American Libraries

Imagine if the University of Michigan libraries had no budget to buy resources for 15 years--no new books, no journal subscriptions, no databases. How would faculty, students, and researchers keep up in the new global economy if the latest resources...

In the face of an ongoing budget crisis, the Buffalo and Erie County (N.Y.) Public Library expects to close some 20 of its 52 branches next year, and to cut the budgets of those that remain open. At a July 26 meeting, the planning committee of the...

In reaction to complaints from the anti-immigration group Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR), the Denver Public Library in August reviewed the content of its collection of fotonovelas--Spanish-language fiction serials that tell stories...

It's a battle we've been fighting for 50 years," said library advocate extraordinaire Virginia Mathews at the "Reading Powers the Mind" workshop she organized last month for the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress (see p. 10). The battle...

Sharon Grover knows youth literature. For 12 years she has been the youth services collection specialist for Arlington County (Va.) Public Library. During that time, she has served on national awards committees for ALA's Newbery and Caldecott Medals....

With minimal discussion, county commissioners voted July 20 to "receive and file" a request from the Tampa-Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Library Friends group to rescind its policy prohibiting the promotion of gay pride events (AL, Aug., p. 14-15)....

Awards are one measure of success, and this annual roundup of American Library Association winners reveals how success is achieved. The individuals and institutions represented are ALA's "Academy Award-winning stars" recognized by their peers for above-and-beyond...

In 2004, the American Library Association commissioned a study on librarian retirements and the issues of library workforce recruitment using the 2000 census data ("Retirement and Recruitment: A Deeper Look," AL, Jan., p. 28). The researchers--Mary...

The Niagara Falls (N.Y.) City Council approved a proposal July 25 by Mayor Vince Anello to use some $500,000 in surplus funds from the 2004 budget to keep the city's two libraries open. However, the library board has threatened to close one of those...

When then--ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano appointed me to the newly established ALA Public and Cultural Programs Advisory Committee, I quickly learned about the many nationwide programs and exhibits available to libraries through the ALA Public Programs...

One of the things I love about librarianship is our tendency to hedge our bets. That's the nicer way of saying that we look after the lowest common denominator or try to be all things to all people. Our professional ethos makes this mandate clear:...

REGISTRATION INFORMATION [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WEEKLY FEES Early Bird Advance Onsite ALA personal members* $100 $135 $150 ALA library student members* $38 $50 $68 Nonmembers...

School's back in session across the nation, but regrettably, there wasn't a school librarian at every media center doorway to welcome students back from their summer vacations. In fact, some locales didn't even have a functioning media center in the...

Q I received my MLS in 1990 and hoped to work in an academic environment, either in special collections or as a cataloger in technical services, but because I didn't have advanced foreign-language skills or a second master's, I ultimately chose not...