ALA 2013 Midwinter Meeting
Librarians and library supporters gathered in Seattle January 25–29 to discuss ways that libraries can engage and transform their communities. This year’s event drew 6,694 attendees and 4,037 exhibitors, compared to 6,236 attendees and 3,693 exhibitors in Dallas for the 2012 Midwinter Meeting; 7,549 attendees and 2,561 exhibitors in San Diego in 2011; and 8,526 attendees and 2,569 exhibitors in Boston in 2010....
Public Information Office, Jan. 29

Caroline Kennedy on libraries and family
Phil Morehart writes: “‘I’m descended from a long line of book worms and librarians. They would be very proud of me for being here with you.’ Caroline Kennedy’s (right) revelation at the beginning of her Auditorium Speaker Series talk Sunday at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle set the tone for the entire session. Her talk and Q&A with ALA President-elect Barbara Stripling was filled with stories that detailed how learning, books, and poetry shaped her famous family, interwoven with reminders of the important roles that libraries and librarians play as guardians and facilitators of information and ideas, role models to youth, and voices for communities.” The Seattle Times also covered Kennedy’s talk....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27; Seattle Times, Jan. 27

Steven Johnson and the origin of innovation
Jaime Hammond writes: “Auditorium Series speaker Steven Johnson (right) started Saturday off with a funny story about cholera. No, really. The story, which he researched for his book The Ghost Map, depicted John Snow researching the cholera epidemic in 1850s London. In a eureka moment, Snow realized that water, not miasma, carried cholera; stopped the cholera epidemic; and saved London. Except that’s not how it happened.” American Libraries Associate Editor Phil Morehart interviewed Johnson (9:18) about how he came to realize the value of “peer progressivism,” his research process, and the changing state of journalism....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27; AL Focus, Jan. 26

The story of Still Alice
George Eberhart writes: “Lisa Genova (right), neuroscientist and bestselling author of Still Alice (2008), Left Neglected (2011), and Love Anthony (2012), presented the Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture on Saturday. Although her more recent novels focus on autism and hemispatial neglect, Genova chose to talk about her first book, which revolved around a 50-year-old woman, Alice Howland, who develops early-onset Alzheimer’s.” Watch the exclusive American Libraries video interview (13:37) with Genova, in which she discusses autism....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27; AL Focus, Jan. 26

The varieties of autistic thought
George Eberhart writes: “For its 23rd customer appreciation breakfast on Sunday, Alexander Street Press invited as keynote speaker Temple Grandin (right), bestselling author, doctor of animal science, and autism activist. Grandin, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2 in 1949, advocates early behavioral or cognitive intervention to address this neural disorder in kids. She particularly worries about videogame addiction in middle-school students, because they are often individuals on the autism spectrum who think visually and not conceptually.” Grandin will be an Auditorium Speaker at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

The digital revolution of PR
Laurie D. Borman writes: “Librarians learned a dazzling array of tips and tricks for increasing their public relations efforts on Facebook in a Midwinter ALA Masters Series session on Sunday. Ben Bizzle, director of technology at Crowley Ridge Regional Library in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and David Lee King, digital services director at Topeka and Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library, shared ideas with a packed audience on how to maximize reach and increase impact cost-effectively.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Applying appreciative inquiry to community engagement
Megan McFarlane writes: “I am not usually one for interactive sessions, so I was a little concerned when I walked into Peggy Holman’s ‘Community Engagement Conversation’ session Sunday and saw the small-group seating arrangement. However, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised with the results. Appreciative inquiry focuses on increasing what an organization does well rather than on eliminating what it does badly, and how to analyze that success in order to achieve greater success in future endeavors.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Librarians flock to Maker Monday
Laurie D. Borman writes: “‘All of us are makers,’ said Dale Dougherty, founder of Make magazine, to a capacity Midwinter crowd at ‘The New Stacks: The Maker Movement Comes to Libraries’ on Monday. ‘It’s in all of us. Librarians are makers of spaces, keepers of resources shared by many, makers of a culture of learning.’ Along with Travis Good, a former engineer and freelance writer for Make, Dougherty described the enthusiasm for Maker Faires, where makers show off the fun and wildly creative things they make to enthusiastic and growing crowds.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 29

