Skip navigation 
Previous Page
12 COGNOTES JANUARY PREVIEW
ASGCLA is New Division of ALA
The Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA) was formed on September 1, 2018 from the merger of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and the Federal and Armed Forces Round Table (FAFLRT). The merger allowed the new division a 58 percent growth by adding over 400 members for a total of 1,120 members. Both groups look forward to the expanded networking and expertise, as well as more professional development opportunities.
ASGCLA has, in addition to the Federal and Armed Forces librarians, members who provide library materials and service to populations which include, but are not limited to, people with sensory, physical, health, developmental, learning, attention, or behavioral conditions, and people who are incarcerated or detained. Other members of the division include staff from State Libraries, who are authorized by state government to promote library services in a state through the organization and coordination of a variety of library services and staff from Library Cooperatives, who provide services and programs for one or more types of libraries. The ASGCLA Division is also home to Independent Librarians and Library Consultants who work outside of traditional library settings.
To connect with librarians in any of ASGCLA’s five areas of responsibility, check out the meetings and Interest Group Discussions scheduled for ASGCLA at the Midwinter meeting. Find more information about ASGCLA Interest Groups, activities, and online learning at http://www.ASGCLADirect.org.
Save the Date for Travel with ASGCLA
The Association of Specialized, Government, and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA) is sponsoring an international trip to England May 11 – 18, 2019. This seven-night themed tour of Southern England will include overnights in London, Bath, and Oxford. The itinerary focuses on some of the greatest writers to come from the region. These writers include William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and hundreds of others that are part of the collective culture of the English-speaking world. This fascinating tour will take you to the writer’s birthplaces, schools, writing rooms, and final homes. Details are at http://www.ASGCLADIrect.org/Travel
Celebrate 50 Years of CSK Awards with 50 Anniversary Logo
Join the Coretta Scott King Awards community in its celebration of 50 years of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African-American culture and universal human values. To celebrate this commemorative anniversary, the ALA Store is selling limited edition 50th anniversary tshirts along with lapel pins. You can buy them online or at the ALA Store at ALA Midwinter.
20th Annual MLK Sunrise Celebration Speakers Announced
Professor and author Jeanne Theoharis will deliver the keynote address at the 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance and Sunrise Celebration during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits in Seattle. The 2019 Celebration will be held from 6:30 – 7:30 a.m. on Monday, January 28 in the Sheraton Grand Seattle Metropolitan Ballroom. The annual Celebration commemorates King’s legacy and recognizes the connection between his life’s work and the library world. Featured readings include selected passages from the works of King, and the program includes speakers from a variety of fields that encourage participants and attendees towards action promoting social justice.
Theoharis is distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. Her most recent book, A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History (Beacon Press, 2017) won the 2018 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Nonfiction. A More Beautiful and Terrible History challenges nine key aspects of the civil rights movement fable to reveal the diversity of people, especially women and young people, who led the movement, and the immense barriers and repression activists faced.
Joining her is call-to-action speaker Dr. Loriene Roy. Roy is Anishinabe, enrolled on the White Earth Reservation, a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. She is a Professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) where she teaches graduate courses in reference and library instruction. She serves on the Boards for the Library of Congress Literacy Awards, Libraries Without Borders, Tribal College Librarians Institute, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, and Hui ‘Ekolu (University of Hawaii-Manoa).
In honor of the Celebration’s 20-year history, this year’s program will also feature reflections from Virginia “Ginny” B. Moore and Satia Marshall Orange, two of the event’s co-founders. Moore served as the past cochair of the National Library Involvement Committee of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, a precursor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Task Force of the ALA Social Responsibilities Table (SRRT) that she later chaired. Orange was a past director of the ALA Office of Literacy and Outreach Services and was involved in institutionalizing the Celebration as an annual event and working with co-sponsoring member groups.
Musical performances of several traditional hymns will be provided by Seattle-area musician Jason Turner.
The 2019 Celebration is sponsored by ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services, OCLC, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Task Force of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, and the Black Caucus of the ALA, Inc.
Theoharis’ participation is generously provided by Beacon Press.
Meeting Room Policies, Displays, and Drag Queen Storytimes to be Discussed at ALA Midwinter
Meeting room policies, drag queen storytimes, research databases, and library book displays have made headlines and sparked controversy in libraries. At the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) will host “Intellectual Freedom and the Law: Issues and Updates for Meeting Rooms, Drag Queen Storytimes, and Library Displays,” a program that will provide information about the legal issues surrounding these topics, as well as guidance on crafting library policies that protect and meet the needs of the library and its community; uphold intellectual freedom; and comply with the law. The program will provide ample time for audience questions and discussion.
This “News You Can Use” session is presented by Theresa Chmara, general counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and moderated by Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Book displays, research databases, and drag queen storytime programs have been the targets of recent censorship attempts, including lawsuits intended to halt library programs and remove library resources. An important conversation about meeting room policy and access for controversial groups took place in the library community after the adoption of the revised “Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, sparking a return to the 1991 interpretation and a proposed revision to address these concerns. “Intellectual Freedom and the Law” will use these real-life issues to outline relevant legal concepts and offer guidance on developing effective library policy. The presenters encourage attendees to raise questions and concerns during the latter half of the program.
“Intellectual Freedom and the Law” will take place on Saturday, January 26 from 1:00–2:00 p.m. in WSCC room 618/620.
This program is part of the Law for Librarians initiative sponsored by the Freedom to Read Foundation and OIF. The initiative provides educational opportunities, publications and expert instruction to improve library workers’ and trustees’ understanding of the laws governing free speech, user access and user privacy in libraries.
