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At the first ALA Council meeting during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans on June 24, Councilor-at-Large Sara Dallas read a resolution (CD#41) to honor African Americans who fought library segregation. The resolution was adopted unanimously....
AL: The Scoop, July 3 |
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Heather Braum writes: “The ALA Washington Office invites you to participate in a short survey to share the ways your library supports democracy and civic engagement in your community. In 2000, ALA released a resource for librarians and elected leaders, Smart Voting Starts @ Your Library, that highlighted numerous ways libraries were supporting democracy through voter registration drives, candidate forums, voter guides, and other initiatives. This survey is a way to report on how libraries are continuing these activities. Stories are especially appreciated.” The deadline is July 16....
District Dispatch, July 2 |
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With the help of a public interest law firm, a handful of Detroit students charged in federal court that educational officials in Michigan denied them access to a quality education. The lawsuit took pains to illustrate how Detroit’s schools, run under a state-appointed emergency manager, are a welter of dysfunction. On June 29, US District Court Judge Stephen Murphy III ruled that students do not enjoy the right to have access to literacy training. All the state has to do is make sure the schools operate....
Detroit Metro Times, July 2; Education Week: Curriculum Matters, July 2 |
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When Disa Bryant needed a place to live, she found a home away from home at the Detroit Public Library. Bryant credits the Parkman branch—a place she visited as a young girl—with saving her: Librarian Annette Lotharp told her about a housing program and put her in touch with a counselor who found her shelter and, within a year, her own house to rent. At the library, she and her daughter could both study. Bryant focused on getting a college degree and her daughter got help with her homework....
Detroit Free Press, June 29 |
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Nicole Martin writes: “Yoga storytime programs are a great way to incorporate movement and mindfulness into your classic early literacy storytime offerings. I was inspired to start offering yoga storytime programming after reading a post on the ALSC blog. As a regularly practicing yogi myself, this seemed like the perfect way to combine my love for yoga and reading into something really special I could offer at my library.”...
ALSC Blog, July 3; June 22, 2016 |
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Jessica Bacon writes: “The news around immigration to the US is heart-breaking right now. If you find yourself wanting to do something, but are not sure what, here are a few suggestions for collection displays, information displays, programming, and personal efforts.” The Office for Intellectual Freedom also has a list of children’s books (elementary, middle grade, and YA) recommended for young refugees....
5 Minute Librarian, June 22; Intellectual Freedom Blog, July 2 |
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Davis Erin Anderson writes: “The Metropolitan New York Library Council’s most recent symposium, ‘(Mis)Informed: Propaganda, Disinformation, Misinformation, and Our Culture,’ offered a deep analysis of the mechanisms by which incorrect information spreads and what can be done in response. Hoping to help us all feel a little less adrift, I created a physical timeline of events in which libraries and librarians interacted with propaganda, either as a distribution mechanism or as an active combatant against biased information.”...
The Bytegeist Blog, June 5 |
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Chiquita Toure writes: “Building relationships with students, teachers, staff, administration, and parents is the best way to effectively resolve the issue of an underutilized school library space. The quiet and uneventful school library as we know it no longer exists. The reality of low circulation statistics does not and cannot overrule the necessity of a sound learning hub that is ‘the place to be’ through transformational thinking. Here are some things to consider.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, July 2 |
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Jill Rothstein writes: “Five inclusive services librarians have created a new brochure on on how to address the pre- and early literacy needs of young children who are blind or visually impaired. Many libraries understand the importance of early childhood literacy, but not many know how to make it inclusive. Kids with low or no vision need to be able to read words and images. There are easily learnable and shareable ways you can adapt your early literacy campaign to be more inclusive.”...
ALSC Blog, July 2 |
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By some estimates, as many as 2.6 billion people take part in digital gaming, a significant fraction of the global population. And yet one group of people are conspicuous by their absence in this research: people with disabilities. There is growing anecdotal evidence that many disabled people enjoy gaming and are increasingly involved in it. But little is known about who these people are, what games they play, and what challenges they face. And that is a significant barrier to improving access....
MIT Technology Review, July 3
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Chelsea Brasted writes: “While Preservation Hall in New Orleans is still the music-filled space it’s always been, its nearly 60-year history is bound in 14 disorganized storage units. It’s unclear what is in every box in those units, so Preservation Hall Foundation Director of Programs Ashley Shabankareh is working to ensure everything inside them is documented and stored correctly. Recently, volunteers in town for the ALA Annual Conference got to work, sifting through hundreds of photos and documents and rehousing them in the right kinds of containers.”...
New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 28; NOLA.com YouTube channel, June 27 |
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Lisa Lisson writes: “City directories are an often underutilized resource in genealogy research. These directories, published yearly, provide a way to track an ancestor year by year. When an ancestor appeared in an area or when an ancestor left can be tracked by their appearance and disappearance in the directory. Also, an ancestor’s wife’s name is often included next to the husband’s name.”...
Legacy News, June 29 |
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