|
Rosie Newmark writes: “While creating one of their in-house brews, employees at Johnson City (Tenn.) Brewing Company brought in some unexpected assistants to pour barley into the batch: library staffers.
The pre-Prohibition-style lager they crafted together was called 1895, a nod to the founding year of Johnson City Public Library, located just a few blocks from the brewery’s downtown taproom.
The partnership marks a growing trend of libraries working with local brewers to create signature drinks for fundraising and awareness campaigns that expand the library’s visibility to younger adult crowds.”...
American Libraries Trend, May
| |
|
Danielle Melia, Lauren Kawasaki and Reshma Seth write: “George A.
Jackson Elementary School’s library wants to provide a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.
That makes podcasting a perfect fit.
It gives students a platform to express their creativity, explore new ideas, and collaborate with peers while learning real-world skills.
Our podcast project started as a collaboration between librarian Danielle Melia and coteachers Lauren Kawasaki and Reshma Seth.
We wanted our 4th-graders to work in pairs to create an episode related to our unit on natural hazards.
Students developed episodes to answer thought-provoking questions.”...
American Libraries Trend, May
| |
|
Cinzi Lavin writes: “In the summer of 2023, a controversial book—Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe—was removed from the shelves of the small Connecticut library where I worked as a part-time paraprofessional.
The removal was done in transgression of the library board’s book reconsideration policy.
Our small staff was upset and bewildered.
As the granddaughter of Europeans who fled to the US to escape fascism just before World War II, I found that the fight against this injustice in our library became very personal.
I offer the following considerations to other small libraries facing similar challenges.”...
American Libraries column, May
| |
|
Welcome to your gateway to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) global economic data.
Our new data portal provides streamlined access to timely, reliable, and easy-to-understand macroeconomic and financial data.
The new portal boasts several enhanced features, including an updated API, a modern interface, and improved search functionality, making access to IMF flagship products such as the World Economic Outlook, Regional Economic Outlooks, and Fiscal Monitor more efficient and user-friendly.
Visit IMF iData Portal
|
| |
|
|
|
On May 19, Teresa “Teri” Anderson became executive director of the Association of College and Research Libraries, one of the largest ALA divisions.
Before joining ALA, Anderson spent more than three decades at ASIS International, a professional organization for security management professionals.
She held several positions at the organization, most recently serving as vice president of innovation and outreach, a role in which she provided subject matter expertise and liaised with partners across the security industry.
Anderson is a certified association executive through the American Society of Association Executives.
She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members....
AL: The Scoop, May 27
| |
|
Rachel Milburn writes: “Teen advisory boards (TABs) are an excellent resource for libraries.
TABs are the perfect group to promote a library’s young adult collection.
What better way to do this than through social media? Plano (Tex.) Public Library regularly includes our TAB in social media posts to promote all sorts of things, including our collections.
Our teens (and their caregivers) sign photo release forms, which allows us to include them in our online presence.
Here are a few easy ways to incorporate your library’s TAB in social media posts.”...
Young Adult Library Services Association: The Hub, May 23
| |
|
On May 20, the Trump administration filed a
status report describing its compliance
with a federal judge’s preliminary injunction in the
Rhode Island v. Trump
lawsuit, which ordered
the administration to restore terminated Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff and grants to recipients in 21 plaintiff states. However, the administration has filed an appeal and requested a stay of the order.
ALA v. Sonderling
is ALA’s nationwide challenge to the elimination of IMLS. In
that case, a
temporary restraining order
on May 1 halted further actions to dismantle the agency, and a ruling on ALA’s request for a preliminary injunction is expected by May 29....
ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, May 21; AL: The Scoop, May 2
| |
|
|
|
Mike Heuer writes: “A Texas public library did not violate patrons’ right to free speech by removing books due to their content, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled on May 23. The entire appellate court, in a 10–7 decision, overturned federal district court and appellate court rulings finding the
Llano County (Tex.) Library System erred in removing 17 books
due to their content. The majority decision also ruled that the library’s collection decisions are government speech and not subject to First Amendment–based free speech challenges.”...
United Press International, May 24; Bloomberg Law, June 6, 2024
| |
|
Blake Brittain writes: “Shira Perlmutter, the US Copyright Office director fired by the Trump administration sued President Donald Trump and other government officials on May 22, arguing her firing was unconstitutional and should not be allowed to take effect.”
Copyright Lately asserted
that Perlmutter’s
motion for a temporary restraining order
“lays out a broader purpose: to block what she portrays as an Executive Branch power grab—one that’s already disrupting operations, stalling critical policy work, and threatening the independence of the agency tasked with administering the nation’s copyright laws.”...
Reuters, May 23; Copyright Lately, May 26
| |
|
Lizzie Ramirez writes: “Library board meetings have become ground zero for debates about banning certain books or making them harder for children to access. But Assemblywoman Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) is hoping that
AB416 can defuse the controversies
by taking decisions about book removals out of local school and library officials’ hands and instead moving them to court. The bill would also criminalize trying to share sensitive information about library employees or threatening them as felonies.” The bill passed the Assembly May 21, but must pass several other legislative steps to become law....
Nevada Independent, May 22
| |
|
|
|
Mark Dahlquist writes: “A two-year pilot program at Miami University Libraries in Oxford, Ohio, tested a system developed in-library for digitally providing library users with semester-long licenses to access a student-oriented commercial cloud-based collaborative video editing tool (WeVideo) and explored the development of related learning resources and instructional sessions.
Collected usage and survey data reveal a strongly positive user response to this tool and library service.
Significant obstacles, including accessibility problems, were encountered during the pilot study.
However, subsequent platform improvements may have mitigated or resolved many of these challenges.”...
The Journal of Creative Library Practice, May 20
| |
|
Kwame Alexander writes: After the firings of Carla Hayden and Shira Perlmutter from the Library of Congress, “It feels urgent for us, as citizens, to gather and plan together how to respond to this attack on our freedom to read, write, and learn.
We are bringing together some smart folks, including Jason Reynolds, Ibram X.
Kendi, Meg Medina, Amanda Jones, and Tracie D.
Hall, to speak out about what intellectual freedom means to us and form an action plan to stand up for these freedoms.” The
rally will be held May 31
at the DC Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library at 5 p.m.
Eastern and
livestreamed
for those not able to attend in person....
Kwamealexander.com; DC Public Library
| |
|
Emma Roth writes: “If you’ve ever wondered how the Internet Archive uploads all the physical documents on its site, now you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the process. The Internet Archive launched a new
YouTube livestream
that shows the digitization of microfiche in real time—complete with some relaxing, lo-fi beats. The livestream shows a close-up look at one of the five microfiche digitization stations at the organization’s Richmond, California, location, along with a look at the document that it’s working on. It runs from Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern.”...
The Verge, May 22
| | |
|
|
|
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}
