American Library Association Journals
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People Like Me in Places Like Mine: Authentic Representation in Rural Picturebooks
No full textLibrarians serve children in specific locations. As they seek to fulfill the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) promise to help “children make cross-cultural connections and develop skills necessary to function in a culturally pluralistic society,” they must consider a book’s authenticity and specific geography.Young readers in rural places experience different challenges from those in urban and suburban settings as do rural librarians experience different collection development demands than do those in urban and suburban settings, especially when rural stereotypes dominate in children’s books. Because rural identities are tied to each child’s place, daily rural life may feel different on the coast than on the prairie, or in mountains, woods, wetlands, and deserts. Only 9 percent of the rural US workforce is in agriculture, with 91 percent having livelihoods in service, tourism, government, education, manufacturing, mining, health care, and energy. Yet much children’s literature continues to present settings where family farming dominates the rural economy, neglecting the diversity of rural work
One Hundred Years: A Timeline of the Newbery Medal
No full textThe history of the Newbery Medal is tied to the history of contemporary American children’s literature. A little over a hundred years ago, there was a perfect storm of children’s book-related firsts that created the fertile ground in which the Newbery took root and grew.Over the first several decades, changes in Newbery Committee composition and the selection process were made frequently. Until the mid-1970s, members of the ALSC leadership were actively involved in the award committee process itself, which allowed for continual finessing of the terms and procedures, as well as a strong institutional memory. Once the joint Newbery-Caldecott Committee separated into two different award committees in 1979 and, for the most part, began to function independently from the ALSC leadership, few changes have been made to the terms, procedures, or committee structure
Protecting The Privacy of Library Users
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to consider the best way of understanding the concept of informational privacy, including a discussion of what would be an appropriate theoretical framework and useful conceptual model; as well as how such a model can be used to investigate specific issues of library privacy.Two methodologies were used for the research: a literature review, and a thematic analysis of three pieces of data protection legislation. The research project is still in its relatively early stages, and the intention is to use several other methodologies to test the initial findings.Informational privacy is a derivative layer of other forms of privacy, and as such can only be properly understood in relation to each of the underlying privacy types. Where libraries rely for the delivery of their services on digital technologies provided by external vendors, they need to better understand whether and how those technologies impact upon each of the different types of privacy identified by (Koops et al. 2017).Using three pieces of data protection legislation to identify key themes does not give a complete picture of informational privacy; nor does it fully address the wider privacy implications. A detailed review of relevant case law on privacy from the European Court of Human Rights was not undertaken as part of this project. The choice of words and phrases appearing in data protection legislation and the subsequent grouping of them into broad themes is subjective.The observation that all library privacy scenarios have an informational privacy component alongside one or more privacy types has significant implications for information professionals intending to protect the privacy of their users; because, if correct, it means that simply complying with data protection laws does not fully address the protection of the underlying privacy types
Are DVDs Dinosaurs? The Impact, and Inequities, of Streaming
No full textWhen the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) re-opened in August 2020 after being shuttered to the public for six months, it launched a soft reopening with SFPL To Go. Patrons could return materials and put holds on physical items at the branch’s entrance, but the public health order prohibited the public from entering the building; this restriction would not be lifted until May 2021.At first, the main branch received all returns that had accumulated during the closure for a system of twenty-seven branches and a bookmobile. Two media formats, DVDs and Blu-rays—belong to a floating collection. With only two locations open, the main branch was inundated with these returns
Chapter 2. Authentication, Authorization, and the Appropriate Copy Problem: Some Basic Concepts for Access Management of Library Resources
No full textHow can libraries provide safe and secure access to online resources to their users? In chapter 2 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 6), “Authentication and Authorization for Library Resources: The Basic Concepts of Access Management,” we will introduce the concepts of authorization and authentication and describe the main ways to achieve them. In particular, we will outline two major ways—IP recognition with proxies and SAML-based methods—and their respective strengths and weakness
The “Other” Winners: The Excitement of Mock Newberys
No full textAs we look back on one hundred years of the Newbery Medal, it’s fun to revisit the winning titles from past years. Remember when Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper won the 2011 award? And wasn’t it great when Jonathan Auxier’s Sweep was announced as the 2019 Medal winner
Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee: Making the Invisible Visible: EDI Is More Than a Buzzword
No full textAntiracism and antidiscrimination work requires all of us to try our hardest to question and dismantle systems of inequality that have been in place for so long that we don’t notice them in the day to day. The key is to make any invisible hardships that we notice visible, especially if we are not in the group affected by them, and begin the work of rectifying those imbalances. This is at the heart of EDI—which stands for equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives and practices
Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee: Don’t Leave the Homeschoolers at Home
No full textHomeschooling, an adult-led home-based education, is typically seen as an alternative method of schooling children from preschool to secondary school. There are also “temporary homeschoolers,” a term which includes kids who traditionally attend school but have been learning remotely.Homeschooled students fall under a wide variety of demographics, including multiple religions, ethnicities, educational backgrounds, and income levels. At its current rate, homeschooling will be the most rapidly growing education sector. It is expected that families will choose to continue homeschooling in years to come, and librarians must be prepared to attract and serve this steadily increasing group to their libraries
Soft Skills in the Technical Services Workplace
No full textThe stereotype of the “behind the scenes” technical services librarian lends credence to the idea that librarians working in cataloging, acquisitions, collection development, etc. work alone and independently, never to face the patron or engage with their colleagues. Though that exaggerated typecast may still live on in the minds of some, the more contemporary and holistic approach to library organization, where librarians in all sub-fields benefit from a cross-sectional skillset, has necessitated that all librarians master the soft skills needed to work well with the patron and with others. This study examines both the frequency with which librarians in technical services interact with others in the course of their job duties as well as the nature and importance of soft skills in the library technical services workplac