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The latest issue of American Libraries—our annual International Supplement—is now live. Read about ALA’s presence and activities around the world, plus a full recap of the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Poland. At that meeting, IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner unveiled a Global Vision platform to tackle the challenges of the future. Six questions (each with 10 possible choices) will help create a worldwide library road map that will unite the library field and make it stronger in the face of ever-increasing globalization. Voting is still open through September 30....
American Libraries, Sept. 22; International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions |
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Michael Dowling writes: “We are in the midst of the largest global migration since World War II. Sixty-five million people have been displaced worldwide. Images of refugees risking their lives to escape to Europe flash across TV and computer screens across the world. What has been less visible is the work that community anchors, individuals, and nonprofit organizations accomplish to assist new refugees and asylum seekers. Libraries worldwide play a significant role in welcoming and assisting these people.”...
American Libraries International Supplement, Sept. |
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ALA President Jim Neal writes: “ALA members have been working tirelessly to defend federal library funding since March, when the president announced his intention to eliminate IMLS. At this point in the decision-making process, it looks like our efforts are paying off. On September 14, the full House of Representatives voted as part of a large spending package (H.R. 3354) not to make any cuts in federal funding for IMLS.”...
AL: The Scoop, Sept. 20; District Dispatch, May 24 |
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PLA, the ALA Office for Library Advocacy, and OCLC will collaborate on an update to OCLC’s 2008 report, From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America (right), which explored voter attitudes about library funding. This landmark study was created to conduct research, develop strategies, and evaluate the potential for communications programs aimed at increasing funding for public libraries. As in 2008, Leo Burnett will conduct the national household survey, beginning in October....
Office for Library Advocacy, Sept. 19 |
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Christie Kaaland writes: “As storms Irma and Jose were downgraded to what still devastated some US southeastern border communities, we were thankful that apocalyptic media reports were not fully realized. Yet, as citizens of both the Houston and the southeast Gulf Coast areas start the year, thousands of school children begin school in grave need of recovery assistance. School librarians are sometimes the overlooked link to recovery, yet they stand singularly poised to offer some very specific assists.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Sept. 21 |
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Krissy Wick writes: “Like 84 other cities across the country, the city of Madison, Wisconsin (and the Madison Public Library), has been taking part in a project called What Works Cities. It’s funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and helps cities become more data-driven. The big question we kept asking ourselves, though, was, ‘Is anyone better off because of the library?’ How do we actually use data to tell our story? Here are a few important lessons we’ve learned so far.”...
ALSC Blog, Sept. 21 |
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Lauren Hays and Melissa Mallon write: “At present, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is experiencing growth in higher education as more institutions become focused on student learning. The primary aims of SoTL are to study teaching in order to understand what is happening in the classroom, to improve student learning, and to share findings publicly with the teaching community. SoTL has its roots in Ernest Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate (1990).”...
ACRL Keeping Up With, Sept. |
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Adam Eisgrau writes: “The Copyright Office has wrestled with difficult practical, legal, and political questions about how to modernize Section 108 of the Copyright Act (17 USC §108.) That’s the provision that creates a safe harbor from copyright infringement liability under specific circumstances for libraries and archives. In a 70+ page Discussion Document released September 15, the Copyright Office makes detailed proposals for updating Section 108. These are the main points.”...
District Dispatch, Sept. 19 |
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Administrators in the Jefferson County (Idaho) School District are considering prohibiting a classic novel from being taught in two senior government classes after at least one parent voiced concerns over the book’s violent, sexually charged language. District Superintendent Lisa Sherick questioned whether a passage in George Orwell’s 1984 contradicts district policy requiring academics to align with the “basic ideals, goals, and institutions of the local community.”...
Idaho Education News, Sept. 21
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A publicly funded poster exhibit extolling press freedom has been removed from the Boyden Public Library in Foxborough, Massachusetts, following complaints over what some regarded as graphic and inappropriate content. Stephen Lewis, a collector and former union official, had produced the display, which consisted of more than 20 posters protesting threats to freedom or describing dangers faced by news gatherers. Library trustees removed the posters on September 19....
Attleboro (Mass.) Sun Chronicle, Sept. 21 |
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A library hailed as China’s most beautiful has been shut down by the authorities for providing pirated books and erotic content. Readers had complained online that the collection in Liyuan Bookhouse in suburban Beijing largely consisted of pirated books, which included printing errors, incomplete translations, forged publisher details, and “uncensored and elaborated erotic descriptions.” The National Office Against Pornography and Illegal Publications ordered the library to suspend business on September 19....
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), Sept. 20
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Jeffrey Gottfried and Cary Funk write: “As debates swirl around science-related issues ranging from climate change to the food we eat, an important question is where Americans go to stay informed about science topics, if anywhere. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in May and June finds that general news outlets—those that cover a variety of topics in a given day—play a large role in how Americans stay informed about science. Here are some key takeaways.”...
Pew Internet Center, Sept. 20–21; Oct. 4, Dec. 1, 2016
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Will Greenwald writes: “The TV market has been changing a lot recently, both in terms of technology and price. New types of screens with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels and ultra high definition (UHD, or 4K) are replacing the 1080p standard we’ve become used to. If you want a new television, you now have more options than ever. But which one should you buy? Here are the main points to consider when shopping for a new set, as well as the best TVs we’ve tested.”...
PC Magazine, Mar. 16, Sept. 19 |
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Mental Floss reveals 26 interesting facts about libraries, presented by John Green, who worked in ALA’s Booklist for six years. This is Episode 518 of the List Show. Fact number 2 identifies the first public library as founded in Heraclea Pontica (modern Turkey) by Clearchus of Heraclea (ca. 401–353 BCE)....
Mental Floss YouTube channel, Sept. 20 |
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