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On October 21, school librarians and education partners from across Virginia will gather in Norfolk to prepare themselves to be active participants in the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The workshop will start a discussion on how librarians connect with specific components of the legislation, identify how these align with the current state plan, and develop a plan to work with state education officials to ensure that all children in Virginia have access to a well-funded school library program. Similar workshops, also sponsored by ALA and AASL, were recently held in New York, California, and Vermont....
AASL, Oct. 18–19 |
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Faculty at Kutztown University and 13 other state universities in Pennsylvania took to the picket line October 19, carrying signs that read “We teach the 99%” and chanting “Fair contract now” as school officials scrambled to figure out whether they could hold classes for their 105,000 students. It was the first strike ever for the 34-year-old Pennsylvania System of Higher Education, but the union said it had no choice. Librarian members of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties union are also on strike....
Allentown (Pa.) Morning Call, Oct. 19 |
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About PEN America’s new report on campus speech, Barbara Fister writes: “Skimming through this report made me think about a discussion librarians have been having recently. Somewhere along the line, it became received wisdom to say libraries and librarians are neutral. I’m not sure where there came from, exactly—it’s not neutral to value intellectual freedom; it’s a stand we take, actively. Ensuring that we have multiple voices on subjects in the library is a conscious choice to promote access to a diversity of thought, something that gets librarians in trouble from time to time (though far more often in school and public libraries than in academia).”...
PEN America, Oct. 17; Inside Higher Ed, Oct. 20 |
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Citing new research, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its guidelines on the use of computers, tablets, and phones—or screen time—for children aged 0 to 5. AAP had previously advised no screen time for children under age 2, but the new policy statement advises making “family media plans,” including video chatting, high-quality programming, and apps for parents to use alongside their children....
Slate, Oct. 21; Pediatrics, October |
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Doug Krejci’s effort to use the University of Iowa’s 2008 flood footage for an upcoming documentary is being blocked by state officials who say copyright overrides public records. The argument, if successful, could not only impede Krejci’s effort to raise public awareness of the disaster but also dismantle the state’s public records law, government transparency experts claim. Krejci filed a complaint against the university in August with the Iowa Public Information Board, which has yet to take final action in the matter....
Des Moines (Iowa) Register, Oct. 19 |
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ALA Graphics has released its winter 2016 catalog, featuring 32 pages of exciting new products that are bound to inspire and excite readers in schools and libraries everywhere. The catalog cover features Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne as wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander on a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them poster. A coordinating bookmark is also available, both inspiring readers to “discover a fantastic world at your library.”...
ALA Graphics, Oct. 20 |
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Leanna Barcelona writes: “There are several units within ALA that support women in the library profession. Many of these groups arose during the second wave of feminism in the 1960s–1980s in response to political and social movements outside of the ALA. Women in librarianship wanted the predominantly female profession to be regarded with the same respect and pay scale as other professions, as well as more equity in ALA leadership. One of the first major committees that is still around today is the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship.”...
ALA Archives Blog, Oct. 19 |
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ALA and EBSCO Information Services are partnering to offer five scholarships for librarians to attend the 2017 ALA Midwinter Meeting. The scholarships allow more librarians to take advantage of the opportunities for continuing education and interactions with colleagues at the meeting, which will take place January 20–24 in Atlanta. Each scholarship will provide up to $1,500 to defray the cost of for conference registration, travel, and expenses. Apply by November 2....
Office of ALA Governance, Oct. 18
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Stuart Dredge writes: “There has never been a better time to be a music fan, with more ways to discover, listen to, and share music than ever before, even if disputes about how much the artists make from these services continue to rumble. The big streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer may be familiar, but a host of other apps lie beyond those, from daily suggestions of new tunes to games that create levels based on your songs.” Here are 20 music apps you might have missed....
The Guardian (UK), Oct. 16
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Ed Simon writes: “Isn’t it true that all of literature has a bit of the hoax about it? Literature can feel fraudulent; all of it a ruse, a trick, a mirage, a lie, a swindle, a fabrication, a forgery. However, some books are unambiguously fraudulent, not in some metaphysical sense, but in a literal one. A well-done hoax complicates the normative perspective, forcing us to reevaluate our presuppositions about literature. Here is an incomplete and idiosyncratic list of 11 literary hoaxes—some great, some simply deceitful, all fascinating.”...
Literary Hub, Oct. 19
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