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14 COGNOTES SEATTLE MIDWINTER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
2020 Census: How Libraries Can Help Achieve a Complete Count
The 2020 Census begins April 1, 2020, and libraries will play an essential role in helping their communities be counted. Now is a good time for libraries to begin thinking about what activities they might undertake to meet these special, once-a-decade demands – and how to access resources to fulfill those needs. Along with planning potential activities, libraries can begin assessing their resource needs and look for funding opportunities from government, philanthropy, and business partners.
Libraries often work with public agencies to achieve community priorities. Library staff connect people with the information they need to access government services and benefits, complete online forms, and engage with civic issues. A public library is located within five miles of 99% of the hard-to-count Census tracts. Libraries can deliver accurate information about the importance of Census participation, options for responding, and other topics.
With the 2020 Census designed to take place primarily online, libraries can ridge the digital divide and support a more complete count.
To learn more, visit ala.org/advocacy/govinfo/census. Follow the conversation online at #CountOnLibraries.
Sophie Brody Medal Awarded to Michael David Lucas
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2018 Sophie Brody Medal, an annual honor bestowed by the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits.
This year’s winner is Michael David Lucas, author of The Last Watchmen of Old Cairo: A Novel published by Spiegel & Grau. Spanning time and place, Lukas weaves together three compelling life stories. Joseph, whose father was the last watchman of the Old Cairo synagogue, embarks on a journey to discover his late father’s gift. Lukas merges history and fiction to help a son understand his heritage.
Honorable mentions include Ronen Bergman, author of Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations, published by Random House, and Jeremy Dronfield, author of The Stone Crusher: The True Story of a Father and Son’s Fight for Survival in Auschwitz, published by Chicago Review Press.
The Sophie Brody Medal is given to encourage, recognize, and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. Works for adults published in the United States in the preceding year are eligible for the award.
Friday Night Fun at the Exhibit Hall
2019 Amelia Bloomer List Presents Top 10 Feminist Books for Young Readers
The Amelia Bloomer Project, a subgroup of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table’s Feminist Task Force, announced its top 10 feminist books for young readers, selected from the 2019 Amelia Bloomer List.
The Amelia Bloomer List recommends well-written and well-illustrated books with significant feminist content for young readers from birth to 18 years old. Named for Amelia Bloomer, a pioneering 19th-century newspaper editor, feminist thinker, public speaker, and suffragist, the list features books that spur the imagination and promote equity for people of all genders.
The bibliography is intended as a recommended reading list for children and teens. It may also be used by interested librarians, teachers, parents, and others who work with youth.
The complete list will be released following the Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits at https://ameliabloomer.wordpress.com and http://www.ala.org/rt/srrt/feminist-task-force.
The top 10 titles of the 2019 Amelia Bloomer List are:
Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X. HarperTeen, Grades 8-up.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak: The Graphic Novel. Farrar Straus Giroux, Grades 8-up.
Arnold, Elana K. Damsel. Balzer + Bray, Grades 9-up.
Chmakova, Svetlana. Crush. Yen/JY, Grades 4-8.
Gillman, Melanie. As the Crow Flies. Iron Circus, Grades 7-up.
Mather, Janice Lynn. Learning to Breathe. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Grades 9-up.
McCullough, Joy. Blood Water Paint. Penguin/Dutton, Grades 9-up.
Saeed, Aisha. Amal Unbound. Penguin/Paulson, Grades 4-8.
Tsiang, Sarah. Sugar and Snails. Annick, PreK - Grade 2.
Turtschaninoff, Maria. Naondel. Abrams/Amulet, Grades 10-up.