Jamaica Kincaid on libraries and censorship
Phil Morehart writes: “‘You are the gatekeepers between reader and writer. For someone like me, you have no idea how beautiful your existence is.’ Author Jamaica Kincaid (right) enthused about librarians throughout the Freedom to Read Foundation Banned/Challenged Author event, held Saturday night at Town Hall Seattle. Kincaid was the event’s featured speaker, and she kept the large crowd rapt and laughing, particularly with stories detailing a lifelong relationship with libraries and librarians that stretches back to her childhood in Antigua.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Martin Luther King Jr. Sunrise Celebration
The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration is a Midwinter tradition, recognizing the connection between his life’s work and the library world. This video (4:08) shows some of the words and music commemorating Dr. King’s legacy....
AL Focus, Jan. 28

Librarians engage with Seattle’s homeless
Phil Morehart writes: “‘I love librarians!’ Deborah Edison, director of development and marketing for homeless advocacy organization YouthCare, was enthusiastic as she spoke to a group of 11 librarians at Straley House, YouthCare’s home for homeless youth aged 18–24, on Friday. The large, labyrinthine house in Seattle’s University District neighborhood provides essential services and support—housing, meals, life skills workshops, art therapy, and more—to the homeless in an effort to prepare them for a life off of the streets.” Watch the video (2:41). More than 2,700 men, women, and children slept on the streets in King County in January....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 25; AL Focus, Jan. 26; KOMO-TV, Seattle, Jan. 25

Homeless Outreach: Food for youth
YouthCare also allowed Midwinter volunteers to cook meals for homeless youth. Jaime Hammond reports: “As part of the Homeless Outreach project, a small group of librarian volunteers cooked meals on Friday and served them to area homeless youth. YouthCare, the site of the volunteer project, is a place where youth can not only get warm, get food, or find a place to sleep, but better themselves as well. ALA member volunteers chopped apples, prepared pasta, and served approximately 40 youths under the direction of Jack Koran, YouthCare’s meal coordinator.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 26

The National Library Board of Singapore
American Libraries’ George Eberhart interviewed (9:46) Katherina Lee, senior staff member for the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore and executive director of its international library development company Cybrarian Ventures, and Lee Kee Siang, director of technology and innovation for the NLB. Lee and Siang spoke Saturday at the ALA Masters Series about the NLB and its innovations in providing access to electronic resources and in offering management services and technical solutions to libraries worldwide....
AL Focus, Jan. 26

Smitty Miller and LiLi
Smitty Miller, Fraser Valley (British Columbia) Regional Library’s Tour Manager, talks (6:26) about LiLi, the library’s Nissan Cube, which it uses to deliver mobile library services throughout the community. Through the Library Live and On Tour project, Miller visits community agencies to provide programming and assistance to people who cannot come to the library or do not feel comfortable there. The car is stocked with gadgets for potential patrons to experience and Miller is able to talk to them and do what is necessary to make them feel they’ll be welcome at the library....
AL Focus, Jan. 28

Star Wars origami at the Wrap-Up/Rev-Up session
Authors Tom Angleberger and Chris Alexander hosted the Star Wars–themed Wrap-Up/Rev-Up Celebration (2:49), complete with stormtroopers, R2D2, and Boba Fett (in origami form). Alexander led the audience in a step-by-step construction of Boba Fett....
AL Focus, Jan. 28

Romania’s new national library
Hermina Anghelescu and Leonard Kniffel write: “Visible from nearly half a mile away, an enormous rooftop Samsung banner leads the casual observer to suppose that the imposing new building in Bucharest is the Romanian headquarters for the electronics giant. Not so. A small plaque near one of the massive entrance doors says that this is the National Library of Romania. Leading a tour through the new facility for American Libraries in late September, Nicoleta Rahme, head of collection development, said the library staff of 240 is wholly inadequate and ill-prepared for the responsibilities they have inherited.”...
American Libraries feature

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A presidential initiative: Transforming communities
Laurie D. Borman writes: “ALA President Maureen Sullivan moderated ‘The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities,’ a panel of three civic innovators held Saturday at the Midwinter Meeting. The panel served as a first step in building a sustainable, scalable national plan for library-led community engagement. The speakers brought both experience and first-hand stories about how their work at a local level has united communities on common ground.”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Harwood and Sullivan on transforming communities
ALA has formed a partnership with the Harwood Institute to realize the promise of libraries transforming communities. In this video (4:03), ALA President Maureen Sullivan and Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute introduce the partnership and answer questions from attendees....
AL Focus, Jan. 26

