Digital resources of the American Library Association for green and sustainable libraries

The experience of Russian libraries in educating ecological (ecological information) culture is widely discussed in domestic professional media. However, in Russia we feel the lack of information on relevant activities of foreign libraries and/or library associations. The authors offer their analysis of digital resources in sustainable development, green movement and ecological education of the population as provided by the American Library Association (ALA) and presented on ALA website. The resources comprise information on the efforts of ALA structural units related to organization of sustainable development activities at libraries; ALA politics and guiding materials; the interactive blog on libraries’ supporting sustainable communities; the catalog of new books in the “American Libraries” series within the subject scope “Sustainable development at the libraries”, and key international documents on sustainable development. The concept of three components of sustainable development of the society – Economy, Ecology and Equity – aka Three E, which ALA considers to be fundamental for sustainable libraries, is analyzed. Based on their analysis, the authors suggest that libraries will design and realize their own projects unifying all Three E. They conclude that further studies of the efforts of foreign libraries and/or library associations in ecological education and development of ecological (ecological information) culture, and, in particular, the study of relevant digital (electronic) resources are vitally important for Russian libraries and library science, including commencing digital (electronic) library science.Ecology and studying the related experience of libraries are among the major lines of activities of the Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology (RNPLS&T). The paper is prepared within the framework of the State Order № 075-01300-20-00.

Locating Banned Books: A Collection Analysis of Libraries in Arkansas and Tennessee

No library can make everything available to its patrons. However, libraries should adhere to the American Library Association (ALA) for guidance on what items are banned from the library's collections. Censorship and intellectual freedom have gained attention for how it affects libraries and the restraints it individualized for banned or forbidden items. Difficulties are characterized as formal, composed complaints recorded with a library or school asking for specific materials to be expelled from view because the substance may not be considered appropriate for the users. The purpose of this study is to compare a selected set of previously banned books or challenged titles in the collections of twelve public libraries within two southern states: Arkansas and Tennessee. The titles include: I Know Why the Cage Birds Sings by Maya Angelou; Beloved by Toni Morrison; Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; and The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

The American Library Association: The landmarks of international library and bibliographic cooperation (1876–1976)

During the first 100 years of its existence, the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest national library association in the world, contributed much to the international library and bibliographic cooperation. The author describes the key areas of ALA international activity during the period under review. He identifies the following areas: support of building national library associations of other countries, projects and programs of international information exchange, promotion of basic democratic principles of libraries’ work, shared cataloguing, building the professional library education system, creation of the library periodicals and others. Based on the facts revealed in the periodicals, the author claims that national library associations are among the key instruments of library development both on the national and international levels. The fact that the American Library Association played a critical role in interlibrary relations strengthening during the described period evidences the association’s importance in the process of international library cooperation development.

Strategic Planning for the Chinese American Library Association

This report explored the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA)’s strategic planning process for 2020-2025 during COVID-19. The paper introduced CALA’s mission statement, values, and discussed the importance of the strategic plan. A strategic planning task force was formed to create an opportunity for membership input in virtual town hall meetings and surveys. The authors presented a case study on the process of revising a strategic plan and discussed the implementation phases. The authors also shared the challenges and recommendations in organizing strategic planning for a library association.

Livros e política nas relações culturais dos Estados Unidos com o Brasil (1930-1946)*

Objetivo: Este artigo analisa o contexto e as motivações dos subsídios da Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs para os programas editoriais na década de 1940, relacionando-as aos programas financiados pela Fundação Rockefeller desde a década de 1930, em especial aqueles coordenados pela American Library Association. Metodologia: Para isso, as fontes primárias disponíveis nas seguintes instituições foram analisadas comparativamente: o National Archives and Records Administration II, a Fundação Rockefeller, a American Library Association e o American Council of Learned Societies. Originalidade: o artigo destaca a ação estadunidense que objetivava evidenciar sua superioridade e neutralizar as “atividades subversivas” e o “antiamericanismo” no continente americano por meio dos livros, um dos bens culturais pouco explorado na historiografia da chamada Política da Boa Vizinhança. Conclusões: a análise mostra que o fortalecimento da distribuição de livros funcionou como uma estratégia de maior inserção ideológica nos países alvos, além do combate às atividades subversivas e ao antiamericanismo na década de 1940.

Responsabilidade Social em Biblioteconomia: caminhos históricos e possibilidades no ensino

Introdução: A responsabilidade social no âmbito da Biblioteconomia vem se tornando cada dia objeto de estudos e prática profissional. Este artigo realiza um levantamento bibliográfico sobre as diversas visões de responsabilidade social atribuídas ao bibliotecário no decorrer do século XX, momento em que o conceito passou a ser discutido no âmbito da American Library Association. Entende-se que essa discussão contribui para que se possa elaborar currículos de Biblioteconomia tendo como um de seus pilares a responsabilidade social. Objetivo: refletir acerca das contribuições das discussões da responsabilidade social no âmbito da American Library Association para o ensino de Biblioteconomia. Metodologia: Trata-se de um artigo de revisão, pautado em pesquisa exploratória-bibliográfica, tendo como fonte as referências bibliográficas encontradas em diversas bases de dados. Resultados: Descreve os diversos entendimentos acerca de responsabilidade social e apresenta os contornos que esse conceito foi tomando no âmbito da Biblioteconomia do início do século XX aos dias atuais. Conclusões: O conceito de responsabilidade social possui potencialidades para elaborar currículos de Biblioteconomia transformadores da realidade dos educandos, dos educadores e da comunidade na qual esse curso está inserido.

Developing Students’ “mini-c” Creativity through Inquiry

In 2007, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association, unveiled the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner to foster high expectations for today‘s learners. The purposes of this paper are to explore as well as operationalize the constructs of creativity to develop students‘ creative potential through inquiry. This paper introduces the potential of the AASL Standards to foster student creativity. Starko‘s contributions to developing the creative potential of childrenwithin a constraining educational milieu are presented.