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Just as libraries are pivoting in response to the coronavirus crisis, ALA is changing the focus of its annual National Library Week celebration, April 19–25. The theme for NLW 2020, “Find your Place at the Library,” was chosen before the emergence of the global pandemic. To acknowledge our altered landscape, ALA flipped the script a bit on the theme. “Find the Library at Your Place” highlights how libraries are offering virtual services and digital content their communities need more than ever. On April 20, ALA will release its State of America’s Libraries Report 2020. The annual report provides trend information for all types of libraries and will include the highly anticipated “Top Ten List of the Most Challenged Books of 2019.”...
ALA Communications and Marketing Office, Apr. 15 |
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Marshall Breeding writes: “The COVID-19 crisis has had a major impact on the library technology industry. These vendors have experienced major disruptions to their operations similar to other businesses and governments throughout the world. Library vendors, like the libraries they serve, have shifted their operations to a primarily work-from-home model. Most library technology vendors have also taken proactive measures to assist their customers in dealing with the crisis. Some have created content resources or other services for the general public, health care workers, or epidemiologists, or are offering additional access to general databases in order to compensate for shuttered print collections.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 15 |
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Maureen Schlosser writes: “National Poetry Month is celebrated in April to remind us that poetry matters. Poetry can offer solace during trying moments, and now might be the time to show our learners how that works. Here are some lesson ideas that might inspire learners to document their thoughts and feelings with poetry.”...
Knowledge Quest blog, Apr. 16 |
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Cass Balzer writes: “As stay-at-home orders extend deeper into spring, some public libraries are drafting plans for their eventual reopenings—even as it remains difficult to predict how and when those plans might be implemented. Many librarians are envisioning a staged reopening, wherein services are gradually rolled out over time. Lori Smith Thornton, public services bureau chief for New Mexico State Library (NMSL) in Santa Fe, developed one of the first staged-reopening draft plans. The draft plan begins with maintaining interlibrary loan and book-by-mail services, then calls for rearranging furniture and computers to allow for social distancing.”...
AL: The Scoop, Apr. 17 |
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The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, cosponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Smithsonian Institution, is a partnership of 42 national service organizations (including ALA) and federal agencies. HENTF has compiled relevant COVID-19 URLs from its members and other stakeholders. WIth so many organizations offering their input, you might encounter some of the same resources as you delve into these links....
Heritage Emergency National Task Force |
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The Rochester (Minn.) Public Library, is closed, but its librarians are having no trouble staying busy. As the city stepped up its response to COVID-19 in March, 16 librarians were redeployed to staff the city’s hotline for non-emergency calls. Working from home in three-hour shifts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., they’re now answering about 60 questions from residents daily on everything from what’s allowed under the state’s stay-at-home order to how small businesses can apply for emergency loans. In a city without a 311 service, the librarians essentially set one up on the fly. Tampa–Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Library System has opened drive-through services at two branches to distribute unemployment forms for those without access to a printer. Residents can drop off completed forms at either location, and library staff will mail the documents for them....
Medium: Bloomberg Cities, Apr. 14; Tampa (Fla.) Patch, Apr. 13 |
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Lindsay McKenzie writes: “Rick Anderson, associate dean for collections and scholarly communication at the University of Utah, said that he would be ‘very surprised if any academic library escapes this situation without a cut or a freeze of one kind or another. The question is how deep the cuts will be, or how long the freezes will last.’ The best-case scenario on most campuses is for budgets to remain static for the 2021 financial year. All units at the University of Virginia have been asked to think about which expenses are nonessential. In the library, this has prompted a close examination of bundled journal subscription packages with academic publishers.”...
Inside Higher Ed, Apr. 17 |
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Michael Kozlowski writes: “All of the major book publishing events have been canceled in 2020. This includes the London Book Fair, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and the ALA Annual Conference. On April 14, the organizers of BookExpo America and BookCon have announced that this year’s event is canceled too. In a statement on the Reed website, Event Director Jennifer Martin said that while Reed had been optimistic the events could be held in late July, it became clear that a conference set to be held at New York City’s Javits Center would not work. Many of BookExpo America’s major sponsors and publishers had pulled out of the event.”...
Good E-Reader, Apr. 14; AL: The Scoop, Mar. 24; BookExpo 2020 |
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Global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have depended hugely on persuading people to change their behavior. This has become more complicated by the circulation of misleading news—“infodemic,” as described by the World Health Organization. Libraries have long had a role in helping users become more critical and discerning with the information they find. IFLA has produced an updated version of its popular “How To Spot Fake News” infographic, with an increased focus on the need to check with authoritative sources, and recognition that much news now passes through messages on social media. Also, try these World Health Organization mythbusters....
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Apr. 16; World Health Organization |
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It’s Citizen Science Month and National Library Week next week. Libraries are quickly becoming community hubs for citizen science. Author Darlene Cavalier will bring to life The Field Guide to Citizen Science and provide step-by-step instructions on how to get involved in fun and important projects. SciStarter and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University—and ASU Library, with support from the National Library of Medicine—will shine a light on libraries’ citizen science–related resources during a live event on April 21. Send in any resources you’d like them to highlight, join the event, and invite your library audiences to tune in, too....
YALSA Blog, Apr. 16 |
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The majority of city libraries in Greece do not offer access to fitness programs as many libraries in the US and Canada do. However, a study by researchers at the University of Peloponnese in Sparta shows that most library managers (98%) are open to the idea of partnering with sports organizations to offer programs in yoga, music kinetics, and sports education. It concludes that such partnerships can play an important role in promoting physical activity, encouraging an active lifestyle, and improving the quality of life of citizens....
International Journal of Physical Education, Sports, and Health 7, no. 2 (Feb.) |
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Jeffrey Davies writes: “To paraphrase Tina Fey in Mean Girls, how many of you have ever felt personally victimized by your mental health struggles? I imagine a lot of virtual hands going up right now. And if you don’t feel strong enough to put up your hand just yet, that’s fine too. That’s what this list is here for. Through many years of therapy and hard work, I’ve learned how to take better care of myself and my mind, and as an avid reader and writer, I’ve also learned of the transformative power of words. This list of 13 books that have improved my mental health over the last few years is my attempt at getting people to put their hands up, feel less alone, and bring comfort through the power of books.”...
Book Riot, Apr. 17 |
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