The post-award aftermath: 10 truths
Marge Loch-Wouters writes: “Post–ALA Youth Media Awards scuttlebutt is ever and always the same—as are my reactions. People swoon. People go nuclear. People swear and threaten (they clearly have had bad days for other reasons). People cheer. People bemoan a favorite frozen out. People question books they haven’t heard of or haven’t purchased. People sigh over how unpopular the winners or honorees will be with kids. People glow in agreement. I’m going to tell you all what I think and know and how I react: My 10 truths, as it were.”...
Tiny Tips for Library Fun, Jan. 28

Candidates’ Forum
ALA presidential candidates Courtney Young and Barbara Immroth (shown) and treasurer candidates Clara Bohrer and Mario Gonzalez make their opening statements at the 2013 ALA Presidential and Treasurer Candidates Forum in this video (17:20)....
YouTube, Jan. 27

Council I: Rethinking ALA
ALA Council breezed through approval of the 2012 ALA Annual Conference Council minutes, among other actions at its first session on Sunday. For about an hour, Council broke into small groups to discuss “rethinking ALA” and what the group’s aspirations were for ALA. Among the many comments and suggestions were: Continue legislative advocacy, literacy training funding, leadership in copyright and fair use, and the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group efforts....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Council II
The Council II session included the Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer James Neal reported that total ALA revenues for 2012 were $49,636,817 against expenses of $50,053,297. Total ALA assets were $76,033,460, and total ALA liabilities were $45,570,809. Council passed a motion brought by the Committee on Organization to create a Sustainability Round Table....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 29

Council III
At the final Council session of Midwinter 2013, a number of actions were taken. A revised resolution on a personal dues adjustment passed and will go to the membership on the 2013 ballot for a vote. At the recommendation of the Committee on Legislation, Council recognized Sen. Olympia Snow (R-Maine) on her 2013 retirement after 18 years “of dedicated commitment to libraries and the American public that depends upon them.” Council also approved COL’s resolution supporting the application of the first sale doctrine of the copyright law to all materials in library collections....
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 29

Session proposals due February 17
Your dynamic presentation might be the one that moves the needle forward for the profession. Inspire others by submitting a proposal by February 17 for one-hour “Conversation Starters” and five-minute “Ignite” sessions for the 2013 ALA Annual Conference (June 27–July 2), or 45-minute programs for the ALA Virtual Conference (July 24–25)....
Conference Services, Jan. 29

The American Dream Starts @ your library will continue
Thanks to a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, ALA and its Office for Literacy and Outreach Services will continue funding the American Dream Starts @ your library, a literacy initiative for adult English-language learners and their families. In 2013, ALA has selected 51 public libraries in 21 states to receive one-time grants of $5,000–$15,000 to add or expand literacy services for adult English-language learners....
Public Information Office, Jan. 29

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LITA Top Tech Trends 2013
Jason Griffey writes: “Here is the live stream for the LITA Top Tech Trends panel at ALA Midwinter 2013 in Seattle (in two parts). Topic: ‘If Data Resides in a Cloud Environment, Is It Still Mine?’ Panelists: Roy Tennant, Bess Sadler, Todd Carpenter, Carl Grant (moderator), John Law, Mackenzie Smith, Julie Speer....
LITA Blog, Jan. 27

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Youth Media Award winners
ALA announced the top books, videos, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at its Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. The announcement was webcast for those who could not attend and is still viewable as an hour-long archived recording. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth....
Public Information Office, Jan. 28

Newbery and Caldecott winners
Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan, and Jon Klassen, illustrator and author of This Is Not My Hat, are the 2013 winners of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals. The Newbery and Caldecott medals honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the United States during the previous year....
ALSC, Jan. 28

Diaz, Sáenz win Pura Belpré Awards
David Diaz, illustrator of Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, are the 2013 winners of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award and Author Award, which honor Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children’s books. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe also won a Stonewall Book Award....
ALSC, Jan. 28; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, Jan. 29

Collier, Pinkney win Coretta Scott King Awards
Bryan Collier, illustrator of I, Too, Am America, and Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, are the winners of the 2013 Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoring African-American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults....
Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, Jan. 28

Tucker wins CSK–Virginia Hamilton Award
Demetria Tucker (right) is the recipient of the 2013 Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Tucker has served as youth services coordinator at the Roanoke (Va.) Public Library System and library media specialist at the Forest Park Elementary School, where she was selected 2007 Teacher of the Year. She now coordinates a youth leadership program, a teen urban literature club, and many other programs that support the youth of her community....
Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, Jan. 28

