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Rebekkah Smith Aldrich writes: “The conversation about sustainability and libraries is no longer a pet project but rather a vital part of the strategy to ensure that libraries are around for the long haul. If you believe, like I do, that libraries make the world better, then you have come to the right place. Our work has never been more important, and it is time for us to harness our power, prestige, and potential in a much bigger way. In 2015, ALA Council adopted the Resolution on the Importance of Sustainable Libraries.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 20; Office of ALA Governance, July 13, 2015 |
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Anne Ford writes: “On April 3 President Trump signed a measure repealing Obama-era broadband privacy rules. Those rules, which had not yet gone into effect, would have required ISPs to obtain customers’ permission before selling their information to third parties. Alison Macrina, director of Library Freedom Project, offers several suggestions for libraries to consider as they determine how best to protect their patrons’ digital privacy.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 21 |
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The FCC voted on April 20 to approve a controversial plan to deregulate the $45 billion market for business-to-business broadband, also known as Business Data Services, by eliminating price caps that make internet access more affordable for thousands of small businesses, schools, libraries, and hospitals. The price caps, which have been in place for years, are designed to protect small businesses and other community institutions from predatory behavior by monopoly broadband providers like AT&T and Verizon....
Motherboard, Apr. 20; FCC, Apr. 20; Ars Technica, Apr. 20 |
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Amber Mathewson writes: “A crowd gathered on April 18 outside the El Pueblo Library in South Tucson where Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz, right.) and other library advocates discussed the possible effects of President Trump’s proposed budget cuts—including the elimination of IMLS—on libraries nationwide. The ALA Washington Office, working closely with Grijalva’s office, helped to prepare a statement of support, which was read at the event.”...
District Dispatch, Apr. 21 |
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ALA is joining more than 170 organizations to defend the vital role science plays within evidence-based policy making. The Association encourages its more than 57,000 members to participate in the March for Science on April 22, an international, nonpartisan event co-organized by Earth Day Network and March for Science that supports ALA’s core values regarding access to information. Members can also show support via social media by using the #MarchForScience hashtag....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 19 |
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Joe Davidson writes: “If President Trump gets his way, IMLS, along with 18 other federal agencies, will be eliminated. It finances programs at 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. When ALA President Julie Todaro got the news, she was ‘shocked and devastated.’ The organization is mobilizing congressional opposition to the budget plan she called ‘counterproductive and short-sighted.’ Trump should listen to the library and museum officials from throughout the country who told us how the cuts would affect their operations.”...
Washington Post, Apr. 21 |
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Applications are now being accepted for two expiring, renewable terms on the ALA Endowment trustees. The candidates will be selected by the ALA Executive Board at their 2017 ALA Annual Conference meeting, which will be held June 22–27 in Chicago. Newly selected trustees will begin serving a three-year term at the conclusion of the conference. The term will expire at the conclusion of the 2020 ALA Annual Conference. All applicants will be required to submit an application form and three references. Trustees have the authority to hold, invest, and disburse endowment and other long-term investment funds as directed by the ALA Executive Board....
ALA Finance Department, Apr. 14 |
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During April 22–29, more than 1,000 libraries will participate in Money Smart Week. Library events will focus on such issues as smart investing for college, a new car, retirement, first-time home buying, how to reduce property taxes, foreclosure prevention, getting out of debt, and estate planning. Created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, the week is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. ALA is one of several partner organizations....
Public Awareness Office, Apr. 20
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Boston Public Library returned three items from its Special Collections to the State Archives of Venice and the Library of Ludovico II De Torres in Monreale, Italy, during a repatriation ceremony on April 19. The items returned were the Mariegola della Scuola di Santa Maria della Misericordia, a 1392 manuscript; an illuminated leaf from Mariegola della Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, dating from 1418–1422; and Varii de natvralibvs rebvs libelli, a collection of works by Bernardino Telesio published in 1590. BPL had legitimately acquired the items from well-known rare book dealers during the mid-20th century....
Boston Public Library, Apr. 19
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Dian Schaffhauser writes: “When the James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University opened in 2013, it seemed nary an innovation was left out. It took 98 pages for the university to describe the Hunt Library in its application for the 2014 Stanford Prize for Innovation in Research Libraries (which it handily won). Yet already, said Emily Lynema, director of academic technology, the university has begun pondering a ‘refresh’ of Hunt. Here she offers six strategies for continually feeding innovation.”...
Campus Technology, Apr. 19
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Marcus Banks writes: “As they have for centuries, scientists continue to write papers that summarize the results of their work and then submit them to scholarly journals for potential publication. Readers of these journals, for the most part, are other working scientists. The more prestigious the journal is, the better that is for the scientist’s career advancement prospects. But now, when the concepts of fact and truth are under assault and many scientists feel compelled to march in response, is the perfect time to rethink our approach to scientific communication altogether.”...
Slate, Apr. 20; Marcio von Muhlen
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John Arthur writes: “Dear Mr. Priebus, I am writing to apply for the position of Personal Librarian to the President. I understand that this is not a position currently being offered at the White House, but if you will hear me out for a moment, I may be able to illustrate why the position should be created. Here are five reasons why I am confident that as Personal Librarian to the President I could help Mr. Trump improve his lexile level, tweet the best tweets, and better understand the world around him.”...
USA Today, Apr. 21; Washington Post, Mar. 18, 2016
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