EDITOR'S NOTE
Watch for American Libraries’ Daily Scoop e-newsletters June 28–July 2, featuring coverage of ALA’s Annual Conference. AL Direct’s July 3 issue will recap the event.
|
|
|
|
For attendees of ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, Maribeth Mellin writes: “Restaurants both fancy and casual tout prime water views around the Convention Center’s downtown neighborhood. You needn’t stick to the shore, however. There are plenty of stellar neighborhood spots that don’t need beach views to shine. Seafood takes top billing at many spots, along with the region’s exceptional produce. Chefs put a SoCal twist on everything from sushi to Wagyu steaks, with inspired global flourishes everywhere. Mexican dishes and influences also pop up in all sorts of menus.”...
American Libraries feature, June
| |
|
Megan Bennett writes: “Kelley Woolley remembers visiting San Diego Zoo and its Safari Park as a kid. The big cats, giraffes, and koalas were often her first stops. She recalls watching elephants do tricks and riding the now-closed monorail, which offered great views of the tiger habitat. Today, she oversees the library and archive for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the nonprofit that runs the zoo and park. Her workplace is one of a handful of zoo libraries across the US that employs a full-time librarian.”...
American Libraries column, June
| |
|
Reanna Esmail writes: “For students, school might be out for summer. But for instruction librarians, now is the perfect time to catch up on our own learning. While these books may not be beach reads, they will get you thinking about what it means to be an educator today and the crucial role librarians play in promoting multiple kinds of literacy.”...
American Libraries column, June
| |
|
|
|
Maranda Schoppert, Sean Riley, and Amy K. Alapati write: “When school lets out, children gravitate to public libraries. Meanwhile, libraries strive to help those children maintain or improve their reading and critical-thinking skills throughout those school-free months, often by way of summer reading programs. At Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries, we have redesigned our summer reading challenge in hopes of inspiring our young patrons to give back to the community while they socialize, play, and learn. The summer reading model aligns with the county’s climate action plan, and the local government’s vision of a greener county.”...
American Libraries Trend, June
| |
|
Claire Savage writes: “Idaho librarian June Meissner was closing up for the day at the downtown Boise Public Library when a man approached her asking for help. As an information services librarian, answering patrons’ questions is part of Meissner’s day-to-day work, and serving the community is one of her favorite parts of the job. But when the man got close enough, ‘he took a swing at me and tried to punch me in the head,’ said Meissner, a transgender woman. ‘I blocked it, and he started yelling slurs and suggesting that he was going to come back and kill me.’”...
Associated Press, June 22
| |
|
Isabelle Marak writes: “A new K–12 book regulation policy took effect across South Carolina on Tuesday. This means that, for the first time, a state agency can rule on what instructional materials can be used inside a classroom.” Parents can file up to five challenges at a time and, if a district opts to keep materials, the parent can appeal to the state Board of Education. The board’s decision will then
apply to all K–12 schools in the state....
WYFF-TV (Greenville, South Carolina), June 25; Popular Information, June 24
| |
|
|
|
“The Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is aware that Midwest Tape/Hoopla plans to offer an audience or content filtering system to librarians and library workers. OIF has reached out to Midwest Tape to discuss our concerns about the proposal. While we appreciate that Midwest Tape has clarified that the Universal Content Ratings System
is not
intended to apply additional public-facing ratings to library materials and will not be public or available to library users, we have ongoing concerns about utilizing ratings and categories that resemble morality-based labels and filtering systems.”...
Intellectual Freedom Blog, June 24; Book Riot, June 20
| |
|
Meghan Phillips writes: “In recent discussions at conferences and within local networks, a recurring topic has been the restructuring of library departments. Whether you are a middle manager or the person being managed, it is difficult to transition. In a large system, different departments can have vastly different managers and managing styles. In my experience, I was the one being moved to a new department. Although the major aspects of my job and job description remained the same, it was impossible for my working style not to change. Here are some tips that I found useful.”...
Public Libraries Online, June 19
| |
|
Matthew Weirick Johnson writes: “In the past four decades, we’ve come a long way in recognizing the prevalence of burnout among librarians. However, library leaders need to activate this recognition to develop meaningful solutions. As we move past proving that librarians are burning out, we need to consider causes and responses, looking beyond individual actions and self-care. We need to examine the professional, organizational, and occupational causes of burnout, including those that are unique to librarianship, libraries, and library workers, and determine practical approaches for library workers and leaders to identify and ameliorate them.”...
Association of College and Research Libraries Keeping Up With…, June
| |
|
|
|
Jennifer Schuessler writes: “Today, figures like [Arturo Alfonso] Schomburg and the historian and activist W.E.B. Du Bois (another collector and compiler of Black books) are hailed as the founders of the 20th-century Black intellectual tradition. But increasingly, scholars are also uncovering the important role of the women who often ran the libraries [such as New York Public Library’s 135th Street Branch, now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture], where they built collections and—just as important—communities of readers. Many were among the first Black women to attend library school.”...
New York Times, June 19
| |
|
Philip Kennicott writes: “The Great Hall of the Folger Shakespeare Library [in Washington, DC] used to be a dark space, its tall windows covered to prevent damage to the rare books and documents on display there. Today, the light floods in, illuminating the Great Hall’s intricate wood paneling, the ornate plaster ceiling and the two curious seals—an eagle for the US and the coat of arms of Elizabeth I—above the doors. After a more than four-year renovation and expansion, the Folger is a building transformed, better able to serve its core mission of scholarship, but with greatly expanded public access.”...
Washington Post, June 21
| |
|
Ruby Helyer writes: “Despite being expensive and having difficult-to-cancel long-term subscription plans, Adobe has monopolized the creative design industry. I curated the perfect list of free alternatives to all of Adobe's major creative software apps, so you can pursue your creativity without paying a penny.” Included in the list are alternatives to Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, Premiere Pro, InDesign, Express, and Acrobat....
MakeUseOf, June 21
| | |
|
|
|
American Libraries Direct is a free electronic newsletter emailed every Wednesday to personal members of ALA.
Editor, AL Direct: Greg Landgraf
Direct ad inquiries to: Melissa Carr
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, click here.
To unsubscribe from all ALA emails, click here.
American Library Association | 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1300 | Chicago, IL 60601
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg){kind=spacer}
