What fun we had last night at the ALSC Midwinter Mixer! At live conferences, ALSC has been putting together dinners for ALSC members to get together and get to know each other. Of course, that wasn’t possible this year, but the ALSC Membership Committee threw a virtual mixer on Zoom, BYOD – Bring Your Own Dinner.
Category: Blogger Abby Johnson
ALSC Blogger Abby Johnson
Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson at #ALAMW21
What does seeing yourself represented in books mean to you? This afternoon I had the pleasure to tune in to a conversation between the award-winning duo Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, author and illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street, Carmela Full of Wishes, and the upcoming Milo Imagines the World.
Benefits of a Virtual #ALAMW21
It’s happening! I’m here! I’ve made it allllllll the way to my couch in the basement and my luggage made it all the way, too! Huzzah! 😉 I’m attending ALA Midwinter virtually and, while my overwhelming feeling is that I miss my people*, there are lots of things I’m digging about a virtual conference.
Collection Development During COVID
How has your collection development changed due to COVID? This is the question I’m hearing asked from lots of librarians around the country right now. Are you facing budget cuts? Have you shifted collection funds to digital materials instead of print? Are you ordering as many new books as you normally would? Do you even have space for all the new stuff with reduced traffic in your buildings and lower circulation? Let’s talk about it; I would love to hear!
Collection Development Librarian, Get Out of Your Office!
Was I the last collection development librarian stuck to my desk in our collection development office? In case I’m not, I’m here to give the call to action: get out from behind your desk! I made this a priority this year and it’s completely changed how I was managing our collection.
The Cybils Awards for Collection Development
Help! We’re starting to wrap up our budget year and my spending deadline looms. I want to make sure I haven’t forgotten any big books, but how? The Cybils Awards is one resource that can help.
Digital Review Copies: Free Books for Librarians
A question I see asked all the time from librarians is “How do I get advance copies of books?” While I love getting physical review copies, seeking out digital review copies may be a lot more accessible for some and they’re certainly easier to come by. Whether you are making purchasing decisions, keeping up with trends for reader’s advisory, or evaluating books for storytime potential, digital review copies are more available than ever right now, so here’s a handy guide to some sources.
Libraries During COVID: Scenes from the Empty Library
Who would have thought this is where we’d be right now? Libraries all over the US are in varying stages of opening or closed depending on their communities. It’s a weird reality of libraries during COVID. And it feels so, so strange to be working in the mostly-empty library day after day, week after week. I’m having some major feelings about it all right now. Are you, too?