10h
ALA Editions will host a new 90-minute workshop, “Effective Library Signage: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices,” with Mark Aaron Polger and Amy F. Stempler on January 5. Polger and Stempler will provide you with the top 10 tips to follow when preparing new signage for your library. They will discuss what constitutes “bad” and “good” signage and the importance of developing a signage policy to ensure consistency in design and overall language. Registration is available through the ALA Store.
ALA Editions, Nov. 3
10h
Join your library technology colleagues in Fort Worth, Texas, November 17-20, for the 2016 LITA Forum. The forum is a three-day education and networking event featuring two preconferences, three keynote sessions, more than 55 concurrent sessions, and 20 poster presentations. Online registration closes on November 13.
LITA, Nov. 3
10h
Librarians are continually faced with challenges of how to best meet the needs of patrons with disabilities, whether those patrons have physical or intellectual disabilities, differing learning styles, or even temporary problems. Written by Michelle Kowalsky and John Woodruff, Creating Inclusive Library Environments: A Planning Guide for Serving Patrons with Disabilities, published by ALA Editions, is packed with research-based best practices and handy checklists applicable to all types of libraries.
ALA Editions, Nov. 3
12h
Miguel Figueroa writes: “The ALA Center for the Future of Libraries’ work around futuring and foresight has helped reinforce the importance of looking outside our immediate context to help better understand and prepare for our futures. Two recent AtlanticLIVE events showed promising glimpses into the future: What’s Next and the Future of Work Summit.”
AL: The Scoop, Nov. 3
14h
Ned Potter writes: “There’s a famous Neil Gaiman quote about librarians: ‘Google will bring you back, you know, a hundred thousand answers. A librarian will bring you back the right one.’ There are different versions of this quote. How did I find the right one? Well, I Googled it. I don’t want to put us as librarians in competition with Google for loads of reasons, but we still do it a lot. The thing is, most people aren’t seeking ‘right answers’ on Google. They just want basic or general info.”
Ned Potter, Nov. 3
15h
In 2015, the Digital Public Library of America announced the formation of the Archival Description Working Group to find ways to accommodate diversity in descriptive practice. On November 3, the group released its white paper, Aggregating and Representing Collections in the Digital Public Library of America. Its goal was to make two types of recommendations: some for for aggregate-level archival objects and others for providing context through collection-level metadata for digital objects.
DPLA blog, Nov. 3
15h
The ALA Midwinter Meeting offers numerous opportunities to connect and engage with colleagues. You’ll witness the transformative power of libraries, discuss trends and innovations, see policy and advocacy take shape, and discover ways to make your institution more diverse and inclusive. This year, in addition to the events and sessions you’ve come to expect, you’ll have a chance to be part of the new Symposium on the Future of Libraries. Here are some must-dos for Atlanta, January 20–24.
American Libraries feature, Nov./Dec.