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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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ALCTS has announced that bestselling author, educator, and cultural critic Roxane Gay (right) will serve as honorary chair of Preservation Week, April 26–May 2, 2020. Author of Ayiti, An Untamed State, Bad Feminist, Difficult Women, and Hunger, Gay is a leading voice in modern feminism and numerous social justice movements. As honorary chair, Gay will appear in Preservation Week artwork, chronicle preservation efforts through various social media channels, and support the 2020 Preservation Week theme of “Preserving Oral History.”...
ALCTS, Dec. 4; American Libraries Newsmaker, May 2017 |
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ALA President Wanda Kay Brown and Executive Director Mary Ghikas announced on December 6 that ALA has sold its headquarters buildings at 50 E. Huron and 40 E. Huron Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. In spring 2020, ALA will move its Chicago-based office functions to Michigan Plaza at 225 N. Michigan Avenue (right). ALA staff will continue to occupy the buildings on Huron until the new office buildout, designed by architecture firm Nelson, is complete. The move will provide ALA with a modernized workspace, including enhanced meeting space....
AL: The Scoop, Dec. 6 |
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Rebecca Hill writes: “As a former litigator and appellate litigator, Deborah Caldwell-Stone (right) is a woman that you want defending libraries and their role in a democracy. A staunch supporter of intellectual freedom, Caldwell-Stone has been serving as the interim director for the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom since 2018. In October, she was appointed director for the office and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. I spoke with Caldwell-Stone about what we can expect to see in her new role.”...
Intellectual Freedom Blog, Dec. 5 |
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Thoroughly updated and expanded to include such genres as graphic novels and nonfiction, the new second edition of Teaching Banned Books: 32 Guides for Children and Teens, published by ALA Editions, is a classroom- and library-ready book of discussion guides. Inside, award-winning champion of children’s literature Pat R. Scales shows that there is a way to teach these books while respecting all views. Also freshened to include only books that are in print, this resource spotlights titles dealing with sensitive but vital issues such as bullying, racism, bigotry, making tough choices, other cultures, and our uncertain future....
ALA Editions, Dec. 5 |
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United for Libraries will designate the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum in Baltimore as a Literary Landmark in honor of the esteemed poet’s 211th birthday on January 19, 2020. It is the last remaining home in Baltimore where Poe lived (in 1833–1835), and it was here that he wrote some of his early stories. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend. The Poe House will be the first Literary Landmark in the state of Maryland....
United for Libraries, Dec. 3 |
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Three foundations have committed more than $16 million for a bond-supported Flint (Mich.) Public Library renovation project set to begin in May. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which made an initial grant of $1.2 million in August, now will grant an additional $13.8 million to the project. The Ruth Mott Foundation will grant $1 million, and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint will grant $50,000. The enhanced grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation was secured after 68% of Flint voters said yes to a $12.6 million bond that will help fund a $27.6 million library renovation....
Flint (Mich.) Journal, Aug. 21, Nov. 5, Dec. 5 |
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The UCLA Film and Television Archive, the second-largest repository of motion pictures and broadcast programming in the US, is now part of the UCLA Library. The archive, which had operated under the auspices of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, will now be more closely aligned with the UCLA Library’s world-class archival and research collections. The move positions the archive’s holdings to be better integrated in instruction and research at UCLA, and it will expand access to the archive through the library’s robust digital platforms....
UCLA Newsroom, Dec. 4 |
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The Wood River (Ill.) Public Library will be receiving a new bike rack that was donated by the Wood River Library Foundation. The rack was going to cost about $3,000, but thanks to community outreach and support, the library foundation saved a lot of money. Upon hearing the original price of the rack, foundation member Andy Russell contacted East Alton–Wood River High School welding teacher Jacob Sitze to help construct a bike rack from scratch. Sitze was happy to help, and students also played an important part, figuring out mathematically how long the pieces needed to be, as well as cutting the pieces out for welding....
Alton (Ill.) Telegraph, Dec. 4 |
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Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, has signed an agreement to acquire Innovative, a provider of integrated library systems. Innovative will become a business unit within Ex Libris. The Innovative products will continue to be supported and enhanced. Ex Libris and Innovative have a long history of close collaboration with the user community and will continue to work with their user groups to receive input for the enhancement of services. The acquisition is expected to close in early 2020. Roger C. Schonfeld talks about the wider implications of the acquisition....
Ex Libris, Dec. 5; Ithaka S+R, Dec. 5 |
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Brandi Bowers writes: “Providing readers’ advisory is an art that librarians are skilled at. However, sometimes you just can’t reach every student for one-on-one help finding the perfect book. To combat this issue, I try to make my library more accessible by providing passive readers’ advisory in a variety of ways. In my four years as a school librarian, I have made a number of changes to the library collection and library space with passive readers’ advisory in mind. For example, I started by adding genre labels to all of my fiction titles. I also added series number stickers to the spines of books so it is clear which volume in a series each book is.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Dec. 4 |
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Almost 800 libraries have closed in the UK since the Conservative government implemented austerity in 2010, new figures reveal. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s annual survey of British libraries, excluding Northern Ireland, shows there are 3,583 library branches still open in the UK—35 fewer than last year. Since 2010, a total of 773 have closed. The number of paid librarians has also plummeted—from 24,000 salaried staff in 2010 to 15,300 employees and more than 51,000 volunteers in 2019....
The Guardian (UK), Dec. 5; June 25, 2018; CIPFA, Dec. 6 |
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In a year jam-packed with fast-moving science news and groundbreaking research, books can provide a more slower-paced, reflective look at the world around us—and a precious chance to dive deep on big ideas. But how do you decide which scientific page-turner to pick up first? Science Friday staff pawed through the piles all year long. Ira Flatow, Valerie Thomspon, and Deborah Blum round up their picks in this annotated list....
Science Friday, Dec. 6 |
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