Ethan Long wins Geisel Award
Author and illustrator Ethan Long is the 2013 recipient of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for Up! Tall! and High! (G. P. Putnam’s Sons). A bevy of birds perform a play in three acts, while teaching the concepts of up, tall, and high. The Geisel Award is given to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States....
ALSC, Jan. 28

In Darkness wins Printz Award
In Darkness, written by Nick Lake and published by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers, has won the 2013 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. Fifteen-year-old Shorty awakens beneath the ruins of a crumbled hospital in Haiti, where his weakening mind begins flashing back through his own violent history, the loss of his twin sister, and his mystical connection to Toussaint Louverture, the 19th-century revolutionary who helped liberate his country....
YALSA, Jan. 28

Tamora Pierce honored with Edwards Award
Tamora Pierce is the recipient of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award that honors her significant and lasting contribution to YA writing for the Song of the Lioness quartet and The Protector of the Small quartet. The four books in the Song of the Lioness series focus on Alanna’s journey to accept herself both as a woman and a warrior. Also set in Tortall, two decades later, is the Protector of the Small quartet. Though set in a fantasy world, Pierce’s heroines face realistic challenges that resonate with teen readers....
YALSA, Jan. 28

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, written by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, has been named the 2013 winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. In a suspenseful combination of science and history, Sheinkin masterfully exposes the international race to develop an atomic weapon and bring an end to World War II. The award honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12–18) during a November 1–October 31 publishing year. The title also won the Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2012....
YALSA, Jan. 28; ALSC, Jan. 28

Seraphina wins 2013 William C. Morris Award
Seraphina, written by Rachel Hartman, has been named the 2013 winner of the William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. When the death of a royal prince threatens the fragile peace between humans and dragons in Goredd, court musician Seraphina is drawn into the murder investigation. But even as she aids Prince Lucian in his mission to uncover the murderer, Seraphina conceals a dangerous secret of her own—her half-human, half-dragon heritage....
YALSA, Jan. 28

Batchelder Award honors Dial Books
Dial Books is the winner of the 2013 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for My Family for the War, the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a foreign language and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. Originally published in German in 2008 as Liverpool Street, the book was written by Anne C. Voorhoeve and translated by Tammi Reichel....
ALSC, Jan. 28

Katherine Paterson wins the Wilder Award
Katherine Paterson (right) is the winner of the 2013 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honoring an author or illustrator, published in the United States, whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. Her numerous works include Bridge to Terabithia (Crowell, 1977), Jacob Have I Loved (Crowell, 1980), and The Great Gilly Hopkins (Crowell, 1978). Paterson’s use of rich, literary language elevates each story, yet her engaging plots, believable dialogue, and wry humor appeal to young readers....
ALSC, Jan. 28

Carnegie Medal goes to Anna, Emma, and the Condor
Katja Torneman, producer of Anna, Emma, and the Condor, is the 2013 recipient of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video. Anna and Emma, along with their parents, work to bring the amazing and magnificent California condor back from the brink of extinction. The girls are articulate and caring, sometimes silly, and always engaging as they assist their parents with this important work....
ALSC, Jan. 28

Pinkney to deliver 2014 Arbuthnot Lecture
Author Andrea Davis Pinkney, vice president and editor at large of Scholastic’s Trade Books, will deliver the 2014 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. Each year, an individual of distinction in the field of children’s literature is chosen to write and deliver a lecture that will make a significant contribution to the world of children’s literature. The lecture is delivered in April and subsequently published in Children and Libraries....
ALSC, Jan. 28

2013 Alex Awards
YALSA has selected 10 adult books with special appeal to teen readers to receive the 2013 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust, were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens....
YALSA, Jan. 28

Odyssey Award goes to Brilliance Audio
Brilliance Audio, producer of the audiobook The Fault in Our Stars, has won the 2013 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. The award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults. The Fault in Our Stars, written by John Green and narrated by Kate Rudd, perfectly captures the mercurial characters of Hazel Grace and Augustus, teens whose chance meeting in a cancer support group surprises them both as they embark on an emotional roller coaster of a journey....
YALSA, Jan. 28

2013 Notable Videos for Adults
The ALA Video Round Table’s Notable Videos for Adults Committee has compiled its 2013 list of Notable Videos for Adults, a list of 15 outstanding programs released on video within the past two years and suitable for all libraries serving adults. Its purpose is to call attention to recent video releases that make a significant contribution to the world of video....
Video Round Table, Jan. 29

