Blog

by Steve Zalusky

Libraries are creatures of adaptation. This is particularly true as people drift away from hardcover and paperback books and move toward getting their reading done on electronic devices.

Adults as well as children will recognize such Judy Blume titles as: Are You There God?

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
– Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” 1963

This weekend marks the annual celebration of the life and achievements of the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  While your children are enjoying a day off from school, plan some time to learn about this great American.

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Libraries play a valuable role in bringing communities together.

And that includes ways in which community members act toward each other.

Illustrating this will be several public libraries that were selected by the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the Fetzer Institute to host a series of programs as part of the Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion initiative, which is supported by the institute.

Sara Zarr, author of How to Save a Life, shares her thoughts about libraries in this week's video interview.

Zarr describes how libraries played a crucial role in providing her with books during her childhood in San Francisco.

"We didn't have money. We relied on hand-me-down clothing, food stamps. So the whole idea of idea of buying a book was completely foreign to me," she says.

The Michael L. Printz Award is bestowed annually to a book that exemplifies excellence in literature for teens. The award, sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association (ALA), and administered by ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the YALSA.

“Our Authors, Our Advocates,” ALA Past President Roberta Stevens’ library advocacy initiative, features  well-known and passionate authors speaking out about the value of and importance of libraries.

Pam Muñoz Ryan participated in the project by taping this video public service announcement in support of school libraries.

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While many families have their own unique holiday food traditions, there is something universal about leaving sugar cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and frying latkes for Hanukkah.  Or is there?

The 2011 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award Ceremony was held December 8 at The TimesCenter in New York City with more than 300 guests in attendance.

The award program, administered by the American Library Association's Campaign for America's Libraries, honored ten librarians who were recognized for service to their communities, schools and campuses. More than 1,700 library patrons nominated a librarian.

Janet L. Robinson, chief executive of The New York Times Company, served as emcee of the event.

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Much of the news coverage swirling around libraries focuses on how libraries are adapting to the digital age.

But print is still very much in the picture, as American Library Association (ALA) President Molly Raphael emphasized in her recent remarks at the 15th Annual FIL (La Feria Internacional del Libro) in Guadalajara.