Special Reports

ALA and Knology explore disability and accessibility in “Accessibility in Libraries: A Landscape Report”

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA), in collaboration with the non-profit research organization Knology, has published a review of the literature and best practices around libraries and accessibility.

ALA Editions Special Report explores Black and African American students’ experiences in libraries

CHICAGO — Librarianship is still a predominantly white profession. It is essential that current practitioners as well as those about to enter the field take an unflinching look at the profession’s legacy of racial discrimination, including the ways in which race might impact service to users such as students in school, public, and academic libraries. Given the prevalence of implicit and explicit bias against Black and African American people, Amanda L. Folk and Tracey Overbey argue that we must speak to these students directly to hear their stories and thereby understand their experiences.

PLA releases first Staff and Diversity Survey report

(CHICAGO) - The Public Library Association (PLA) today published the 2021 Public Library Staff and Diversity Survey report. The national survey updates information on beginning librarian and library director salaries; documents traditional and emerging staff roles; explores staff diversity, recruitment, and retention efforts; and captures information about public library equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) goals and activities.

ALA Editions Special Report explores cultural humility as a component of DEI efforts

CHICAGO — Cultural humility is emerging as a preferred approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within librarianship. At a time when library workers are critically examining their professional practices, cultural humility offers a potentially transformative framework of compassionate accountability; it asks us to recognize the limits to our knowledge, reckon with our ongoing fallibility, educate ourselves about the power imbalances in our organizations, and commit to making change.

ALA Editions Special Report examines Black and African Americans’ experiences in libraries

CHICAGO — Still a predominantly white profession, librarianship has a legacy of racial discrimination, and it is essential that we face the ways that race impacts how we meet the needs of diverse user communities. Identifying and acknowledging implicit and learned bias is a necessary step toward transforming not only our professional practice but also our scholarship, assessment, and evaluation practices.

New Federated Authentication Resources from Core

Core has published two new resources to help librarians and library workers better understand federated authentication, which lets library users access remote sites by logging in to a campus sign-on service.

Learn Best Practices for Academic Interviews with New Core Report

The library profession has seen radical change in people’s thinking about all aspects of work and life, due in part to the sudden and prolonged shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing calls for social justice and antiracism in our services and practices. While many manuals for hiring and interviewing exist, including those in professional library associations and organizations, they may already be out of step with the rapid changes of recent years.

Save 50% on more than 450 products during the ALA Store Moving Sale

CHICAGO — Spring has sprung and ALA would like to put a spring in your step with savings on a wide range of materials as we prepare for our move to a new warehouse in June. Now through April 30, head to the ALA Store and save 50% on more than 450 products, including professional development books, posters, bookmarks, gift items, t-shirts, and more.

Tribal libraries, partners leverage federal E-rate to deliver high-speed connections to six pueblos, new ALA case study shows

Washington, DC – Built by E-Rate: A Case Study of Two Tribally-Owned Fiber Networks and the Role of Libraries in Making It Happen (Full reportExecutive summary), published today by the American Library Association (ALA), details tribal libraries’ role in creating two broadband consortia owned, operated by, and serving