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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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ALA, a new partner of Democracy Class, encourages school and public libraries to deliver a one-hour program to teenage patrons in advance of National Voter Registration Day, September 24. A premier partner of National Voter Registration Day, ALA is also urging libraries to observe the nonpartisan, unofficial holiday, which is celebrated each year on the fourth Tuesday of September. Democracy Class educates high-school-aged students about the importance and history of voting and can preregister or register them to vote. The curriculum comes with a webinar about implementing the program, “Voting and Voices: Engaging Students and Families in Democracy.”...
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Aug. 23, 30 |
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The LLAMA Buildings and Equipment Community of Practice will present “Library Building Projects 101: Planning, Design, and Construction” on October 18–20 in Columbus, Ohio. This two-day workshop will explore the many facets related to library building projects. Intended for librarians, library staff, trustees, and architects, the workshop will cover goal setting, process definition, site selection, team composition, budget development, and the types of planning required to bring a project to successful fruition. An optional final day tour will explore new local public and academic libraries. Register online....
LLAMA, Aug. 27 |
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Raymond Pun writes: “The Greek language has several words for love: agápe, éros, philia, and storge, all with various meanings. ‘Library Love Stories,’ sponsored by the IFLA New Professionals Special Interest Group and the Management and Marketing Section, explored this global theme at the 2019 World Library and Information Congress in Athens, Greece, August 28. Robert Knight, vice president of the Australian Library and Information Association, introduced activities and resources that celebrated Library Lovers’ Day, a national campaign that promoted users’ love for their libraries.” Other IFLA programs included economic data and the global financial crisis, offline internet access, and IFLA awards and honors....
AL: The Scoop, Aug. 28–29 |
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The 75-year-old city of Sherwood, Arkansas, wants to dust off its history books and craft a place for the community to preserve its past, embrace the present, and look forward to the future. With Sherwood Public Library’s circulation numbers dwindling, why not turn it into a museum? Mayor Virginia Young said the city wants to make the library a place to showcase its past. Right now, pieces of Sherwood’s history are spread out between City Hall and the local branch of the Central Arkansas Library System. But with the new museum, there will be one place where everyone can go to flip pages of local history....
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 29 |
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To help patrons wipe out their fines and late fees, the Great Falls (Mont.) Public Library organized a Fine Free Fun Run. The run, which took place on August 3, allowed participants to earn $5 per 1.3-mile loop toward fine forgiveness. Running or walking was permitted, and each lap could either be put toward a patron’s personal fines or donated to someone else’s. Many library employees attended and walked before going to work and “one family of six showed up to walk for a single family member who gratefully thanked her siblings and promised she would never lose a library book again,” said library public relations representative Katie Richmond....
Runner’s World, Aug. 28 |
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Saskatchewan’s South East Sport, Culture, and Recreation District and the Southeast Regional Library in Weyburn are collaborating on a new initiative called the Physical Literacy in the Library Project. The project will create 11 physical literacy kits that are available for all libraries in the region. Libraries can book the kits for three or four weeks. The kits cover pickleball, outdoor summer activities, outdoor winter activities, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf, floor curling, early years play, play for children ages 6–12, outdoor games, fitness, story walks, and quidditch. Physical literacy encourages kids to take part in physical activities for life....
Estevan (Sask.) Mercury, Aug. 27 |
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In the Little Rock, Arkansas, area one of the biggest challenges many residents face is access to reliable and safe transportation. To address this challenge, the Central Arkansas Library System partnered with Rock Region METRO to launch a city-wide transportation initiative, the Be Mighty METRO program. With more than 90% of the city’s summer meal sites at libraries, parks, and community centers directly served by existing bus routes, the initiative provides bus passes to vulnerable youth and families. Since June, the number of summer meals served at libraries increased by 46%, and summer reading numbers have grown from 7,733 youth in 2018 to 13,652 engaged in 2019....
National Recreation and Park Association: Open Space, July 25 |
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Kalev Leetaru writes: “Social media platforms prioritize talking over listening, global over local, individual over community, speed over accuracy, sharing over understanding. Libraries prioritize reading, emphasize a globally aware local grounding, foster community, prioritize evidence-based understanding, and trace their roots to quiet contemplation. What if social media platforms adapted to be more like libraries with their emphasis on learning and less like today’s schoolyard screaming matches? Social media is still not addressing its prioritization of speaking over listening. Until this is solved, they will struggle to solve issues surrounding the spread of falsehoods that revolve around prioritizing speed over accuracy.”...
Forbes, Aug. 24 |
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Sarah Davis writes: “Libraries have long been a refuge for teens who might struggle to find their place at school, and it is often the one space that is readily open and available to the entire campus community. In my 21 years as a librarian at independent, college-preparatory schools, I have seen a shift in library programs and services. School leaders and librarians now recognize that it’s time to reimagine our spaces, redefine our services, and build stronger relationships with our students. In doing so, we can personalize the student experience and better support their health and well-being.”...
National Association of Independent Schools: Independent Ideas Blog, Aug. 20 |
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Indianapolis-area artists are adding their talents to a program that promotes reading. On August 22, The Public Collection project unveiled two new stations for distributing books that the public can borrow and return. The station at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park was designed by artist Atsu Kpotufe. It’s called “Mind Sails,” and it reflects how books can transport readers across the globe or into the depths of their imagination. The second new station is downtown at the Athenaeum. It was designed by the artists Owens and Crawley and is called “Fissure.” There are now 12 temporary installations, all designed by Indiana-based artists....
WRTV, Indianapolis, Aug. 22 |
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Disconnected: Seven Lessons on Fixing the Digital Divide is a new, freely downloadable report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City that focuses on broadband access, economic impact, and solutions for communities to narrow the digital divide. Just 53% of adults with incomes less than $30,000 have broadband at home, and nearly 68% of people without broadband at home live in rural communities. The report is written for non-experts to provide them with a holistic understanding of the digital divide. Multiple print copies can be requested....
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Aug. 20 |
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Andrew Albanese writes: “For more than a year now, one of the worst-kept secrets in the publishing world has been that Amazon shares information with publishers and authors that allegedly paints library ebook lending in a negative light. But in a message sent to library customers on August 27, Tom Mercer, senior vice president of digital products for library ebook vendor Bibliotheca, urged librarians to recognize and take that practice seriously, and to confront the challenges Amazon poses to libraries in the digital realm.”...
Publishers Weekly, Aug. 27 |
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