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More than 500 library advocates from every state in the nation and the District of Columbia gathered in Washington, D.C., on May 1 to advocate for federal support for libraries during ALA’s 43rd annual National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). More than 1,000 supporters also registered to participate simultaneously through Virtual Library Legislative Day, where advocates connect with legislators via phone calls, emails, and social media platforms. With attendance for the event in Washington, D.C. the highest in more than a decade, NLLD comes on the heels of the president’s proposed budget plan to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services and more than $213 million in federal funding for libraries....
ALA Washington Office, May 1 |
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ALA President Julie B. Todaro writes: “Every ALA president has the opportunity to address members with seven columns during his or her yearlong term. These columns identify new directions, provide opinion, introduce content, and recognize people for their achievements. At the start of my presidency I mapped out my topics, but these ideas were quickly derailed last fall when our efforts needed to be refocused on reminding the country about why libraries are essential.”...
AL Column, May |
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Mary Mackay writes: “From the immediate fight to keep the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities funded to critical advocacy for equity, diversity, and inclusion—as well as the usual wealth of professional development opportunities, new products and services, and interactions with thousands of motivated colleagues who share your concerns—the American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition has never been more important. Use the Annual Conference Schedule to start planning.”...
AL Feature, May |
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Marshall Breeding writes: “The library technology industry has entered a new phase: business consolidation and technology innovation. Development of products and services to support the increasingly complex work of libraries remains in an ever-decreasing number of hands. Not only have technology-focused companies consolidated themselves, they have become subsumed within higher-level organizations with broad portfolios of diverse business activities. The survivors of this transformed industry now bear responsibility to deliver innovation from their amassed capacity.”...
AL Feature, May |
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In honor of Choose Privacy Week (May 1–7), By the Numbers looks at stats related to security and surveillance, from the number of US states (plus the District of Columbia) that protect the confidentiality of library users’ records by law (48) to the percent by which sales of 1984 increased immediately following Inauguration Day this year (10,000)....
AL Trend, May |
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Brian Fung writes: “A federal appeals court has said it will not rehear a landmark case looking to overturn the government’s rules on net neutrality, the regulations that forbid internet providers from blocking or slowing internet traffic. Monday’s decision by the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit allows its previous ruling upholding the regulations to stand—and paves the way for opponents of the rules to appeal to the Supreme Court.”...
The Switch, May 1; Jun. 15, 2016 |
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Seventy-five US public libraries have been selected to receive resources, training, and support through NASA@ My Library, a STEM education initiative that will increase and enhance STEM learning opportunities for library patrons throughout the nation, including geographic areas and populations currently underserved in STEM education. The project is offered by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute, in partnership with the ALA Public Programs Office, the Pacific Science Center, Cornerstones of Science, and the Education Development Center....
ALA Public Programs Office, May 1 |
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Yik Yak, the anonymous, location-based messaging app once popular with high school and college students, is shutting down at the end of this school year. The app was once valued at $400 million and raised nearly $75 million in venture capital but was plagued by cyberbullying and a drop in interest after its 2014 peak. Payment company Square bought some of the app’s intellectual property and hired several engineers....
Mashable, Apr. 30
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Daniel X. O'Neil writes: “One thing about school kids in our culture is that they make a lot of stuff. I am a parent of two boys and I’m also an avowed archivist. Over the years, I’ve developed some practices for managing and storing the stuff kids make, collect, and earn over the course of childhood. Since my oldest child is 18 and is graduating from high school next month, I’ve looked back at the archives for him and his brother (who is 16), and I thought I’d share the exact materials and methods I’ve used.”...
Derivative Works, Apr. 30
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The “wizard activists” of the Harry Potter Alliance have an annual literacy and library advocacy campaign called Accio Books that creates both permanent lending libraries and Apparating Libraries, which pop up overnight and disappear as families fill their bags with free books. This year, the group is working with California-based literacy agency Words Alive, among other organizations, and joining ALA at National Library Legislative Day (May 1-2) to advocate for libraries. Read more at Book Riot....
Book Riot, Apr. 24
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