2013 Schneider Family Book Awards
Winners of the Schneider Family Book Award, which honors authors and illustrators for the artistic expression of the disability experience for children’s and adolescent audiences, were announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Back to Front and Upside Down! written and illustrated by Claire Alexander won the award for younger children; A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean was the winner in the middle school category; and Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis was the winner in the teen category....
Public Information Office, Jan. 28

Dictionary wins Dartmouth Medal
RUSA has selected the Dictionary of American Regional English (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press) as the winner of its 2013 Dartmouth Medal, an annual award for a reference work of outstanding quality and significance. Over the past 65 years, editors Frederick Cassidy and Joan Houston Hall have worked with hundreds of staff, volunteers, and students to compile this comprehensive dictionary of American English usage. Citations extend from the 17th century to the 21st century....
RUSA, Jan. 27

Outstanding Reference Sources
RUSA has announced its selections for the 2013 Outstanding Reference Sources. This list of titles identifies the most important reference publications for small and medium-sized public and academic libraries published in a given year....
RUSA, Jan. 27

Notable Books List
RUSA has announced its selections for the 2013 Notable Books List—a source for very good and very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the nation’s adult readers. The winners were selected by the Notable Books Council, a group of RUSA members and readers’ advisory experts from around the country. Since 1944, the council has annually selected a list of 25 important books for adults....
RUSA, Jan. 27

Listen List
RUSA has made its selections for the 2013 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration juried list. The Listen List recognizes and honors the narrators who create extraordinary listening experiences meriting special attention by general adult listeners and the librarians who work with them....
RUSA, Jan. 27

Reading List of genre fiction
RUSA has announced the selections for its 2013 Reading List, which annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (including suspense, thrillers, and adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, and women’s fiction. This year’s list includes novels that will please die-hard fans, as well as introduce new readers to the pleasures of genre fiction....
RUSA, Jan. 27

2013 Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature
The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible by Matti Friedman (Algonquin) was chosen by RUSA for this year’s Sophie Brody Medal, given to encourage, recognize, and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature published in the US. The book illuminates a remarkable range of Jewish themes: the Diaspora, the State of Israel, the survival of original Jewish texts, and the fate of the Jews in the Arab world....
RUSA, Jan. 27

Broadnax wins 2013 Zora Neale Hurston Award
Lavonda Kay Broadnax (right), digital project coordinator at the Library of Congress, is the 2013 recipient of RUSA’s Zora Neale Hurston Award. The award honors librarians who have demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Broadnax was selected for her bibliography project, “Selected Literature Published by the Civil War Soul Sisters.” The project showcases the writings of “black women who lived during the US Civil War, [during] a time when it was illegal for most African Americans to learn to read or write.”...
RUSA, Jan. 27

NextReads wins 2013 Louis Shores Award
The team behind NextReads, an e-newsletter tool for libraries from EBSCO’s NoveList, is the 2013 winner of the RUSA Louis Shores Award. The award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium, or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The awards committee praised her book reviews, blog and social media postings, readers’ advisory books, and review columns that serve as valuable tools for both readers and readers’ advisors....
RUSA, Jan. 27

2013 Excellence in Academic Libraries awards
At the Midwinter Meeting, ACRL announced the recipients of its 2013 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award: Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College Library; Olin Library (right), Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida; and Falvey Memorial Library, Villanova (Pa.) University. Sponsored by ACRL and YBP Library Services, the award recognizes the staff of a college, university, and community college library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution....
ACRL, Jan. 29

2013 Stonewall Book Awards
The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience. The winners are Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Simon & Schuster), The Last Nude by Ellis Avery (Riverhead), and For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home edited by Keith Boykin (Magnus)....
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, Jan. 29

2013 Rainbow Books list
The 2013 Rainbow Books list, a joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table, was announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The bibliography features recommended fiction and nonfiction titles for young readers, from birth through age 18, noted for their significant and authentic GLBTQ content. Forty-nine books from 31 publishers were selected for the 2013 Rainbow list....
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, Jan. 28

2013 Amelia Bloomer List
The Amelia Bloomer Project, a product of the Social Responsibilities Round Table’s Feminist Task Force, has announced the 2013 Amelia Bloomer List, which consists of well-written and well-illustrated books with significant feminist content, intended for young readers from birth to 18 years old. The books on this year’s list portray stories of women and girls finding their individual and collective voices....
Social Responsibilities Round Table, Jan. 28

