Blog

Pat R. Scales on teaching banned books: an interview

Posted by Rob Christopher on 12/16/2019

Pat R. Scales has made it her mission to ensure that valued books which touch upon important topics are not quarantined from the readers for whom they were written. She is a former chair of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and serves on the Board of Advisors of the National Coalition against Censorship. And she's also author of the new second edition of Teaching Banned Books: 32 Guides for Children and Teens.

An interview with Liz Deskins about AASL’s guide to content-area collaborations for secondary grades

Posted by Rob Christopher on 12/06/2019

A school librarian for 30 years, Liz Deskins is an adjunct professor for Kent State University as well as a very active speaker and presenter. She's also written several books, including (with co-author Christina Dorr) 2018's best-selling LGBTQAI+ Books for Children and Teens: Providing a Window for All.

An interview with Jo Bell Whitlatch and Beth S. Woodard on utilizing the RUSA Professional Competencies

Posted by Rob Christopher on 11/21/2019

Reference and user services librarians need to be in charge of their own careers. A new book by Jo Bell Whitlatch and Beth S. Woodard aims to help these practitioners do just that, using the RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) Professional Competencies as a framework for reflecting on strengths as well as gaps in expertise.

Blockchain and the future of libraries: an interview with Sandra Hirsh and Susan Alman

Posted by Rob Christopher on 11/11/2019

With its high level of transparency and accuracy, blockchain technology is a concept with far-reaching implications for the future of recordkeeping. In the newest volume of the Library Futures Series, Sandra Hirsh and Susan Alman lay out blockchain's challenges and opportunities. We recently had the chance to speak with them about how they originally got interested in the technology and where they see it leading next.

Becoming a copyright coach: an interview with editors Kevin L. Smith and Erin L. Ellis

Posted by Rob Christopher on 11/01/2019

When it comes to copyright, the most effective way to empower users is to take a practical approach to specific situations. That’s the goal of Coaching Copyright, a new collection from editors Kevin L. Smith and Erin L.

Incubating creativity: an interview with Erinn Batykefer and Laura Damon-Moore

Posted by Rob Christopher on 10/18/2019

As technology consultant David Weinberger puts it, “A platform provides resources that lets other people build things.” The library is an ideal platform for creativity; a new book from Erinn Batykefer and Laura Damon-Moore, creators of the Library as Incubator Project, proves it.

Interview: Maureen Schlosser and Rebecca Granatini on AASL Standards–based learning for primary grades

Posted by Rob Christopher on 10/02/2019

The first book to be published in the AASL Standards–Based Learning series, Lessons Inspired by Picture Books for Primary Grades is a ready-to-go toolkit that aims to build learner competencies. Included are anchor chart examples that explore collaborative practices, and in fact the writing of the book was a collaboration between a school librarian (Maureen Schlosser) and a curriculum specialist (Rebecca Granatini).

School librarianship and collection development: an interview with Mona Kerby

Posted by Rob Christopher on 09/23/2019

A former kindergarten teacher and elementary librarian, Mona Kerby is now Professor of Education and Graduate and Professional Studies Endowed Chair at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Her passion is collection development, which she puts to expert use in the second edition of An Introduction to Collection Development for School Librarians.

An interview with Laura A. Millar: "Truth matters. Facts matter. Evidence matters more."

Posted by Rob Christopher on 07/26/2019

The first volume in the new Archival Futures series published jointly by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and ALA Neal-Schuman, Laura A. Millar's new book A Matter of Facts: The Value of Evidence in an Information Age is an urgent manifesto for our "post truth" world.

"Anonymity is as important for librarians to understand, support, and promote as privacy": an interview with Alison Macrina and Talya Cooper

Posted by Rob Christopher on 07/03/2019