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In Episode 53, Dewey Decibel host and American Libraries Senior Editor Phil Morehart speaks with Wardell Ross Jr., director of Houston operations for architectural firm Moody Nolan, who was project manager for Texas Southern University’s new Library Learning Center. Morehart and Ross discuss the library’s features and how its design reflects and showcases the heritage of the historically Black university. Morehart also talks with Susan Nemitz, director of Santa Cruz (Calif.) Public Libraries, about how the library shifted its remodeling and rebuilding plans to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic....
AL: The Scoop, Aug. 17
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The results of the 2020 Census will allocate billions of dollars in federal funding to local communities over the next decade, including more than $1 billion to libraries. As of late July, only 62.7% of US households had completed the self-response form. Young children, people of color, Indigenous people, and urban and rural low-income households have been under-represented at disproportionately high rates in past Census counts. To help in those efforts, ALA is partnering with actress Auli’i Cravalho, star of the animated film Moana, in a read-along video of
WE COUNT! A Census Counting Book for Kids (and the Grownups That Love Them) August 27 at 11 a.m. Central on the American Library Association Facebook page....
ALA, Aug. 25
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In honor of the 100th anniversary of women’s voting rights in the U.S., ProQuest has created
new resource guides to help library users get the most out of key primary source collections related to women’s history. Encourage faculty to share these free guides with students to inspire discovery of unique historical insights and exploration of probing questions related to the evolution of women’s rights and women’s studies.
Get the Resource Guides now.
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Todd A. Carpenter writes: “As colleges are opening up, and quickly going virtual in some cases, we are entering a very challenging year for the scholarly community. It isn’t at all certain how this academic year will shape up. Institutions are contending with the added costs of keeping students and faculty healthy and safe, while also picking up the added costs of transitioning to a virtual learning environment. For all this financial hardship, the one place the budget ax shouldn’t fall is the library.”...
Scholarly Kitchen, Aug. 25
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September is Library Card Sign-up Month, but with many libraries still offering limited services, reaching non-cardholding community members may feel overwhelming. Library marketing expert Angela Hursh offers six ways to successfully grow your cardholder base, even when you’re dealing with COVID-19....
Super Library Marketing, Aug. 17
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Travis McDade writes: “Like nuclear power plants and sensitive computer networks, the safest rare book collections are protected by what is known as ‘defense in depth’—a series of small, overlapping measures designed to thwart a thief who might be able to overcome a single deterrent. The Oliver Room, home to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s rare books and archives, was something close to the platonic ideal of this concept. Greg Priore, manager of the room starting in 1992, designed it that way.”...
Smithsonian Magazine, Sept.
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The Springfield (Vt.) School District is determining whether or not to ban a book after Jeremy and Christine Desjardins, parents in the district, submitted a formal complaint to the superintendent and Union Street School principal when they learned that their son’s teacher was presenting the book Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice to the third-grade class during a remote learning session. The book was provided by the school’s librarian as an option for teachers following recent events concerning police brutality....
The Eagle Times (Claremont, N.H.), Aug. 19
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Joel Hruska writes: “As school districts spin up with various remote distance and in-classroom learning plans to combat COVID-19, they’ve needed far more computers than typical for the back-to-school season. This is causing problems because—again, thanks to COVID-19—the number of computers currently available for purchase is much lower than normal. A number of factors are feeding the issue.”...
Extreme Tech, Aug. 26
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Jordan Calhoun writes: “If you’ve abandoned Goodreads, a good alternative can be hard to find, especially if a robust community is important to you. Whether you’re looking for a simpler review platform, a smaller user-base, want to avoid feeding Amazon, or just yearn for the simpler days of tracking your books without the pressure, here are a few suggestions.”...
Lifehacker, Aug. 25
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Marley Dias, founder of
#1000BlackGirlBooks, will be starring in and executive producing a new series for Netflix called Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. The 12-episode series will feature prominent Black celebrities and artists—including Common,
Misty Copeland, Tiffany Haddish, and
Jacqueline Woodson—reading children’s books from Black authors that highlight the Black experience. The show debuts September 1....
The Root, Aug. 18; American Libraries, March 2, 2015; Nov. 1, 2016; AL: The Scoop, June 24
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Lindsey Simon writes: “Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries across the country have closed their doors to the public—but what has that meant for the cats who call America’s libraries home? Libraries have long been home to feline residents who keep patrons company, promote activities and programs, and assist with pest control. We checked in on four library cats (and their humans) to see how their lifestyles have changed during the pandemic.”...
I Love Libraries, Aug. 24
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Stephanie Elliot writes: “The dog days of summer are almost behind us, and since August 26 is
National Dog Day, we wanted to celebrate by sharing some ‘pup’-ular books we love! We’ve got something here for everyone, since you’re never too young (or old) to be a dog lover. Honor precious pooches of all kinds by checking out some of our favorite dog books.”...
Medium, Aug. 26
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