2013 BCALA Literary Award winners
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2013 BCALA Literary Awards during the Midwinter Meeting. The awards recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African-American authors published in 2012. The winner of the 1st Novelist Award is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (Alfred A. Knopf). In the fiction category, the winner is Freeman: A Novel by Leonard Pitts Jr. (Bolden)....
Cognotes, Jan. 28, p. 5

Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award
Librotraficante is the 2012 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award given by the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Librotraficante, a movement led by Tony Diaz, is being recognized for its efforts to oppose the censorship of ethnic and cultural studies materials in Arizona. Librotraficante efforts have since extended across the country, including the development of a magazine and a freedom of speech event created in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month....
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GSLIS, Jan. 8

Hilary Mantel wins Costa Book of the Year
Hilary Mantel continues to set records after her book Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate) became the first work to win the Costa Book of the Year as well as the Man Booker Prize. Mantel was awarded the £30,000 ($47,273 US) prize January 29 at a ceremony in central London. There had been pleas not to award the prize to Mantel, who has already had huge recognition for Bring Up the Bodies and its predecessor Wolf Hall, and instead give the recognition to a less celebrated author. The issue was even brought up by one of the judges....
The Independent (UK), Jan. 29

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature
Author Jeet Thayil has won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for Narcopolis, his Booker-nominated debut novel about drug addiction in Mumbai. Thayil is the first Indian to win the prize, awarded annually to a work of fiction “inspired by the South Asian region, people, culture, and diaspora.” Thayil wins £32,000 ($50,420 US). He courted controversy in 2012 when he was one of four authors to read from Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, which is banned in India, at the Jaipur Literature Festival. He later apologized....
BBC News, Jan. 25

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Islamist rebels torch Timbuktu library before fleeing
French and Malian troops retook control of Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on January 28 after Islamist rebel occupiers fled the ancient Sahara trading town and torched several buildings, including a library holding priceless manuscripts. Timbuktu Mayor Hallé Ousmane Cissé said that departing Islamist gunmen had four days earlier set fire to the town’s new Ahmed Baba Institute, which contained thousands of manuscripts. More than 3,000 manuscripts have been destroyed and others looted, according to an institute worker....
Reuters, Jan. 28; The Guardian (UK), Jan. 28; NPR: The Two-Way, Jan. 29

LC signs “Declaration of Learning”
On January 30, the Library of Congress joined 12 other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations in signing a “Declaration of Learning” that formally announces their partnership as members of the Inter-Agency Collaboration on Education. The initiative is spearheaded by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who joined representatives at the signing ceremony. The library has committed to utilizing historic artifacts in its collections, as well as its educational expertise, to create digital learning tools that can be accessed from computers, tablets, and cellphones. Watch the video of the signing (5:41)....
Library of Congress, Jan. 30; US Department of State, Jan. 30

Paterson libraries ban playing of violent videogames
City youths looking to hone their Call of Duty videogame skills can’t do it at the Paterson (N.J.) Free Public Library System anymore. Its board voted in January to ban the playing of direct-shooter videogames on the computers at its facilities. The vote was prompted by a petition from staffers who had been following an unofficial practice of discouraging youths from playing the games. Director Cindy Czesak said that unlike some towns where children often are supervised by their parents while at the library, Paterson libraries have many youths who come in on their own....
Paterson (N.J.) News, Jan. 27

Sleeping banned at Iowa City Public Library
The Iowa City (Ia.) Public Library board of trustees voted 6–1 January 24 to implement a sleeping ban. The ban, which has become part of the library’s official conduct policy, applies to all library patrons except attended children. “The concern expressed by community members is that sleeping in the library is an inappropriate use of library resources,” said Library Director Susan Craig. But several community members at the meeting said the sleeping ban was targeting homeless people who had nowhere else to go....
Iowa City Press-Citizen, Jan. 24

Baseball mystery in Sacramento
Book restorer Joanne Murphy knew something was unusual when she opened up an old Bible in mid-January. The holy book turned up among the tens of thousands of materials donated to the Friends of the Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library each year. Inside the Bible, the signatures of 30 players and manager Fred Haney of the 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates were emblazoned on the first page along with “Pirates 1953” written across the top in blue ink. The signed Bible had been given to Pirates’ general manager Branch Rickey, but how did Rickey’s Bible end up in a donation bin for a Sacramento library group?...
Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, Jan. 26

