It’s a timely, if violent, image: The pandemic has accelerated numerous technological changes, including digitization, automation, and remote work. In the midst of this upheaval, the Hawaii State Library system has partnered with Oceanit to help dodge any metaphorical punches by bringing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, along with job training and mentorship for students, to … Continue reading Meeting the Future Head-on
Many of this year’s elements will be familiar, including a slate of speakers from the worlds of literature and activism, the announcement of prestigious literary awards including the Newbery and Caldecott medals, and the Symposium on the Future of Libraries. There will be a mix of livestreamed sessions, some of which have been designed for … Continue reading 2021 Midwinter Preview
Here we offer insights and predictions from five library thinkers who shared their perspectives at the Symposium on the Future of Libraries during the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2020 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits. From core values such as privacy and sustainability to more novel innovations such as the use of robots, we explore what the … Continue reading What the Future Holds
Goodwin began by asking, “Why focus on race?” Infant mortality rates are 10 times higher for people of color than for their white counterparts, regardless of any other aspect of their identity. Race, zip code, and gender affect a person’s success across many arenas, such as education, health, and criminal justice. According to Goodwin, “Racial … Continue reading Racial Equity Panel Addresses Bias in Library Work
Featured speakers Opening Session Friday, January 25, 4–5:15 p.m. Philanthropist Melinda Gates, cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has dedicated her life to transforming the health and prosperity of families, communities, and societies. Core to her work is the empowerment of women and girls. Gates is the author of the forthcoming The Moment … Continue reading 2019 Midwinter Preview
Joe Mocnik, dean of libraries at North Dakota State University in Fargo (NDSU), was talking about his school’s relationship to renewable energy on a campus mainly heated by coal power—in a state about 75% reliant on coal—but the challenges and opportunities he described sounded familiar to librarians looking to make sustainable development ingresses at their … Continue reading Stories of Sustainability
The session, titled “Equity-Driven Services and Programs: Exploring Alternative Information Services at the Library,” took place on Monday morning as part of the Symposium on the Future of Libraries at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver. Even as the Midwinter Meeting winds down, leaving some librarians exhausted, Casillas and Duarte held … Continue reading “The Change Starts With Us”
In a packed room, a panel of millennial managers held a discussion titled “A New Generation in Charge: How Millennial Leadership is Changing Library Staffing,” which took place as part of the Symposium on the Future of Libraries at the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver on Sunday. The panel … Continue reading “Millennials Aren’t Better, Just Different!”
Sue Alman, a full-time lecturer at the SJSU iSchool, outlined her study of how libraries can use blockchain technology in support of city or community goals. Blockchain, most closely associated with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, is a highly secure ledger system that records digital transactions. Alman said that her goal is to engage in a … Continue reading Blockchain, Open Civic Data, and TV White Space
The toolkit fully revises and updates a previous workbook and now includes information for public and academic libraries in addition to school libraries. It is divided into four sections: an overview of why libraries need a selection policy; the basic components of a policy; reconsideration procedures and processes; and an appendix with a bibliography, core … Continue reading Protecting Your Pages with Policy
At “Libraries Ready to Code: From Research to Practice,” a Symposium on the Future of Libraries session at the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits on Saturday, panelists involved with the Ready to Code (RtC) initiative shared stories of embedding computational thinking (CT), computer science, and coding into workshops and programs. “Libraries … Continue reading Connected Learning Meets Computational Thinking
Piccolo kicked off “Libraries Transform: Education Innovation” at the American Library Association’s 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver on Saturday by sharing his organization’s framework for creating change: design thinking and research, two concepts familiar to library professionals. The session was part of the Symposium on the Future of Libraries series, and Piccolo was joined … Continue reading Creating Chaos
