|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
For daily ALA and library news, check the American Libraries website or subscribe to our RSS feed.
|
|
|
ALA President Julie B. Todaro writes: “After a contentious campaign season filled with divisive rhetoric, we are now hearing from our members and the news media about incidents of bigotry and harassment within our communities. From children acting out in schools to adults participating in violent acts, it is clear that our nation is struggling in the wake of this election. During times like these, our nation’s 120,000 public, academic, school, and special libraries are invaluable allies inspiring understanding and community healing.”...
AL: The Scoop, Nov. 15 |
|
Claudia Haines and Cen Campbell write: “Media mentorship is a new term referring to an old role that librarians have been playing for a long time. But it also reflects a new way of thinking. No longer are librarians the experts on a single format—books. They are now the connectors, the link between patrons and information in multiple formats. Today those formats may be books, audiobooks, and apps, but what will be the best of the new media or latest technologies a year from now?” Haines and Campbell answer some questions about media mentorship in an exclusive American Libraries interview....
American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec. |
|
|
Mary Mackay writes: “Librarians from across the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and North Africa gathered at the Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates November 8–10 for the third annual SIBF/ALA Library Conference. The international professional development event supports ALA’s global theme, ‘Partnering to build stronger libraries worldwide.’ Approximately 350 librarians took part in programs, training, and networking in both Arabic and English, with translation provided.”...
AL: The Scoop, Nov. 15 |
|
Timothy Inklebarger writes: “Patrons are rolling up their sleeves and getting dirty with the offerings cropping up at public libraries across the country—farms, gardens, orchards, and food-literacy classes, to name a few—and librarians say the grow-it-yourself movement is only expanding. For some libraries serving vulnerable populations, food-producing gardens and nutrition initiatives are born out of necessity. Others have launched programs to advance the causes of sustainability and education.”...
American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec. |
|
|
ALSC has released a new booklist to share the message of creating unity, acting with kindness toward others, and promoting peace. ALSC’s Quicklists Consulting Committee developed this list for librarians, parents, caregivers, teachers, and other caring adults faced with children asking tough questions about the 2016 election and looking at positive ways to take action. The Unity. Kindness. Peace. booklist is available for free download on the ALSC website....
ALSC, Nov. 11 |
|
Kaveh Waddell writes: “It just got harder for fake-news websites to make money from ads. Within hours of each other on November 14, Facebook and Google both announced that sites that intentionally deceive or mislead visitors won’t be allowed to use the internet giants’ advertising platforms. Google said it will no longer allow websites access to its ad network if they ‘misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher’s content, or the primary purpose.’”...
The Atlantic, Nov. 15 |
|
Katrina Schwartz writes: “The world and the people who live in it have become ever more connected as the internet becomes more accessible. Yet despite the ability to connect and learn about happenings on the other side of the globe, many communities have become polarized and entrenched in a particular worldview. As these trends emerge, teachers are looking for ways to foster productive dialogue skills in today’s students—the generation that will have to deal with complex, increasingly global problems.”...
KQED News: Mind/Shift, Nov. 10 |
|
|
Julia Pyatetsky writes: “Public libraries already promote information literacy, digital literacy, experiential learning. What if promoting a healthy lifestyle and physical fitness were added to this list? For Sonoma County Library in Santa Rosa, California, that is exactly what is happening. Armed with a $30,000 federal grant, 12 branches will offer physical fitness classes like cardio kickboxing, different types of yoga and meditation, classes on healthy cooking, and other programs that target all age groups.”...
Public Libraries Online, Nov. 1
|
|
Kate Stringer writes: “In conjunction with National Bullying Prevention Month this October, a nonprofit called YouthTruth released data gathered from 80,000 students in 21 states between fall 2012 and spring 2015. Nationwide, YouthTruth found that 25% of students reported having been bullied, echoing the results of other national studies. But far more important for teachers and administrators is that the organization reports specific findings back to each individual school, including students’ comments.”...
The 74, Oct. 16; YouthTruth student survey; National Center for Education Statistics: Fast Facts
|
|
Dylan Burns writes: “For a long time, librarians have championed Open Access in the light of the greater good that access will provide. We very often cite the evidence that OA increases impact factor and citation counts for our faculty, while librarians like Char Booth show the ways in which OA empowers students to publish and contribute to larger scholarly conversations. Unfortunately, in the recent past we’ve seen high-profile rejections of the OA model, such as the American Historical Association’s recommendation against OA.”...
ACRLog, Nov. 12; AHA Today, July 22, 2013
|
|
Jason Fitzpatrick writes: “Webcam spying is a real threat. When everyone from the spooks at the NSA to the kid next door has access to tools that can turn a webcam against its owner, then the threat is legitimate. You should, no questions asked, disable or obscure your computer’s webcam. There is no good reason to leave an insecure recording device permanently accessible on your computer. It’s so easy to do that there’s no reason not to. Here’s what you should consider.”...
How-To Geek, Nov. 14
|
|
Tom Brant writes: “The same technology that powers full-body scanners in airport security checkpoints could one day untether virtual reality headsets. MIT announced November 14 that its researchers have devised a way to wirelessly connect VR headsets to the PCs that power them using using millimeter wave transmissions. In addition to powering TSA scanners, these high-frequency radio waves also show promise for detecting cancer and delivering fast internet.” Meanwhile, Google has just released a soft, flexible, fabric-covered, comfortable headset called Daydream View that is a big step up from Google Cardboard....
PC Magazine, Jan. 30, Nov. 14; MIT HotNets, Nov. 9–10; TechCrunch, Nov. 10
|
AL Direct is a free electronic newsletter emailed every Tuesday and Friday to personal members of the American Library Association.
|
|
Send news and feedback: aldirect@ala.org
Direct ad inquiries to: mstack@ala.org
AL Direct FAQ: americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-direct
All links outside the ALA website
are provided for informational purposes only. Questions about the
content of any external site should be addressed to the administrator of
that site.
AL Direct will not sell your email to outside parties, but your email may be shared with advertisers in this newsletter should you express interest in their products by clicking on their ads or content. If the advertisers choose to communicate with you by email, they are obligated to provide you with an opportunity to opt-out from future emails in compliance with the CAN-SPAM act of 2003. Read the ALA privacy policy.
American Libraries
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
800-545-2433, ext. 4216
ISSN 1559-369X
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