New major theft case in Canada
The Fall River, Nova Scotia, home of John Mark Tillmann contained more than 1,300 books, documents, and other artifacts believed stolen from multiple collections. After a traffic stop in June in which stolen documents (including a James Wolfe letter from the collections of Dalhousie University) were found in Tillmann’s car, police searched his house and found rare materials from the Nova Scotia Provincial Archives, Mount St. Vincent University, and the Provincial Building Legislative Library. News reports suggest that the thefts may have taken place over more than two decades....
PhiloBiblos, Jan. 27; CBC News, Jan. 22; Halifax (N.S.) Chronicle Herald, Jan. 23

Yale’s Beinecke Library turns 50
Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, with its sublime marble slabs and glass-enclosed stacks, has gone from garish to grand. When the six-story library debuted in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1963, critics said its sleek, stark stylings were too severe. Today, locals can’t imagine Yale without it. A year-long celebration of the Beinecke kicked off January 24 with a sweeping overview of the building’s influence and importance....
New Haven (Conn.) Register, Jan. 24

The fantastic Swedish library experiment
Sarah Odedina writes: “In the Kulturhuset in central Stockholm, Sweden, is a remarkable and inspirational library for young readers, Tio Tretton. Open for visitors between the ages of 10 and 13, no adults are allowed. No parents or teachers or helpful advisors. This is an environment in which young people can go to read books, make films, play music, cook in the kitchen, do origami, draw graphic novels, or just hang out. The space speaks for itself.”...
Key Note Blog, Dec. 12; Kulturhuset

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ALA Midwinter Meeting, Seattle, January 25–29.

Visit the ALA YouTube channel to see coverage of the Midwinter Meeting.

Check out the ALA Midwinter Flickr photostream.

Keep track of Midwinter events and photos at the American Libraries #alamw13 feed.

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Face-to-face with Midwinter authors
Phil Morehart writes: “The ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall was packed, as usual. Hundreds of attendees wound through the aisles, stopping at vendor booths to peruse or buy books (and snag free ARCs), sample the latest in library technologies, or sign up for one of many prize drawings held throughout the weekend. Nestled amongst the perfect chaos sat bestselling authors, who added to the excitement by coming to meet their fans and sign copies of their latest books. American Libraries caught up with several.” See more authors here....
AL Focus, Jan. 26–27

Getting a buzz from Book Buzz Theater
Megan McFarlane writes: “A simple fact about me: I can be a little set in my ways about what type of books I like to read. My mom has always told me I was a book snob. It’s not snobbery. I just know what I like. So let’s just say I was more than a little surprised when I attended my first Book Buzz Theater session at Midwinter, and every title sounded brilliant. Even romances—and I don’t do romance!”...
AL: Inside Scoop, Jan. 27

Where are they now? The Printz winners
Kate McNair writes: “The ALA Youth Media Awards always make me think about past Printz winners and where they are now. So today we look back at past Printz Award–winning authors and see what they have been up to since the auspicious day they won the award.”...
YALSA The Hub, Jan. 30

Fahrenheit 451 Cover Design Contest winner
Matthew Owen has won the Fahrenheit 451 cover design contest from Simon & Schuster and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. The winning cover was revealed at the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. Owen, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, created a cover that beat out more than 360 submissions. The contest was held in celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of Ray Bradbury’s novel. The public was invited to design a new cover, which will be featured on the first printing of the 60th anniversary edition....
GalleyCat, Jan. 29

Songs about books and reading
Liberty Hardy writes: “What’s the best thing in the world? Reading books. And the second-best thing? All things pertaining to books. Here’s an eclectic playlist of songs about our spiny little friends to brighten up your ears.” For example, “Wrapped Up in Books” by Belle and Sebastian (3:43, right)....
Book Riot, Jan. 25

Aurora University starts Virtual Book Club
The Phillips Library staff is passionate about reading and knows many Aurora (Ill.) University students are, too. To encourage dialogue among students, the librarians launched a Virtual Book Club through Facebook on January 15. Unlike traditional book clubs, this one does not have a specified meeting place and time. Participants simply answer questions about books they have read or about reading in general. Phillips librarians are currently posting one question per day for the first month....
AU Today, Jan. 28

