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Julius C. Jefferson Jr. (right), section head of the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., has been elected president-elect of the American Library Association. He will serve as president-elect for one year before stepping into his role as president at the close of the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Maggie Farrell, dean of university libraries at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was elected ALA treasurer for 2019–2022. She will begin her term at the close of the 2019 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. See full election results....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 10 |
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Kevin Maher writes: “The FY2020 Dear Appropriator letters campaign ended on April 11 on a positive note for library funding, thanks to the thousands of calls, emails, and visits made by ALA advocates across the country. The annual campaign to gather support for the federal Library Services and Technology Act and Innovative Approaches to Literacy program began with the congressional appropriations process in March, prime time for advocates to tell members of Congress about the important library programs supported by federal funding. With the Institute of Museum and Library Services under threat of elimination from the White House for the third straight year, library advocates were called on to respond forcefully and quickly—and they did.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 12, Mar. 11 |
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The 2019 Virtual Membership Meeting will take place on Thursday, May 9, 2019 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. CT. Virtual Membership Meetings are an important way in which personal members may affect what ALA does. VMM is an annual online forum where ALA leaders present information about topics of interest to the general membership. All ALA personal members may register for and participate in the meeting. Virtual Membership Meetings are part of ALA's ongoing efforts to reach out interactively to members about its strategic direction, budget priorities, and topics of interest....
ALA, Apr. 11 |
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Stephanie Hlywak writes: “For National Public Radio fans, it’s a treat to see the people behind the voices that keep us company and keep us informed. Few listeners would have any trouble pronouncing Michele Norris’s first name, having heard her gentle stress on the first syllable over the years as the host of All Things Considered. That authority and confidence was on full display as she danced onto stage April 10 at the Association of College and Research Libraries conference in Cleveland to the Ohio Players’ ‘Love Rollercoaster.’” Other sessions included author Viet Thanh Nguyen's keynote on the refugee experience and a workshop on inclusive medical librarianship. Read full conference coverage at The Scoop....
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 11, Apr. 12 |
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To celebrate School Library Month in April, the American Association of School Librarians and Scholastic announce the “Pilkey Party @ Your School Library” sweepstakes. AASL members are invited to enter a random drawing to win a Dav Pilkey–themed party to take place in fall 2019. Five runners-up will win a reading celebration event featuring the Captain Underpants and Dog Man inflatable costume characters. To enter, visit www.ala.org/aasl/pilkey....
AASL, Apr. 9 |
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Officials at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found several anti-Semitic posters on the bookshelves and tables in Davis Library this week. Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in a statement that UNC police are investigating. This incident comes less than two weeks after UNC’s Unsung Founders Memorial and an art installment outside Hanes Art Center were vandalized with racist language and urine on March 31. Two people with ties to the Heirs of the Confederacy were arrested for the vandalism on April 8....
Daily Tar Heel, Apr. 10, Apr. 8, Mar. 31 |
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The Folger Shakespeare Library is planning an underground expansion that would add 12,000 square feet under the library’s north lawn and make its collections more accessible to the public. The library, which was founded in 1932 by philanthropists Henry and Emily Folger, will announce a $50 million capital campaign on April 15 to support the addition. The library has already raised $25 million toward its goal for the two-year project, which requires approval from two federal agencies....
Washington Post, Apr. 11 |
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Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and professor of sociology and author of Palaces for the People Eric Klinenberg will discuss the important and unique role that libraries provide to the community on Saturday, June 22, 3–4 p.m., at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. The session will include the mapping out of accessibility and adapting to the changing needs of library users in person and online....
ALA Conference Services, Apr. 9; American Libraries feature, Oct. 11, 2018 |
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Joseph O’Sullivan writes: “The ban on used books entering Washington prisons via nonprofit groups has been lifted. After an outcry by a Seattle nonprofit and questions from state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee, corrections officials Wednesday reversed their recent ban against organizations mailing books to prisoners. The Washington Department of Corrections last month quietly posted that policy, citing fears of contraband in prisons. Defending their decision last week, the agency cited 17 instances of contraband involving books last year. But information requested from the agency last week by The Seattle Times and reported Wednesday morning showed that a dozen of those instances actually had nothing to do with books.”...
Seattle Times, Apr. 10 |
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On April 9 San Diego Public Library waived more than $2 million in library fines dating back to 2005. San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate proposed the idea after learning the city spent $1.2 million to collect about $600,000 in fines per year. SDPL Director Misty Jones said some communities had more than 40% of patrons barred from access because of unpaid late fees. SDPL stopped charging fines in 2018....
KPBS-TV, San Diego, Apr. 9 |
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