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On November 1, ALA’s Nominating Committee announced it had selected two nominees to contend in the upcoming election for ALA president. The candidates vying for the 2024–2025 term are Cindy Hohl, director of policy analysis and operational support at Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library, and Eric D. Suess, director of Marshall Public Library in Pocatello, Idaho. Hohl and Suess will engage in a virtual candidates’ forum at 2:30 p.m. Central on February 15, 2023. Ballot mailing for the election will begin March 13, 2023, and run through April 5, 2023. ALA has also released a list of the
61 candidates running for 34 councilor-at-large seats on ALA Council. For more information, visit the
ALA Election page....
ALA Governance Office, Nov. 1
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Claire Zulkey writes: “High-profile book banning and boycott stories have included everything from Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee’s Everywhere Babies to Pizza Hut’s Book It! program, which some attacked in June for featuring LGBTQ books in celebration of Pride Month. These stories, especially when shared on social media, have accelerated the culture wars and negatively affected library workers and administrators, their work, and their roles in their communities. Here, American Libraries highlights five such stories.”...
American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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As libraries, schools, and universities continue to confront unprecedented attacks on the freedom to read, the Public Library Association (PLA) invited library colleagues to participate in
“Facing the Challenge,” a virtual town hall held March 4. As those who have endured book-banning attempts and related legislative efforts know, the experience is often isolating and stressful. During this event, speakers from school and public libraries discussed effective responses to the coordinated attempts at censorship currently sweeping the nation....
American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.
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Lessa Kanani‘opua Pelayo-Lozada writes: “When I began the journey toward the role of ALA president in 2020, I had no idea what the future would hold for our libraries, for us as library workers, or for our Association. I did not foresee the ways many of us would work to create a more equitable world—necessary steps taken in the face of a pandemic, racial injustice, and a cultural backlash against freedom of information, among other obstacles. Now, almost three years later, I wonder how many of these changes will remain.”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Tracie D. Hall writes: “When I was about 12, the house next to ours was burned down. Trades and exchanges were constantly being made in the backyard of that burned-out house. I’d hide in the shadows listening to the singsong dice calls of betters pressing their luck. One of my favorites was ‘Scared money don’t make none!’ The call reminds me of the risks and opportunities that the American Library Association and the larger library and information services sector face at this moment of mounting incursions on the right to read, wealth disparities, information inequity, and ongoing disinvestment and transactionality in public education and libraries.”...
American Libraries column, Nov./Dec.
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Registration has opened for the first in-person
LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience, to be held in New Orleans January 27–30, 2023. LibLearnX is a four-day conference for ALA members and nonmembers to participate in collaborative education, networking, and celebrations. Designed as an active learning experience, the conference will offer more than 120 education sessions, from hands-on workshops to bite-sized presentations. This year, ALA will host its
inaugural Governance Institute at LibLearnX; these sessions will cover strategic communications, financial analysis, and stewardship intended for current and prospective ALA Executive Board, Council, and committee members....
ALA, Oct. 26; ALA’s Governance Office, Oct. 31
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Fifty-four US representatives
sent a letter on October 28 to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee urging them to support federal funding to modernize library buildings nationwide. Led by US Reps. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the letter comes as Congress prepares to negotiate fiscal year 2023 funding bills before current stopgap funding expires on December 16. The letter urges the House to agree to the Senate’s $20 million Improving Library and Museum Facilities proposal in the final FY2023 funding bill, passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 28....
ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office, Oct. 27
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Alejandro Marquez writes: “Quiet quitting is a way of dealing with burnout. Workers try to balance pressures by looking to meaning and purpose in their work, organizational culture, and professional relationships. The term presents a view of an American workplace culture that celebrates toxic workaholism and grind culture. The popularity of the term is a positive sign that there is a shift in workplace expectations. The issues surrounding quiet quitting create an opportunity for the university library to recognize the challenges and assume responsibility for resolving them.”...
ACRLog, Oct. 27
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Jordan Smith writes: “Watch the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s (CBLDF) behind-the-scenes video on its recent victory in Virginia Beach defending Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel Gender Queer from an obscenity charge. CBLDF digital editor Jordan Smith sat down with Kobabe’s cocounsel Steven Emmert and CBLDF’s Jeff Trexler to have an accessible discussion of the case. Topics covered include: the social climate in Virginia before the challenge, the sequence of events in the case, what was and wasn’t decided in the final ruling, and what we can learn from this case and others like it.”...
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Oct. 24
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Meghan O’Gieblyn writes: “People who think about reading in terms of what ‘counts’ don’t seem to actually enjoy books all that much. While some disciples of this culture are quick to dismiss audiobooks as a shortcut, they cannot seem to agree on why, exactly, listening is an inferior form of engagement. The larger problem, however, is in viewing books as a means to some other end. My advice is to be less discriminating about the medium and more choosy about the books you pick up.”...
Wired, Oct. 27
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Cinnamon Janzer writes: “At Madison, Wisconsin’s nine public libraries, residents can check out books of all kinds, from hardbacks and paperbacks to ebooks and audiobooks. They can check out movies as DVDs and Blu-rays. And since last year, card holders can also check out electric bicycles. Madison’s public libraries are part of a growing number of bike libraries in cities and towns from coast to coast. While they all look a little different and work a little differently, they all do the same thing—increase free access to bikes.”...
Next City, Oct. 24
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Ashley Segura writes: “Social media has become a massive part of brand marketing strategy. And managing multiple accounts can be pretty overwhelming. How do you stay organized? What tools should you use to manage social media accounts? Since scheduling posts and analyzing social media insights is now a must for any content strategy, it’s vital to equip yourself with the right tools. So now, let’s break down the top tools for social media management.”...
Search Engine Journal, Oct. 20
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