entryCat Librarian Calendar
There’s a fun new librarian-centric calendar in the works for 2013. Cat Librarian Calendar, which will feature librarians with their feline friends, is asking for submissions. Inspired by the hilarious and strangely titillating Men of the Stacks calendar, which raised money for the It Gets Better project, this calendar will raise money for Project Gutenberg. Submissions are due by August 1. (Nakedness not required.)...
Pawsome, June 25

Screenshot from Hachette Australia book sculpture videoHachette’s book sculpture video
Rather than taking the traditional route and simply printing catalogs for their fall list, Hachette Australia has put together a stunning and inspirational video (2:33). “With new books come new feelings,” the beginning of the video reads, and a black-clad staff enters a warehouse to unload and shelve boxes of new books, carefully stacking them to spell out evocative words such as “cry,” “grow,” “imagine,” and “fight.”...
The Huffington Post, June 21; YouTube, June 20

Screenshot from Robot and Frank trailerSusan Sarandon plays a librarian in Robot and Frank
In Robot and Frank (to be released August 24), grumpy old man Frank (Frank Langella) has a robot butler but enjoys his long walks to the library to visit with Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), the librarian who watches over the increasingly marginalized books as they are replaced by a digitial “library experience.” Set in the near future, Frank watches the world changing around him, one of the old guard left behind in evolution’s wake, and he doesn’t like it one bit. Watch the trailer (2:31)....
DC Film Examiner, Apr. 15; IMDb; YouTube, June 25

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