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Hallie Rich and Sari Feldman write: “Technological advancements are driving an increasingly interconnected global landscape, which contributes to rapid political, economic, social, and environmental change. The good news for libraries is that investment in drivers of inclusive growth—public services such as schools, libraries, and telecommunications infrastructure—represents a critically important risk-mitigation strategy.”...
American Libraries feature, June 9 |
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Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer writes: “Tragic mass shootings have marred public spaces across America for more than 15 years, from the 1999 attack at Columbine High School to the 2014 Florida State University Strozier Library shooting. Libraries are one of the few public places where anyone can walk in, unimpeded. This is why, in addition to fire drills and emergency planning, libraries are beginning to offer training to react to an active shooter.”...
American Libraries feature, June 8 |
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An exciting conversation with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robbie Robertson and Caldecott Honor–winner David Shannon (No, David!) will close out the 2015 ALA Annual Conference after current ALA President Courtney L. Young passes the gavel to the 2015–2016 ALA President Sari Feldman. The Closing General Session takes place on June 30. Robertson and Shannon will talk about their new book Hiawatha and the Peacemaker....
ALA Conference Services, June 8 |
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The five ethnic affiliates of ALA have collaborated to officially form the Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC), a nonprofit organization that advocates for and addresses the common needs of the ethnic affiliates. Coming together through JCLC are the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Chinese American Librarians Association, the American Indian Library Association, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, and Reforma....
Office of ALA Governance, June 8
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ALA is partnering with READ Global (Rural Education and Development) libraries in Nepal to collect monetary donations, which will be sent to READ Nepal to continue leading the earthquake relief effort. The Nepal Library Relief Fund will help to rebuild libraries and archives in Nepal that were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake on April 25, 2015, followed by a series of aftershocks including one of 7.3 magnitude on May 12. Visit the ALA Development Office page to make a donation....
ALA International Relations Office |
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The Iowa Department of Transportation is installing 24 kiosks in public libraries and businesses where people can renew or replace their driver’s licenses. Darryl Eschete, director of the West Des Moines Public Library, said that the kiosk program allows libraries to partner with the DOT to make the renewal process more efficient and convenient. It takes about five minutes to walk through the process at the new kiosks, which issue a temporary license to use while a permanent license is sent in the mail....
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, Iowa, June 8; Caffeinated Thoughts, June 8
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Brian Mathews writes: “A few weeks ago I heard Carrie Donovan, head of teaching and learning at Indiana University Libraries, give a keynote address at the Innovative Library Classroom conference. My main takeaway was the transition that Carrie is experiencing from teaching to consulting. This is a theme that is gaining momentum. It seems we are on the threshold of an evolutionary leap in terms of information literacy and library instruction.”...
Chronicle of Higher Education: The Ubiquitous Librarian, June 8 |
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James LaRue writes: “There are two arguments for the public library: what’s in it for me, and what’s in it for us. That is, we justify support for an institution on the grounds of self-interest, or on the grounds of the common good. You can’t help but be struck by the language used during the public library movement of the 1880s. Libraries were founded for clear social purposes. They were intended to acculturate and Americanize a new wave of immigrants.”...
myliblog, June 8 |
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Deep in the archives of the University of New Brunswick’s library in Saint John, a famous movie script sat forgotten and collecting dust—and no one knows how it got there. Since February, librarian Kristian Brown has been sifting through the library’s extensive science fiction collection to digitize its collection of zines, pulp magazines, and novels. Just as he was coming to the end of his contract, Brown came across what appears to be an original shooting script for Star Wars....
CBC News, June 8 |
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has announced the winners of the 2014 Nebula Awards (presented 2015), as well as the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (FSG Originals) won for Best Novel, Yesterday’s Kin by Nancy Kress (Tachyon) won for Best Novella, and Love Is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine) won the Norton Award....
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, June 7 |
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Megan Logan writes: “Google Photos is an easy, relatively frictionless way to back up, store, access, and share your photos. The best thing about Google Photos is it works exactly the way you think it should: Your photos live at photos.google.com and are categorized in user-named albums or collections by upload. If you’re thinking about trying the service out, here’s what you need to know to make sure you get the most out of Google Photos.”...
Wired, June 8 |
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When the Chicago Public Library Foundation wanted to get the word out about its 2015 Summer Learning Challenge, they chose RPM Advertising to create a TV campaign to engage Chicago’s families. This year’s program theme is centered on space, so RPM designed the campaign around prominent Chicagoan and legendary Apollo 13 astronaut Captain James A. Lovell Jr. Legendary broadcaster Bill Kurtis challenges the famous space explorer to read a million hours of books in one summer in this video PSA (0:30)....
Vimeo, June 3 |
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Roz Warren writes: “In the 15 years that I’ve worked at my local public library, I’ve learned that we librarians do plenty of things for our patrons that aren’t in our job descriptions. After a patron asked me to change her flat tire, and another wanted to check out our pencil sharpener, I logged onto my favorite librarian hangout on Facebook and asked: What’s the oddest thing a patron has ever asked you to do?”...
Huffington Post: Books Blog, June 7 |
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