Leveraging PR to Share Your Library’s Story
Public relations is a powerful tool for libraries, especially when faced with crises, such as intellectual freedom challenges, budget shortfalls and remaining relevant in a digital world. Library Journal has created a new, free toolkit to help you reach the people you need to
reach with the story you want to tell, and influencing them to take action or change their perception based on the message.
New Report from ALA: American Dream Literacy Initiative: How 10 Years of Funding Has Helped Libraries Transform Thousands of Lives
A newly released American Library Association (ALA) report marks the 10th anniversary of the American Dream Literacy Initiative, which offers grants to U.S. public libraries to expand services for adult English language learners (ELL) or adults in need of basic education and workforce development. With grants of $5,000 to $15,000, participating libraries have developed new courses, expanded their print and digital collections, increased access to technology, implemented new strategies for inclusion, and developed sustainable partnerships with organizations across their communities.
AASL Releases Guide Addressing Challenges Related to Censorship and LGBTQ+ Materials
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has released a new resource guide to support school librarians addressing challenges related to censorship and patron privacy issues, particularly with LGBTQ+ materials. “Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries” contains resources, links and activities scaffolded by the newly released AASL “National School Library Standards.”
Hate Groups in the Library? ALA Interpretation Sparks Debate
At ALA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, ALA Council adopted three Library Bill of Rights interpretation revisions — proposed by the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) — that cover meeting rooms, library-initiated programs, and services to people with disabilities. The inclusion of “hate groups” among those who should have equal access to library meeting rooms sparked a heated debate on Twitter and elsewhere. The ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) issued a response to the backlash clarifying the reasons for the interpretation.
Constance Wu Promotes Libraries with New Video PSAs
Constance Wu, star of the small and big screen, is lending her support to our nation’s libraries with special video messages recorded for the American Library Association (ALA). In the Public Service Announcements (PSAs), Wu shares her love of libraries and discusses how they advance inclusion and education for people of all backgrounds. Wu will appear in the highly-anticipated release of the movie adaptation of “Crazy Rich Asians” later this summer. The PSAs can be viewed here.
More Podcast, Less Process for Archives and Special Collections
More Podcast, Less Process is a podcast featuring interviews with archivists, librarians, preservationists, technologists, and information professionals about interesting work and projects within and involving archives, special collections, and cultural heritage. Topics include appraisal and acquisition, arrangement and description, reference, outreach and education, collection management, physical and digital preservation, and infrastructure and technology.
Forbes Opinion Piece Riles Library Advocates
When an online Forbes op-ed by economist Panos Mourdoukoutas suggested that Amazon replace libraries to save taxpayers money, library advocates responded with a resounding “No,” citing stories and statistics showing the value of libraries to their communities. Forbes later removed the article, explaining that the piece “was outside of this contributor’s specific area of expertise.”
US Public Libraries: Marketing and Communications Landscape
To learn more about how public libraries communicate, OCLC conducted a survey among US public libraries that asked general questions about active engagement efforts. Questions covered marketing concerns and barriers, communication channels, how they use email marketing, and much more. This report provides an overview of how US public libraries communicate with their users and the broader community.
Register now for the 2018 LITA Library Technology Forum
The 2018 LITA Library Technology forum will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 8-10. This highly regarded forum for technology-minded information professionals is an opportunity to meet with your colleagues involved in new and leading edge technologies in the library and information technology field. Registration is limited in order to preserve the important networking advantages of a smaller conference.
Helpful Videos on Delivering Quality Information to Patrons with Mental Illness
California State Library is continuing their Mental Health Initiative by collaborating with the Los Angeles Public Library and the Los Angeles County Library in creating a YouTube channel called “California Library Services,” with videos to help improve libraries on delivering quality information to patrons who may have a mental illness. The videos focus on transforming library practices in providing resources to their community members.
New Courts’ Opinions Available on govinfo
GPO and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AOUSC) have made available five new courts’ opinions in the U.S. Courts collection on govinfo. This effort began as a pilot project in 2011 to provide public access to opinions from selected United States appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts. Opinions from 118 courts are now available in govinfo to search, browse, and download.
New Guide on Developing a Graphic Novel Collection
The Comic Books Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) has released Comics — Start Here! This free download for librarians provides an introduction to developing a graphic novel collection, including brand new research on cataloging graphic novels