ALA News

CHICAGO – The Tennessee Association of School Librarians (TASL) is the recipient of the 2020 American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Chapter of the Year Award. The $1,000 award recognizes the AASL Chapter most active and dynamic in achieving the goals of AASL at the state and local level.

CHICAGO — The Carnegie-Whitney Grant provides grants for the preparation, either in print and/or electronically, of popular or scholarly reading lists, webliographies, indexes and other guides to library resources that will be useful to users of all types of libraries in the United States. 

The American Library Association Publishing Committee is proud to announce the 2020 Carnegie-Whitney Award winners, whose proposed projects promote reading or the use of library resources.

As libraries strive to serve increasing numbers of patrons and offer innovative new services, it is no surprise that unexpected challenges emerge. One type of challenge that libraries of all types encounter is that of difficult and disruptive patrons. In the RUSA course "Addressing Challenging and Disruptive Patron Behaviors", participants will develop new ways to address these problems both before they arise and in the moment.

CHICAGO — Used in a variety of courses, ALA Editions | ALA Neal-Schuman’s textbooks are available in e-book format for libraries and individuals through aggregators and other distributors. To help maintain academic continuity during the pandemic, we are making our textbooks easier to access through the following promotions. Institutions interested in these offers should contact their vendor representative directly.

CHICAGO — In response to the need to support remote access to information during the COVID-19 outbreak, ALA Editions | ALA Neal-Schuman is making materials easier to access through the following promotions. Institutions interested in offers outside the ALA Store should contact their vendor representative directly.

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) will present a free webinar "A Crash Course in Protecting Library Data While Working From Home," on Thursday, April 9, at 1:00 - 2:00 pm CT. Libraries across the U.S. rapidly closed their doors to both public and staff in the last two weeks, leaving many staff to work from home.

CHICAGO – New research published in the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research (SLR), explores ways school librarians can support new teachers to prevent burnout. SLR promotes and publishes high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation, and evaluation of school libraries. Articles can be accessed for free at www.ala.org/aasl/slr.

CHICAGO - The Association of College and Resarch Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of "Library Partnerships in International Liberal Arts Education: Building Relationships Across Cultural and Institutional Lines," edited by Jeff Hiroshi Gima and Kara Malenfant.

EXTON, Pennsylvania — United for Libraries will host the webinar “Engaging Library Supporters During the COVID-19 Pandemic” on Wednesday, April 1 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Featured presenters will be Sarah Charleton, Membership Director of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles; Charity Tyler, Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation, and Jonna Ward, CEO of the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Kristi Pearson, CEO of the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, will moderate. Registration is open and free to all. 

CHICAGO – By sharing the wealth of AASL membership with a colleague, Karin Ledford has won a free year of AASL membership. Ledford's name was drawn as a monthly winner of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Share the Wealth Campaign. By referring Stacey Mitzel to AASL, Ledford has been entered to win an AASL National Conference grand prize package, which includes registration, airfare, and hotel accommodations.

CHICAGO – ALA Graphics is offering a free READ® poster file available now for download. The fun, celebratory theme features READ balloon letters and confetti. Design and star in your own READ® poster or feature family, friends, or even pets.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today the $2 trillion economic stimulus package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act, is on its way to the president to be signed into law. The package includes $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital inclusion projects and more than $30 billion in relief for schools and colleges, plus billions more for state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations. In response, American Library Association (ALA) President Wanda Brown made the following statement:

CHICAGO – After conversations with the American Library Association (ALA) and other industry leaders, LinkedIn Learning — formerly Lynda.com, a platform used by libraries to provide online learning opportunities to library users —announced today that it has made changes to its terms of service.

CHICAGO — The Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) of the American Library Association is pleased to announce that the 2020 Innovation in Instruction Award will be presented to the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL).

In the midst of cancelled conventions, closures, and many other rapid changes to the way libraries and library staff work, the Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is going virtual! The GNCRT will spotlight online comic reading and recommendations, resources and toolkits, and other #libcomix content virtually through #LibcomixOnline.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has named Rebecca Denham, Teen Services Coordinator at the Houston (Texas) Public Library, its 2020 Board Fellow.

“I am honored and excited to be part of the YALSA Board Fellow Program and can't wait to get started,” said Denham. “I hope to learn more about the inner workings and motivation of YALSA as an organization and to see where I can contribute to YALSA's mission and leadership moving forward.”

CHICAGO — The Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) of the American Library Association has chosen Melissa Bowles-Terry, associate director of the Faculty Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as the 2020 recipient of the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award.

CHICAGO —The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), has selected the following recipients for its 2020 Volunteers of the Year Award:

EXTON, Pennsylvania — As part of the broad American Library Association effort to provide resources to library communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, United for Libraries is working to support library Boards of Trustees, Friends groups, and Foundations during this time. As part of this initiative, United for Libraries is currently making its online discussion forums accessible to non-members.

The American Library Association (ALA) announced today the names of eight library and information professionals selected to participate in the 2020 ALA Policy Corps, which aims to develop a cadre of experts with deep and sustained knowledge of national public policies in areas key to ALA’s strategic goals.