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ALA wants to train a new generation of political advocates for libraries. The initiative, called Policy Corps, is being led by ALA President Jim Neal. Policy Corps aims to reinvigorate ALA’s library advocacy efforts by training a cohort of library workers on various policy issues and engagement strategies. The 2017–2018 pilot program will include a two- to three-day workshop in Washington, D.C., in early March and will include an overview of issues, engaging key decision makers, and navigating the legislative process. ALA is accepting applications through November 3 for about a dozen spots in the program....
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 13 |
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Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin Random House) is the latest pick for ALA Book Club Central, chosen by Honorary Book Club Central Chair Sarah Jessica Parker. Exit West has been shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and is a finalist for the 2017 Kirkus Prize. The selection helps kick off the 12th annual National Friends of Libraries Week, October 15–21, an initiative of United for Libraries....
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 11 |
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On October 9, Jessica Hughes (right) began her role as executive director of ASCLA and RUSA. Prior to heading these two ALA divisions, Hughes was chief operating officer of Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, based in Tallahassee, her hometown. Hughes answered our “11 Questions” to introduce herself to ALA members....
AL: The Scoop, Oct. 13 |
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A new Promoting Healthy Communities initiative from PLA and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine aims to increase public library workers’ knowledge about consumer health services. For nine months, PLA and NNLM will assess health information needs among public librarians and share resources that will help them address patrons’ health needs. In early 2018, the initiative will unveil a new website for public libraries with training, tools, and resources for health information and literacy....
PLA, Oct. 11 |
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The Biloxi (Miss.) School District received complaints about the language in To Kill A Mockingbird and pulled it from the 8th grade English Language Arts curriculum. It was an administrative decision and not an issue that the school board voted on. Kenny Holloway, vice president of the Biloxi School Board said, “It’s still in our library. But they’re going to use another book in the 8th grade course.” With Harper Lee’s book, 8th graders were set to learn that compassion and empathy are not dependent upon race or education....
Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald, Oct. 12 |
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The author of a book about a transgender child that is at the center of a debate in local school libraries will visit Wichita, Kansas, on November 2. Alex Gino (right), whose novel George is a nominee for the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, announced October 11 that they would appear at Wichita State University, courtesy of the WSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Wichita chapter of GLSEN. The library supervisor for the Wichita school district said George contains language and references that are inappropriate for young children....
Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, Sept. 27, Oct. 11 |
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Lisa Cipolla has a saying: “Better living through storytime.” Which makes sense, since Cipolla is a youth services librarian at the South Hill branch of the Pierce County (Wash.) Library System. A big part of her job is wrangling and entertaining young ones during the library’s regularly scheduled drop-in storytimes for toddlers and preschoolers. For Jackie Blackshaw and her 6-year-old son Tony (right), Cipolla’s saying has certainly proven true....
Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune, Oct. 12 |
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Librarian and privacy advocate Jessamyn West (right) was outraged when she heard about the massive data breach affecting 134 million people at credit reporting agency Equifax. So the Randolph, Vermont, library activist decided to sue the multibillion dollar company in Vermont Small Claims Court. She asserts the Atlanta-based company’s mismanagement of the breach and subsequent response have caused her and millions of others “emotional distress.”...
Vermont Public Radio, Oct. 12
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The Library of Congress and Boston public broadcaster WGBH will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 with a series of panels featuring pioneers and experts in public broadcasting on November 3. The symposium, “Preserving Public Broadcasting at 50 Years,” will be held in the James Madison Memorial Building. The event also will be livestreamed on the Library’s Facebook page and its YouTube channel (with captions)....
Library of Congress, Oct. 12 |
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Brewster Kahle writes: “The Internet Archive is leveraging a little-known provision of US copyright law, Section 108h, which allows libraries to scan and make available materials published from 1923 to 1941 if they are not being actively sold. Elizabeth Townsend Gard, a copyright scholar at Tulane University, calls this ‘Library Public Domain.’ She and her students helped bring the first scanned books available online in a collection named for the author of the bill making this necessary: The Sonny Bono Memorial Collection.” The Internet Archive is also expanding its Great 78 Project with 200,000 vinyl records from the Boston Public Library and partnering with OCLC to make its collection of 2.5 million digitized books easier to find and access online and through local libraries....
Internet Archive blogs, Oct. 10; SRRN, Oct. 2; WBUR-FM, Boston: The ARTery, Oct., 11; OCLC, Oct. 12 |
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Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library and the San José (Calif.) State University School of Information are cosponsoring an Innovative Librarians Award to recognize LIS students who put forward new ideas that improve library services. Nominations will be judged by public librarians with years of experience. The $1,000 award will be open to all students who are currently enrolled or who have graduated within the past two years. Applications will be accepted through January 31....
Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library, Oct. 10 |
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Jessica Ormonde writes: “Picture books aren’t just for kids anymore. They can be for all ages. Even a graphic novel is a picture book, if you think about it. Some titles, while packaged in the traditional picture book format, feature twisted humor or complex themes that will appeal to young adults. Ready to try out picture books with young adults? Here are some with YA appeal, along with suggestions for incorporating them into your teen programming and collections.”...
YALSA The Hub, Oct. 13
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