The ALCTS Board met twice during the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting, on Friday, February 9, 1:00–5:00 p.m., and Monday, February 12, 1:00–5:30 p.m. The Board’s action items and decisions follow.
Continue readingMy first ALCTS experience 17 years ago set the tone for every ALCTS interaction since then. I was warmly welcomed into the community and shown the skills I needed to navigate a very large conference. I was given a safe place to learn to grow as a professional and the freedom to ask “dumb” questions while feeling respected at the same time.
Continue readingAn ALCTS e-Forum on “User Experience and the Electronic Resources Librarian” took place April 10–11, 2018. Kate Hill (Electronic Resources Librarian, University of North Carolina Greensboro) and Michael Rodriguez (Licensing and Acquisitions Librarian, University of Connecticut) facilitated the discussion. More than 20 participants collectively contributed 70 posts over the course of the two days.
Continue readingI am very new to advocacy, but I look forward to getting started. One of the policy issues that I am most interested in is libraries’ key role in education and learning at all levels. Libraries support lifelong learning starting with school libraries on through public libraries offering coding classes, business development assistance, and access to health information. Another policy issue I’m interested in is privacy—helping the public to understand what information they are sharing and is being collected about them. I also wanted to be part of the conversations among involved parties about the data that is being collected, why it’s being collected, and how it’s being safeguarded. We must hold this conversation in a variety of arenas, including within libraries to discuss what data we and our vendors are collecting about patrons.
Continue readingTo advocate for these issues, first, get involved. You can use your voice to contribute to the conversation. Far too often people sit on the sidelines and don’t engage thinking their voices can’t do anything. That’s wrong. Second, advocate in your community—be that with publishers, suppliers, or patrons. Respectfully talk with them about your concerns, and explain the importance of the issue for you and for them. Finally, get and stay focused. Settle on one or two things that you care most about, and address those issues with passion.
Continue reading
