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Gene Luen Yang has been busy. The award-winning writer and illustrator of graphic novels American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints is the 2016 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the honorary chair of National Library Week 2016. American Libraries spoke with Yang about these two new positions, how comics shaped his youth, and the importance of comics in libraries....
American Libraries feature, May |
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ALA President Sari Feldman writes: “Why do international partnerships matter to ALA members? When I became ALA president, I was most interested in visiting American libraries. But I have also had the good fortune to represent ALA in some outstanding international events forged from a long-term effort to be part of a global community. In February, I led the first official delegation of American librarians and library supporters to Cuba for the Havana International Book Fair.”...
American Libraries column, May |
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ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels writes: “Thanks to ALA’s new public awareness campaign Libraries Transform, it has never been easier to spread the word about the transformative and critical role libraries play in the digital age. Since the October 2015 launch, more than 1,600 libraries have registered to participate in the campaign, and that number is growing daily. Through the campaign’s attention-grabbing ‘Because’ statements, Libraries Transform delivers powerful messages.”...
American Libraries column, May |
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On May 2, the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee approved a new document, “Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K–12 Schools.” The document, which surveys the state of student privacy in K–12 schools, provides guidance for school libraries and educational institutions seeking to protect the privacy of students while online, reading, or engaging in research. The document was developed by the IFC Privacy Subcommittee, with input from additional ALA committees, interest groups, and round tables....
Office for Intellectual Freedom, May 5 |
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Wayne A. Wiegand writes: “‘I think our history will confirm my optimism,’ wrote ALA Executive Director Robert Wedgeworth in the October 1981 issue of American Libraries. He was appealing for contributions to the Fifty East Huron Fund, intended to address outstanding financial obligations brought by ALA’s decision to authorize the erection of a 56-story building next door to its 50 East Huron Street headquarters. Then on October 27, 1981, Wedgeworth cut the bright orange ribbon that stretched between ALA’s two buildings.”...
American Libraries feature, May 5
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Rarely seen photos, unusual facts, important anniversaries, humorous poetry, and famous libraries and librarians can all be experienced on the ALA’s 140th anniversary Pinterest board, which showcases the past 140 years of the American Library Association. Many images from the 1917–1918 Library War Service have just been pinned....
American Libraries Pinterest boards |
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Hattie James writes: “When deployed overseas, military service members can end up with a lot of downtime on their hands. Many struggle to fill the idle time with activities that contribute to their mental and physical well-being. There is a growing concern about treating service members’ mental health issues when they return from deployment, but how can libraries contribute to improving their mental health while they’re deployed overseas? Send books, video games, and letters.”...
Public Libraries Online, May 4; Wake Forest University |
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Kristin Pekoll writes: “In late April, This One Summer, a graphic novel by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, was banned from the library shelves of the Henning (Minn.) School District. We received a report that a parent complained about the book and wanted it removed from the school. The parent’s opinion was shared by the school administration, so the book was removed immediately. There are several issues that make this a teachable situation.”...
Intellectual Freedom Blog, May 4 |
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Gina Darnaud writes: “In Afghanistan, access to education is obstructed by a lack of resources and this is especially true in rural areas where the nearest school may be hours away. Saber Hosseini is trying to change this unfair reality with his ‘bicycle library’ that offers children in these communities the opportunity to access a world of knowledge. Saber, a schoolteacher in Bamiyan, has grown his bicycle collection in six months from 200 to 3,500 books and has even opened the first public library in Bamiyan.”...
Global Citizen, Apr. 27
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Sarah Carnahan writes: “Whether working in a public or an academic setting, or simply getting out in the community, yard signs and political ads bombard our lives during this election year. So how do we help teens navigate the serious issues, avoid bias, and understand the importance of voting? Here are some helpful election tools for your teens to learn about the election process and this year’s candidates.”...
YALSA The Hub, May 5
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Louise Corti and Sharon Bolton write: “Good data management practices are essential, ensuring that research data are of high quality, are well-organized, documented, preserved, accessible, and valid. Researchers should extend these practices to their work with Big Data, as well as more traditional datasets. How do we ensure that Big Data are shareable? And what are the implications for this when it comes to researchers who want to reuse this data?”...
Data Impact Blog, May 6
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Kimber Streams writes: “There’s no such thing as a perfect budget gaming laptop, and we’ve found at least one serious flaw in every one we tested. But after spending 23 hours on research and testing—on top of 70 hours spread over the past two years—we’ve determined that the $800 Dell Inspiron 15 7000 (7559) is the best gaming laptop for people on a budget. It has all the specs you need for $350 less than its closest competitor, offering up the best gaming performance for the lowest price.”...
The Wirecutter, May 5
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