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For daily ALA and library news, check the American Libraries website or subscribe to our RSS feed.
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What is the definition of a tribal library? And what is its basis for development? Sandy Littletree (right), PhD candidate at University of Washington and 2011–2012 president of the American Indian Library Association, posed these questions at the outset of “The History and Currency of Tribal Libraries: Sovereignty, Information, and Empowerment,” a September 27 session at the third National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Albuquerque. Award-winning author, poet, and essayist Benjamin Alire Sáenz was the Opening Session speaker....
AL: The Scoop, Sept. 28; ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services, Sept. 27 |
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Kathi Kromer writes: “After more than a decade of advocacy by the library community, on September 25 the US House of Representatives passed the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (S. 2559). The legislation, passed by the Senate in June, provides a copyright exception for ‘authorized entities’—including libraries—to make materials available across borders to people with print disabilities whose countries have already ratified the treaty. In fact, 350,000 accessible titles are already available in the Accessible Books Consortium.”...
AL: The Scoop, Mar. 15, Sept. 27 |
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Ever wonder what your colleagues do outside of the library? Many of us have hobbies, intellectual and athletic pursuits, a travel bug, the desire to write or cook—you name it. We all live lives beyond the stacks, of course, but some of us do things that may surprise coworkers and patrons. In Episode 30 of the Dewey Decibel podcast, we explore these secret lives of librarians, featuring Adela Justice, Sarah Ramsey, and Susan Maguire....
AL: The Scoop, Sept. 28 |
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For years, all branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia opened on Saturdays during the school year, providing patrons access to computers with internet to prepare résumés, apply for jobs, and complete homework; warmth in the winter; and safe spaces after school. But this fall, because of a lack of funding, the system will staff less than half its branches on Saturdays, its lowest in recent years. Only 23 of the system’s 54 libraries (plus the Central Library) will open on Saturdays....
Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 24, 28 |
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Ronnie Polaneczky writes: “Graduation is nine months away. Seniors at Kensington (Pa.) High School hope that will give them enough time to finish creating their parting gift to students: a library. Once upon a time, Kensington had a student library. For reasons no one can recall, the space was repurposed as a teachers’ professional-development center. Britney Rivera was a student in teacher Eric Cruz’s engineering class, where last year the kids were brainstorming project ideas to better the school. The class got pumped when Britney suggested creating a library.”...
Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 27 |
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An early-morning fire completely destroyed the Joice (Iowa) Public Library on September 21. Investigators are uncertain how the fire started, but the building itself was undergoing renovations, including getting a new roof. Joice Mayor Mark Thoma says that there is no set timeline for rebuilding the library, but city council is looking at options, including a mobile trailer to house a temporary location. Librarians wishing to help in the recovery efforts can contribute to a GoFundMe account....
KIMT-TV, Mason City, Iowa, Sept. 21, 24 |
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In early September, Common Sense Media released its report, Social Media, Social Life: Teens Reveal Their Experiences, which examines teen social media use over the past six years. The main finding is the big rise in social media use in tandem with smartphone adoption. 73% of teens report daily engagement, up from 51% in 2012. One of most striking findings is that most teens say social media helps support social-emotional well-being, boosting confidence, and alleviating anxiety, loneliness, and depression....
Connected Learning Alliance, Sept. 24; Common Sense Media, Sept. 10 |
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Dressed in a red velvet gown, sparkly jewelry, and white painted fingernails, Divinity Masters said she decided to read Red: A Crayon Story at the Wichita (Kans.) Public Library because of its message. “I think it has a lot to tell us about what it’s like to sometimes feel like you don’t fit in,” she said. Masters was one of three drag queens who participated in “Say YAAAS to Reading” on September 25. People of all ages packed into the library conference room—so many that library employees had to bring in extra chairs before the event began....
Wichita (Kans.) Eagle, Sept. 25 |
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The Library of Congress announced September 26 that it has digitized hundreds of hours of motion pictures that will be freely available on the newly launched National Screening Room website. Most of the content in the National Screening Room is in the public domain and is fully downloadable. Permissions were granted for the inclusion of copyrighted motion pictures, which are only available as streaming files. The first phase of the project features 281 titles; new content will be added every month....
Library of Congress, Sept. 26 |
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Lena Zlock became intrigued by using digital tools for humanities research since she first heard of data science methods in high school. When as a Stanford sophomore, Zlock learned that the library of 18th-century French philosopher Voltaire sits largely unexamined inside the walls of the Hermitage Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, she wanted to find a way to make it easily available on the internet. Since then, Zlock has been developing the first-ever digital exploration of Voltaire’s personal library, called the Voltaire Library Project....
Stanford News, Sept. 26 |
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A drone powered by smart technology whirred around a room in the University of Rhode Island’s Robert L. Carothers Library on September 25. Nearby, demonstrations of an industrial robot hand, smart textiles for medicine, and virtual reality fascinated visitors. The technological wonders on display were all part of the official opening of URI’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, a cross-disciplinary facility open to all students, faculty, and staff. It is the first AI lab to be housed in a library....
University of Rhode Island, Sept. 25 |
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Craig Lloyd writes: “Whether you need to focus on a project or just relax, background noise can help. Here are the best websites and sources for background and ambient noise. If you’re looking for a small, simple collection of background noises, Noisli is perhaps the best site for that. MyNoise has all sorts of different background noise machines that you can listen to. Believe it or not, YouTube is also a great source, with 10 hours of rain and thunder, coffee shop background noise, and even eight hours of Star Trek bridge background ambiance.”...
How-To Geek, Sept. 27 |
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