I was chatting on Facebook with my former college roommate Shirley who is a library director in Iowa and I asked her to comment on the recent posts on the Dominic Phillips/Colbert video and access to libraries. She provided such interesting information that I asked permission to share with you. These are Shirley’s comments: Not sure [...]

I’m enjoying packing books to send to my hometown library. In many ways giving is so much better than getting. I’m so happy as I put each book in the box that I felt the need to tell someone about these books.  I won’t be there when the librarian opens the box but maybe she will [...]

In response to my post on the Colbert video clip with Dominic Phillips and his family, the director of the Nazareth Library wanted to share some facts. Funding in Pennsylvania (and in many other states in this country) is very confusing for public libraries. Here are THE FACTS AND JUST THE FACTS ABOUT LIBRARY FUNDING, [...]

Recently at ALA, I was reminded that sometimes the best things happen to you when you deviate from your plan. I was in the Exhibit Hall in Chicago, looking for some specific booths. I was walking past Egmont USA’s booth and it looked like they had an author signing going on. I glanced at the stack of books [...]

Dominic Phillips gets nailed by someone in the public library. What? He is banned and can’t use the library because some library employee snitched on him! I understand that public libraries serve only their patrons and their tax-payers. Where is the appeals process when you are dealing with nonresidency fees? Why does his zipcoded area [...]

Becky Jackman writes today:   Hate List by Jennifer Brown is an amazing book. I cried while I first read it and I cried again a week later when I reread most of it. Valerie Leftman tells her story by alternating between the present and the past, and through newspaper articles. The newspaper articles are about [...]

Written by Carmen Agra Deedy, in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, and beautifully illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez, 14 Cows for America is a picture book that prompts reflection, sensitivity to others, and appreciation for each individual’s place in our interconnected world. View the book trailer here. 14 Cows for America is the true story of Maasai [...]

Okay, I apologize, but I’m going to rowse the rabble for a moment. I have been waiting a LONG time for one of my favorite Iowa authors, Donald Harstad, to release a new book. He had a bunch of them with Deputy Carl Houseman then nothing. Rumor has it he has more written, but no [...]

Have you noticed the wide variety of ways to help other school libraries popping up on the internet? Amy Bowllan posted about the Jericho Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya, needing books to build a library. Cynthea Liu hosted a Take the Dare, Show You Care event to help schools in Tulakes, Oklahoma. I want to help [...]

Helen Adams, an ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee member, shared this information on the AASLForum today and gave me permission to pass it along to you. Sometimes people ask why they should be members of the larger umbrella of ALA, and I want to point out that all types of librarians on the Intellectual Freedom committee, plus [...]