|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
For daily ALA and library news, check the American Libraries website or subscribe to our RSS feed.
|
|
|
ALA made a historic decision to cancel its 2020 Annual Conference in Chicago, as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But in these unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever for librarians and library workers to seek and embrace community and keep up with professional development opportunities. ALA Virtual (June 24–26), the organization’s first-ever online-only member engagement event, will offer the programming, speakers, exhibits, and social networking attendees have come to expect from Annual Conference. Join your colleagues in this virtual space to learn, grow, and adapt together in these changing times....
American Libraries feature, June 9 |
|
Anne Ford writes: “If your library were offered two chances to save a life, would it take them? The response might seem like an obvious ‘yes.’ But for many public libraries the answer is more nuanced. In October 2018, Emergent BioSolutions, the company that manufactures the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan (generic name: naloxone), issued a press release offering two free doses of Narcan to every public library and YMCA in the US. The response to that offer has been ‘lighter than we anticipated,’ said Thom Duddy, Emergent BioSolutions’ vice president of communications. Of the 16,568 individual central and branch library buildings in the country, only about 357, or 2.2%, have accepted.”...
American Libraries Trend, June; AL: The Scoop, Oct. 24, 2018 |
 |
| |
|
Win Shih and Erin Rivero write: “Voice technology has transformed the way we interact with the digital world. Voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, and Microsoft’s Cortana, aid users by answering questions and performing tasks. Sometimes called virtual assistants, digital assistants, or intelligent personal assistants, VAs expose consumers to the power and potential of artificial intelligence by performing multiple tasks in response to one request. With an eye toward cultivating AI literacy through VA technology, some new library and educational applications are emerging.”...
American Libraries column, June |
|
Meredith Farkas writes: “I think many of us are uneasy about our relationships with online technologies, whether it’s the time we spend on them, the fragmented state of our attention, or how using them makes us feel. During this pandemic, these technologies have suddenly become more critical than ever to support our work and keep in touch with friends and family. I find great professional value in tools like Slack and Twitter, and I’d like to believe that there’s a way to conquer the addictive and distracting aspects of them without needing to take a technology sabbatical or quitting them altogether.”...
American Libraries column, June; Next Web, Jan. 24, 2015; Straight Dope, May 8, 2018 |
|
University of Alabama has authorized moving three Confederate plaques and studying the names of buildings on campus with an eye toward possible change. The plaques will be moved from the main library to “a more appropriate historical setting,” a news release said Monday. It did not say whether officials have decided where to move the plaques. Some of the school’s Board of Trustees also have been appointed to study the names of buildings on all University of Alabama System campuses and report to the board on any recommended changes, the statement said....
Alabama Today, June 9 |
|
Since 2016, ALA's Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services has maintained the Libraries Respond page—a resource for addressing current social justice issues. Its newest installment is Libraries Respond—Black Lives Matter. This resource provides key definitions and concrete tools for library workers on how they can be involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, from resources on self-education to critically examining library policies....
ODLOS, June |
|
|
Patrick Lloyd writes: “Many of our best staff members are feeling angry, isolated, and resigned. Some feel unsafe at work yet trapped in their jobs as they watch friends and colleagues fall victim to layoffs and furloughs. How do I know so much about my coworkers’ feelings? I began facilitating voluntary lunch-hour support groups for our staff in late March. These groups continue twice a week.”...
Public Libraries Online, June 5 |
|
ALA's International Relations Round Table Webinar Committee is hosting a series of free webinars focusing on perspectives from libraries around the world dealing with COVID-19. The series includes experiences from libraries in Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Qatar, and Sweden on how they addressed and are currently addressing reopening. Register at IRRT's webinars page....
IRRT blog, June 2 |
|
|
Librarians Deb Zeman, Kristina Holzweiss, Shannon Miller, and Sherry Gick gave a presentation during Wakelet Community Week (June 1–5) on how librarians can use the sharing and organization platform in their libraries and schools, for professional development, and in their personal lives....
Library Voice, June 5 |
|
Rae-Anne Montague writes: “We all know about schoolyard bullying. Let’s focus on how school librarians can help stop it. As our schools and communities grapple with fostering a broader recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity diversity, school librarians play crucial roles in building a welcoming environment and providing access to inclusive resources and services. Social stigma of non-mainstream experiences in schools, particularly among LGBTQ+ students, is reinforced by a lack of accurate information and positive media representation. For educators and students, this results in a knowledge gap. The width and depth of that gap and the collective efforts to bridge it vary dramatically.”...
American Libraries column, June |
|
|
Jill Rothstein, chief librarian at Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, writes: “Welcome to Pride Month, everyone! Whether you are looking for stories you can relate to, books to help you learn more about trans and gender nonconforming friends and family, diverse titles to broaden your understanding of our city and community, or just a fun, romantic, or educational read, we have something at New York Public Library for you.”...
NYPL Blogs, June 1 |
|
Ari Saperstein writes: “So many aspects of the 1995 film Party Girl have the makings of a fairytale: a wise godmother, handsome strangers from far-away lands, dazzling outfits, jubilant soirées. In her breakout role, actor Parker Posey plays a young woman who works in a libary during the day and hits downtown Manhattan dance floors packed with glamorous drag queens at night. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Party Girl’s theatrical release, WSJ spoke with the film’s cast and crew, who together remembered the movie’s unlikely origins, iconic moments and how, against the odds, it became the first feature-length film to ever be streamed over the internet.”...
Wall Street Journal (paywall), June 8 |
AL Direct is a free electronic newsletter emailed every Tuesday and Friday to personal members of the American Library Association.
Editor, AL Direct: Amy Carlton, acarlton@ala.org
|
Send news and feedback: aldirect@ala.org
Direct ad inquiries to: Michael Stack, mstack@ala.org
AL Direct FAQ: americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-direct
All links outside the ALA website
are provided for informational purposes only. Questions about the
content of any external site should be addressed to the administrator of
that site.
AL Direct will not sell your email to outside parties, but your email may be shared with advertisers in this newsletter should you express interest in their products by clicking on their ads or content. If the advertisers choose to communicate with you by email, they are obligated to provide you with an opportunity to opt-out from future emails in compliance with the CAN-SPAM act of 2003 and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation of 2018. Read the ALA privacy policy.
American Libraries
225 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60601
800-545-2433, ext. 4216
ISSN 1559-369X
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
