I've been working backstage for some time now as manager of ALA Publishing's Online Resources unit, which in addition to ALA TechSource includes Guide to Reference and RDA: Resource Description & Access. With loads of help from Jenny Levine, not to mention Joe the Drupal developer, I coordinated the migration of the blog to the Drupal platform. I recruited Jason, Kate, and Cindi to the blogging team and hired Dan . . . but I've never posted to the blog! I'll be writing the occasional post, mostly reporting on other ALA Publishing projects. More soon.

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Robin Williams is the newest member of the ALA TechSource Blog Team.  Welcome, Robin!  Recently she and I met and chatted on ALA Island in Second Life, the 3-dimensional virtual world.  The text chat transcript of our conversation is pasted below.  Greylin Fairweather is the name of Robin's avatar in Second Life, and Maxito Ricardo is my avatar. Read more »

Last weekend I made my third trip to Philadelphia to attend an ALA Midwinter Meeting.  The first Midwinter I attended (early 90's?) in Philly was very snowy, and the second Midwinter (2003) was extremely cold.  (I have a vivid visual memory of watching Jay Jordan stoically traverse an arctic, windswept parking lot near the Convention Center.)  The most recent Midwinter w

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Some of my favorite books, such as Huck Finn and Of Mice and Men, are frequently challenged and banned by others.  Since 1982 ALA has organized an annual Banned Books Week (Sept. 29 through Oct. 6 this year) that encourages people to read and celebrate the freedom to read whatever one wishes.  Read more »

Six months ago, if I had been playing a linguistic parlor game and had encountered the word MIG, my first and only thought would have been about Soviet/Russian military jets.  But now, thanks to the emergence of social networks, virtual worlds, and John Chrastka at ALA, I have been re-educated, Comrades.

Now my first thought whenever I hear or see the word MIG is of Member Initiative Groups.  The American Library Association has a wonderful process whereby any group of members interested in a professional topic can apply to the Committee on Organization (COO) to form a MIG.  Got ants in your pants?  See a need?  Form a MIG! Read more »

The ALA Annual Conference in DC, which just ended, was another energizing, informative event.  In a forthcoming post I will summarize the more substantial sessions and issues that came to my attention.  However, in the spirit of the adage, "Life's uncertain; eat dessert first," I would like to share with you the most fun I had at ALA in DC.

Vendor receptions are a time-honored event at these conferences, and the protocol is well-established: Read more »

During the week leading up to ALA Midwinter, I received an email message from a publicist, stating that his client would be attending Midwinter, and wondering if I would like to conduct an interview. His client is David Pogue, the excellent NY Times columnist and blogger who writes about technology topics, especially handheld electronic devices. I jumped at the chance to interview Pogue, suggesting 10 Sunday morning as the appointed time.

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At ALA Midwinter 2007 in Seattle... Read more »

By now you likely have received your January issue of American Libraries (AL). (If not, it's coming soon!) Editor in chief Leonard Kniffel starts out his inaugural "From the Editor" column of the newly redesigned issue with a nugget about Melvil Dewey and change.

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Last week, you may have read about some new collaborative efforts (check out the District Dispatch's second podcast, intro music and all!) and Web 2.0 tech tools launched by some creative ALA staffers and the ALA Library. One of them is the Librarian's E-Library, "selected resources on Libraries and Librarianship from the American Library Association (ALA) Library and a growing list of volunteers."

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