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Karen Muller writes: “If libraries are a cornerstone of our democracy, librarians are the key to their riches. Librarians are also the key to enabling library users to unlock those riches on their own, whether through one-time bibliographic instruction or a more embedded form of instruction—information literacy. At its January 2016 meeting, the ACRL board of directors adopted the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec. |
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Scott Walter (right), university librarian at DePaul University in Chicago, has filed as a petition candidate for the 2018–2019 ALA presidency. An ALA member for 20 years, Walter served on the ALA Council in 2013–2016. He served on the ALA Publishing Committee from 2014 to 2016, as well as numerous committees within ACRL. In 2013–2016, he served as editor-in-chief of College and Research Libraries. Walter will join candidates Terri Grief and Loida Garcia-Febo in a candidates’ forum on January 21 in Atlanta....
Office of ALA Governance, Nov. 28 |
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Alan Inouye writes: “On November 17, ALA partnered with the Internet Association to hold a public session on advancing economic opportunity, targeted to the policy community in Washington, D.C. The session, chaired by ALA President Julie Todaro, was held at the Google DC office. The panel discussion was moderated by a reporter from The Hill and included representatives from Yelp and the Internet Association. The event was an excellent opportunity to educate a national audience on the role and value of libraries in society.”...
District Dispatch, Nov. 28 |
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The ALA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Implementation Working Group released a statement on November 28: The “working group has toiled for the past two years on infusing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into our profession and Association. The press statements from two weeks ago, released just as we began implementing its recommendations, contradict our work that is vital to the future of our organization. We object to the ALA’s encouragement of the policies of an administration that has demonstrated disrespect for our values and our profession.”...
ALA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Implementation Working Group, Nov. 28; AL: The Scoop, Nov. 21 |
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Reforma expresses its unwavering support for the 54 million Latinos constituting 17% of the total population of the US. The group calls on librarians to stay engaged with the communities who need us, and it encourages libraries and library workers to continue welcoming all members of our communities to the library, and to provide access to information for all. Reforma is committed to working with ALA and its affiliates to advocate for legislation and policies that benefit all libraries....
Reforma, Nov. 18 |
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The ALA Center for the Future of Libraries invites applications for its Future of Libraries Fellowship program. The fellowship will provide an individual or group with a stipend of $10,000 to advance new ideas and perspectives for the future of libraries through the creation of a public product—report, white paper, video, resource, tool—that will help library professionals envision the future of library collections, partnerships, services, spaces, or technologies. The deadline to submit materials is January 15....
Center for the Future of Libraries, Nov. 28 |
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Joyce Johnston writes: “The Oxford Dictionaries group announced its 2016 Word of the Year (WOTY): ‘post-truth,’ or ‘circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ In other words, facts are now irrelevant; only personal response matters. Yet the concept of intellectual freedom is founded on using one’s intellect to evaluate freely available, accurate information in order to make an informed decision.”...
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Nov. 28; Oxford Dictionaries, Nov. 8 |
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Saskia Leferink writes: “In 1931, S. R. Ranganathan, a mathematician and librarian who is widely regarded as a founder of modern library science, published his seminal work, The Five Laws of Library Science. Tucked away on page 65 is a gem of a quote sometimes overlooked but extremely important in our fast-changing world: ‘If you want to be a reference librarian, you must learn to overcome not only your shyness but also the shyness of others.’ You can’t be shy when tackling change.”...
OCLC Next, Nov. 29
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Nikita Stewart writes: “Colbert Nembhard (right) looked more like a traveling salesman than a librarian in his dark suit with his rolling suitcase on a recent Wednesday morning in the Bronx. He had strolled 10 minutes to the Crotona Inn homeless shelter from New York Public Library’s Morrisania branch, where he has been the manager for 25 years. An announcement crackled over the intercom inside the shelter, where 87 families live: ‘Mr. Nembhard is here to read stories and sing songs to your children.’”...
New York Times, Nov. 24
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Jennifer and Rasmus Thoegersen write: “Hoping to bring the unexpected to Nebraska City, the Morton-James Public Library applied for an ALSC Curiosity Creates grant to build an escape room. Library Lockdown was a four-month program that brought several dozen kids together—age 8 to 13—to build a fully functioning escape room. Their creation, the Lab of Dr. Morton McBrains, is now open for business.”...
In the Library with the Lead Pipe, Nov. 23
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Anna Pratt writes: “The Lafayette (Calif.) Library and Learning Center is one of many libraries around the US and the world that are reshaping themselves to meet the changing needs of their communities. Although the idea hasn’t quite gone mainstream yet, libraries are becoming increasingly important in cities, both as physical spaces that are open to all and for the wide-ranging resources they offer. Literacy and books haven’t gone by the wayside, but libraries are also tackling other types of learning.”...
Truthout, Nov. 26
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Alan Henry writes: “DIY isn’t always the easiest way to do something, but it’s usually the most informative and educational one. This week, let’s check out 10 great DIY tech projects that will teach you a ton about the tools you probably use every day—and protect your privacy and give you control over your own data in the process.” For example, here is how to build your own Amazon Echo, add Wi-Fi to your DSLR camera, and build a streaming dash cam....
Lifehacker, Nov. 19
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