The controversy over “sick-lit”
Dena Little writes: “I’d never heard the term “sick-lit” until recently, when I came across a Daily Mail article delivering the news that there is a rise of ‘exploitative’ modern YA fiction in our midst. Allegedly, sick-lit is the rising subgenre of realistic fiction that—at its worst—aims to glorify death, suicide, and cutting; at its best it encourages vanity and shallowness. ‘Which books are these?’ you ask.”...
YALSA The Hub, Jan. 24

Spotlight on the 19th century
Jennifer Rummel writes: “Entertainment Weekly recently had a timeline labeled ‘The 19th Century Is Having a Moment.’ The 19th century has been heating up in teen books as well. It’s a century of big moments: Jane Austen, the Industrial Revolution, women’s rights, the Civil War, Western exploration, the Napoleonic Wars. Here are some of my favorites.”...
YALSA The Hub, Jan. 29

Are you prepared for Digital Learning Day?
On February 6, schools, teachers, librarians, and national organizations will celebrate Digital Learning Day 2013, a day to celebrate educators and librarians who create inspirational learning opportunities for young people by effectively integrating technology use and practices in and out of the classroom. ALA is asking librarians across the country to help spread the word. Here are some ways you can participate....
District Dispatch, Jan. 30

Wikipedia and bibliography
Karen Coyle writes: “Wikipedia is a great place to start when you are delving into a new topic, but I would like for at least some Wikipedia pages to serve as a beginning bibliography. I got to do a small experiment in this area at a local Wikipedia edit-a-thon. The bibliography format is, well, like so many Wikipedia structures, something less than friendly. But I discovered something that I probably should have known.”...
Coyle’s InFormation, Jan. 28

Reading, talking, and learning in a prison library
Loesja Vigour writes: “A prison library is a strange space. It is trapped in a bubble, capable of inspiring inspiration as quickly as frustration. Sometimes a prisoner’s sense of time is warped. What seems to them like a month waiting for a book they ordered has only been a few days. Every prison librarian dreads the antagonistic desk-fist-slam attached to the sentence, ‘I’ve been waiting for my book for ages now—can you hurry it up for me, please?’ and the wearisome response, ‘Mr. —, you actually only ordered that book on Monday. It’s Wednesday. Please come back in at least a week.’”...
The Library As Incubator Project, Jan. 30

Musings on libraries and numbers
Walt Crawford writes: “There’s no shortage of library data, and there’s no shortage of people with both technical skills and library values to massage that data. What there may be a shortage of is librarians ready to use that data and decide what data they actually need or can use. NCES and IMLS provide impressive, readily operable sources of raw data. But it’s probably not the data you need.”...
Walt at Random, Jan. 29

10 online privacy tips for librarians
Ellyssa Kroski writes: “It’s the new year and I’m determined to start it off right by becoming more savvy and attentive to my online security. Last year my email was hijacked and my Walmart account was hacked by someone who bought a $700 tablet device using my stored credit card. Although I consider myself pretty vigilant about privacy, I’ve found that there’s much to be learned about protecting myself and my data online. I’ve been doing research on this topic; hopefully you’ll find these tips helpful.”...
iLibrarian, Jan. 29

Page to Stage: Bringing literature to life
This short documentary (13:12) tells the story of the Page to Stage series at the Princeton (N.J.) Public Library, an arts and humanities initiative that produces staged readings of plays adapted from or inspired by literature. Page to Stage was developed by librarian Janie Hermann and theatre artist Brandon Monokian in the spring of 2011 as a means to promote reading in a fun and physical way. Since its inception, the library has staged eight productions with plans in the works for the series to continue in 2013....
Vimeo, Jan. 15

Congressional voting records: A beginner’s guide
Barbara Bevis writes: “I turn to a subject that is of recurring interest to our patrons—how to find congressional voting records (also called roll call information). This topic presents more challenges than may be readily apparent, because researchers must not only determine what resources cover the period of time in which the laws at issue were passed, but also whether that resource is available in a paper-based or freely available digital format.”...
In Custodia Legis, Jan. 29

16 great library scenes on film
Jeff O’Neal writes: “When news broke last week that Dan Brown’s new novel will center on some sort of mystery surrounding Dante’s Inferno, I immediately began hoping that there is a nutty, fun scene of Robert Langdon racing around a library just like he raced around the Louvre in The Da Vinci Code. Hollywood loves a library. Some combination of ambiance, seclusion, hidden knowledge, and the sheer beauty of shelves upon shelves of books make libraries a fantastic film setting. Here are my 16 favorites.”...
Book Riot, Jan. 23

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