ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010 - (Page 8)

Page 8 • Cognotes 2010 Annual Conference Highlights • WASHINGTON, D.C. “We provide cultural and language materials that are difficult to find or are not readily available.” “Any time there in unrest in a country or some new group moves to the U.S., that group wants to learn English,” continued Yoon. “We have 100-plus languages that we publish and distribute.” Products are demonstrated and catalogs are provided from which to order. The company located in Cincinnati, has been in business for 15 years to help schools or libraries supplement curriculum, help people learn a foreign language or just provide enjoyable viewing and reading. Yoon said that Chinese language materials are “hot” right now. “We have a DVD about Cuba coming out soon as well as one about families of Afghanistan. When we exhibit, many librarians stop by and tell us what language they need in their collection and we listen. We are here to address their needs.” International Flair » from page 1 is the main library show and we plan to come for many years,” she remarked. The Essential Guide to Spanish Reading for Children and Young Adults (a free give-away book at conference) is also available on their web page and is updated monthly (www.americareadsspanish.org). Vives said that there are many resources available on the web site that librarians would find useful including an online TV channel featuring Spanish authors and events and many useful links. Asia for Kids provides multicultural and bilingual resources for a variety of languages including, but not limited to, Albanian, Chinese, Farsi, Greek, Hindi, Japanese and Korean. “Librarians can travel the world at our booth,” said Selina Yoon, Master of Communication. 64 APALA Celebrates Its History, Accomplishments, Current Programs, and Members at 30th Anniversary Gala By Frederick J. Augustyn, Jr. The Library of Congress The Asian Pacific American Library Association (APALA, searchable at www.apalaweb.org) marked its third decade with a retrospective on its history and future plans at a fund raising dinner the evening of June 27 at the China Garden Restaurant in Rosslyn, Va. Featured among the festivities, hosted by Master of Ceremonies and past president (2006-2007) Ben Wakashige, were: recognition of the evening’s sponsors (with DEMCO, the platinum sponsor, providing souvenir tote bags; Patty Wong, the silver sponsor; ALA President Camila Alire, the gold sponsor; and Lee & Low, Betty Tsai, and REFORMA as bronze sponsors); a welcome by Buenaventura “Ven” Basco, anniversary organizing chair; Bollywood singing by Surbodh Sen; a keynote address by Dr, Franklin Odo; cultural dances by the locally-based Lao American Association; APALA Literature Awards; and the honoring of past presidents and the current executive director Gary Colmenar by current president Sherise Kimura. APALA’s first president (1980-82) Sharad Karkhanis shared with those in attendance the organization’s pioneering days including how he contacted and invited former U.S. Senator and linguist S. I. Hayakawa to the first APALA assembly, held in conjunction with ALA’s annual meeting. When the ALA President heard about his initiative, Karkhanis wound up introducing Dr. Hayakawa at ALA’s opening session in New York, thereby advertising APALA’s role as a catalyst in its first year. Past president (1996-1997) and unofficial organization historian Ken Yamashita recounted additional tales of the early days as well as APALA’s more recent partnering activities such as helping to organize the first Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) in 2006. ALA President Alire appeared in a videotaped welcome in which she praised APALA’s past and current ventures, most recently its partnering with the American Indian Library Association on “Talk Story: Sharing Culture, Sharing History” as part of her family literacy focus project. President-elect Florante Peter Ibanez introduced Dr. Odo, Hawaii-born Japanese-American author, scholar, teacher, activist, historian, and recently retired director of the Asian Pacific American Program at the Smithsonian. Odo provided perspective and context for the current situation of Asian Pacific Americans, now spread throughout the nation rather than contained in isolated segments. Odo said that we need to help lead the way to critical thinking. According to Odo, when the U.S. Census first recognized this ethnic category in 1970, Japanese were the most numerous among them. Because of changes and diversification within the Asian American community, that ethnicity is now only the sixth largest. Odo mentioned the completion of his most recent project, a book on Japanese immigrant folksongs from Hawaiian sugar plantations, which relate to gender as well as labor history, since many of these anonymous compositions are the work of women. He also told of his own personal journey, preceded by the Hawaii-vacationing FDR granting permission for a boat carrying JapaneseAmericans (including Odo’s mother) to land. Odo went on to studies at Princeton and Harvard, interspersed by an undergraduate “experiment in international living” in Italy. Dora Ho, Chair of APALA’s Literature Awards Committee, followed with presentations for honorable mentions and winners in the categories of: picture books, adult fiction and nonfiction, and youth literature. 129TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2010 PROGRAM & EXHIBIT DIRECTORY LIBRARY CHAMPIONS Companies and foundations listed below are corporate sponsors committed to increasing public awareness of libraries and librarianship in America. for information on how your organization can become a Library Champion, please contact the ALA development office at 312-280-5050. 3m LIBrAry systems ABC-CLIo BAker & tAyLor, InC. Bound to stAy Bound Books Bowker BrodArt CompAny BwI/foLLett LIBrAry resourCes CAndLewICk press demCo InCorporAted doLLAr generAL eBsCo InformAtIon servICes eLsevIer, InC. ex LIBrIs fInrA Investor eduCAtIon foundAtIon gALe CengAge LeArnIng gAyLord Brothers, InC. h.w. wILson CompAny hIghsmIth InfousA/referenCe group IngrAm JAnwAy CompAny LexIsnexIs mArquIs who’s who mArshALL CAvendIsh mergent mornIngstAr, InC. neAL-sChumAn oCLC onLIne Computer LIBrAry Center poLArIs LIBrAry systems proquest sAge puBLICAtIons sChoLAstIC severn house sIrsIdynIx sprInger stAndArd & poor’s CorporAtIon swets the ComBIned Book exhIBIt the LIBrAry CorporAtIon thomson reuters verIzon foundAtIon vtLs, InC. wIzArds of the CoAst Books for young reAders worLd Book http://www.apalaweb.org/ http://www.apalaweb.org/ http://www.apalaweb.org/ http://www.apalaweb.org http://www.americareadsspanish.org http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/contactus/librarychampions/index.cfm

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010

ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010
Librarians Rally on Capitol Hill
Exhibitors Add International Flair
Amy Sedaris Regales Audience At ALA Annual 2010 Closer
Junot Diaz: His Life a Canvas
John Grisham Thanks Libraries
Authors Recognized for Contributions to Children’s Literature at Newbery Caldecott Awards Banquet
Will Shortz Tests Librarians’ Puzzle Skills
NBA Star Dwyane Wade Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-up Month
APALA Celebrates Its History, Accomplishments, Current Programs, and Members at 30th Anniversary Gala
Library Champions
Librarians Can Change Society
DEMCO/AILA 2010 Scholarship Awards
Dave Isay and StoryCorps: Preserving the Voices of Everyday People
Marlo Thomas Cultivates Seeds of Laughter
Kidd and Taylor: On Memoirs, Relationships
Revised Intellectual Freedom Manual Introduced
Toni Morrison and Libraries: An Intimate Relationship
Sir Salman Rushdie Putting Messages in a Bottle
Eppo van Nispen Inspires Librarians to Finish Strong
Technology Titans Reach Out to Libraries in ALA Technology Pavilion
Archivists and Librarians Working with Legislative Records Display Synergy at GODORT Session

ALA Cognotes D.C. Highlights 2010