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Terra Dankowski writes: “Anika Noni Rose wants us all to be nicer to ourselves. The Tony Award–winning actor, singer, and storytime series host—perhaps best known for voicing Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog—has written Tiana’s Perfect Plan (Disney Hyperion, October), a picture book that teaches kids the importance of self-forgiveness. “I want [children] to be able to experiment and experience without shackling them to the word perfection,” Rose told attendees at the Closing Session of ALA’S 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego on July 2....
AL: The Scoop, July 2
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Annual programs covered a wide range of subjects of interest to librarians working in all library types. Sessons explored
information needs of library board members, internship programs for
high schoolers and
video producers,
homeschooling resources, sexual harassment in libraries,
fostering civil dialogues,
inclusive programming for adults with disabilities,
manga collections,
trivia nights,
privacy in digital research tools, and more.
Read AL’s complete #alaac24 coverage....
AL: The Scoop, June 29–July 2
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In its three meetings at Annual, ALA Council discussed and voted on key issues related to Association governance and operations, including the
process to fill the now-vacant ALA president-elect position, a
new ALA journal publication ethics policy,
adjustments to the budgeting process,
increasing support for American Association of School Library and Association of College and Research Libraries chapters, and
reaffirming ALA’s commitment to intellectual freedom. Read AL’s recaps of
Council I,
Council II, and
Council III....
AL: The Scoop, June 29–July 2; ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, June 30
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Ed Finkel writes: “Last year, when states were introducing a raft of legislation that would effectively take books off the shelves, librarians at Harris County (Tex.) Public Library (HCPL) knew they wanted to take a stand. Texas House Bill 900, which would have restricted materials in school libraries and required vendors to assign book ratings based on so-called appropriateness before selling them to schools, had been signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June. On September 19, the same day H.B. 900 was temporarily blocked [in US District Court], Harris County Commissioners Court passed a resolution declaring HCPL a book sanctuary.”...
American Libraries feature, June
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Dani Carmack and Jessica Quarles write: “Are staffers at your university aware of the library’s services? At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott in Arizona, we discovered that many faculty members were hesitant to enter what they perceived as student-only library spaces.This made us realize: We weren’t marketing our resources and services to a core population, a group that is essential to helping us advocate for the library on campus and beyond. But first, staffers had to understand what we offered.”...
American Libraries column, June
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) introduced a new website with specialized tools and resources designed for library and museum professionals to engage diverse communities in developing critical information literacy skills.
InformationLiteracy.gov, which debuted June 27 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, is one product of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which directed IMLS to explore ways to improve information literacy within communities. It focuses on disseminating
training and technical
assistance resources for professionals in libraries, museums, zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens, arboretums, nature and science centers, archives, and other community-serving institutions....
IMLS, June 27
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Climate change is one of the biggest challenges to library communities, and a partnership between ALA and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative addresses that challenge. A working group, comprising leaders from many ALA sectors working on sustainability, has created resources for library workers, including the
National Climate Action Strategy for Libraries and an
implementation guide. Sustainability was reconfirmed as an ALA core value in January 2024, and the working group is developing resources to accelerate the work....
ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, July 1
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Mark Prussin writes: “Funding for New York City libraries is being fully restored in the 2025 fiscal year budget. That means libraries will return to being open seven days a week. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Thursday that $58.3 million will be restored to the three city public library systems, along with $53 million to cultural institutions.” The libraries, and other city agencies, had their budgets cut in November 2023, which the city blamed on costs related to housing and feeding asylum seekers....
CBS New York, June 27; Spectrum News NY1, Nov. 17, 2023
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Andrew Lapin writes: “The superintendent of Mission Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas recently
agreed within minutes to a conservative group’s demands to remove 676 books, including some seminal texts about the Holocaust and antisemitism. Conservative activists, led by a local pastor and outspoken Israel advocate, pushed the district, Mission CISD, to excise books mostly about gender, sexuality and race. Five minutes after receiving the demands, [Superindendent Carol] Perez agreed to them.” [Perez has
since separated from the district, apparently over a contract dispute not related to the book removals.]...
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 26; Progress Times, June 13, May 28
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Robin Camille Davis writes: “A decade ago, user experience practitioners were regularly creating something called personas, detailed, fictional user profiles intended to represent the characteristics and needs of real users. It was a widely accepted convention, including in libraries, and it purported to help center the design process on people. But recently, personas have fallen out of favor. Rather than creating a bio and choosing a name and a photo, UX practitioners now often leave out these details and create realistic archetypes. These focus on needs, goals, behaviors, and tasks.”...
Choice 360 LibTech Insights, July 1
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Andrea Olson writes: “A former library board member has been convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds and sentenced to prison. Amanda Baker, former board member and treasurer of Clark County (Idaho) Library, was charged in August with felony grand theft after she admitted to stealing about $50,000. However, after further investigation, that number was discovered to be over $200,000.” Baker negotiated a plea agreement in March, and was sentenced June 26 to between 15 months and 10 years in prison. She will also make full restitution of $226,384.59 over 10 years.”...
East Idaho News, June 27
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