|
In Episode 59, Call Number with American Libraries looks at efforts to move forward the conversations about race and racism in the United States. American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Emmanuel Acho, sports analyst for Fox News and former NFL linebacker (and recent Midwinter Virtual featured speaker), about his YouTube series and subsequent book Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Next, American Libraries Senior Editor and Call Number host Phil Morehart speaks with Jessica Bratt, youth services manager at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Public Library, about the Let’s Talk about Race toolkit she created for librarians....
AL: The Scoop, Feb. 16, Jan. 24
| |
 |
|
|
|
ALA is again accepting applications for Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on
Small and Rural Libraries, a grant initiative that will distribute nearly $2 million to libraries. Library workers will complete a free ALA e-course on basic facilitation skills, host at least one conversation with community members on a chosen topic, and receive $3,000 to support community engagement efforts. Grant funds may cover a range of expenses, including staff time and collections and technology purchases. Library workers may
apply online for grant funding by March 4....
Programming Librarian, Jan. 7
| |
|
|
|
|
|
A major effort is getting underway at several universities, tribal museums, and libraries around the US to digitize the oral histories of thousands of Native Americans that were collected a half century ago as part of a project initiated by the late philanthropist Doris Duke. The New York–based Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announced February 9 that it has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to help with the translation, transcription, and indexing of the recordings so they can be accessible to Native communities, students, and the wider public....
AP News, Feb. 9
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To commemorate the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa (Okla.) City-County Library is hosting author events, panel discussions, a curated exhibit titled “TCCL Remembers: Commemorating Tulsa’s Race Massacre with Education, Empathy, and Healing,” and more leading up to the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial in May. Beginning in February, a variety of virtual programs are scheduled to educate and promote healing and empathy by increasing historical and political awareness of Tulsa’s history.
See the TCCL website for the full schedule....
Tulsa City-County Library, Jan. 14
| |
|
|
|
|
|
The library at University of Virginia School of Law has launched
a website exploring the history of the school’s connections to slavery. Slavery was part of the fabric of life at the school since its founding in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, a slaveholder himself. Special Collections Librarian Randi Flaherty of the Arthur J. Morris Law Library led the effort to create content for the site, which was built entirely by library staff....
University of Virginia School of Law, Feb. 8
| |
|
|
|
|
|
While a number of extraordinary Black Americans have helped transform Silicon Valley into a global hub of high-tech industry and innovation, their lives, stories, and accomplishments have been largely absent from public record. A new archive at Stanford Libraries hopes to change that. Set to launch later this year, the “Histories of African Americans in Silicon Valley” will ensure that the experiences of Black Americans who lived and worked in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area are represented in the annals of history....
Stanford University News, Feb. 11
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Max Macias writes: “It is with great excitement and honor that the Oregon Library Association's Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism present the OLA EDI Antiracism Toolkit! You can download a copy at
the Oregon Library Association website, or the State Library of Oregon website. A paper copy of this toolkit will be distributed to every library in Oregon. They will also receive a digital copy to print and share with staff.”...
Lowrider Librarian, Feb. 12
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Suzanne LaPierre writes: “One of my colleagues used to say: ‘We get to work in the candy store.’ Indeed, many outside the profession may read the title of this article and joke: Health hazards of librarianship? Like what, paper cuts or falling off book ladders? However, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light, there are health risks entailed by all front-line workers, as well as some more specific to library employees. Professional ethics, as outlined by the
American Library Association Code of Ethics, include a duty to ‘advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.’ The purpose of this article is to highlight some issues to be considered when it comes to that pledge.”...
Public Libraries Online, Feb. 15
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Adam Symson writes: “Where we are now is an increasingly digital world that makes it harder than ever to distinguish verified facts and objective journalism from opinion, propaganda, and even total fiction. Or, as recently
termed by the Edelman Trust Barometer’s latest survey on public trust, we’re currently in an ‘environment of information bankruptcy.’ To understand how insidious a problem we face, we need to recognize the dilemma where social media throws gas on the burning fire that is disinformation.”...
Fast Company, Feb. 10
| |
|
The National Security Archive et. al. v. Donald J. Trump et. al. lawsuit, filed December 1, 2020, achieved a formal litigation hold on White House records that lasted all the way through the transition and Inauguration Day, the preservation of controversial WhatsApp messages, and a formal change in White House records policy....
National Security Archive, Feb. 11
| |
|
Academic library director Joe Hardenbrook writes: “I come from a working-class family. As I was approaching the end of my MLIS program and job hunting, I was perplexed by this all-day academic librarian interview thing. I kept thinking: It takes the library all day to figure out if they want to hire someone? Then it was explained to me: The all-day interview is really just a series of shorter interviews with different groups of people, who often ask you the same question.”...
Mr. Library Dude, Feb. 12
| |
|
Caroline Bologna writes: “It’s important for children to feel represented in the books they read. It’s also important for books to expose children to the beautiful diversity of our world. This includes the varying abilities and disabilities around the globe. To promote inclusivity and representation, we’ve rounded up 53 books featuring characters with disabilities.”...
Huffington Post, Feb. 3
| | |
|
|
|
American Libraries Direct is a free electronic
newsletter emailed every Wednesday to personal members of the American Library Association.
Editor, AL Direct: Amy Carlton
Direct ad inquiries
to: Michael Stack
Send news and feedback: 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 FAQ.
American Libraries 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 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.
To manage your American Libraries email preferences, please click here.
To unsubscribe from all American Library Association communications, click here.
American Library Association, 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
