"There's More to the Story": National Library Week 2023

Latest update: Added links to State of the Libraries Report 2023 and Right to Read Day. - gmc 24 April 2023 12:45 PM

I eagerly await National Library Week every year. Ironically, it's almost as old as I am. Most of the following comes from the landing page on the American Library Association's website for National Library Week 2023: 

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries of all types (even the special collections ones like the BDC) across the country each April. National Library Week 2023, April 23-29, will be celebrated with the theme "There's More to the Story."

Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and ebooks. But there's so much more to the story of libraries. 

Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through book clubs, storytimes, movie nights, crafting classes, lectures, and more. Beaufort County Library offers a wide array of programs, classes and resources, including some brought to you by the system's special local history collections and archives unit, the Beaufort District Collection.

Some days within National Library Week highlight specific facets of library services: 

Monday, April 24: State of America's Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2022. It's also "Right to Read Day." 

Tuesday, April 25: National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators, and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.

Wednesday, April 26: National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.

Thursday, April 27: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to support libraries.

If you haven't checked out Beaufort County Library lately, you're missing the full story. Stop by one of our branch libraries, visit the bookmobile, or set up an appointment to come work inside the Beaufort District Collection Research Room (843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net).  The system is offering a number of programs at the various branches to celebrate. Check out the system calendar for more information. 

I will make some National Library Week posts on the BDC's Facebook page. 

On the final day of National Library Week, the Beloved BDC Docents and I are going to gather together to celebrate them and their individual projects preparing materials of historic value for current and future customers. Because of the limited work space inside the Research Room, they seldom get to see or interact with each other. Some of them are even working on the same project - just on different aspects of it. I want them to see how the pieces fit together and how much I appreciate what they do to help me help preserve and share historical materials about this wonderful place and its people through time. And for the record - the number of BCL's digital collections on the Lowcountry Digital Library would be considerably reduced without the dedication of our docents. Preparation of the Donner Collection, L.A. Hall Civil War and Reconstruction Era Photograph Collection, Civil War and Reconstruction Era Stereoscope Photographs of the Port Royal Region, and the Richard L. Johnson Medical Record Book  digital collections heavily relied on the docents who did the transcriptions, tagging, and digitization. The three projects that I hope to complete before I retire are also heavily dependent on the contributions of the docents: The Wales Journal; the Reed Collection; and the Behan Papers. Work continues on each of these. 

Libraries = Strong Communities, National Library Week, April 7 - 13, 2019

I eagerly await National Library Week every year. Ironically, it's almost as old as I am. Since the American Library Association and Libraries Transform get to the heart of the matter better than I can, here's most of the landing page for National Library Week Press Kit:

National Library Week (April 7- 13, 2019) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries offer opportunity to all. The theme for 2019 National Library Week is "Libraries = Strong Communities," and Gates Foundation Co-founder Melinda Gates will serve as 2019 National Library Week Honorary Chair.


First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

National Library Week events

April: School Library Month
Monday, April 8 The 2019 State of America's Libraries Report is released
Tuesday, April 9: National Library Workers Day
Wednesday, April 10: National Bookmobile Day
Thursday, April 11: Take Action for Libraries Day


Libraries = Strong Communities

This year's National Library Week theme mirrors an American Library Association (ALA) presidential effort entitled "Libraries = Strong Communities," a national advocacy campaign aimed at highlighting the value of academic, public, and school libraries. This public awareness campaign is supported by ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo (2018 - 2019) and recognized by communities across the country.

Privacy Week, May 1 - 7

Someone somewhere is always watching our every move but we can't always find out exactly who is doing the watching nor what they are watching for or why they are watching or what they do with the information gathered during the watching. Librarians maintain that information should go both ways or not go at all.  "Choose Privacy Week" is a new initiative that invites people into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. The campaign gives individuals the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. 

I touched briefly on the topic during the inaugural "Digital Preservation" class I taught on May 1st as part of the BDC "Preservation Week" blitz.  If you put private images on your computer, on Facebook, on Family Search, or in the cloud, are the images truly "private?" Do you still "own" the information?  What happens to your digital assets upon your death? Who can access your digital assets?  A family historian needs to think through these issues of digital privacy.  

How do you "Know What's Posted About You Online?" Try Googling yourself.  Did you find anything surprising?
 
Although "Choose Privacy Week" is still pretty much off the radar of the general public, it should not be. Libraries are uniquely positioned to highlight awareness regarding serious concerns about online privacy because of our strong traditions of intellectual freedom, respect for privacy, digital literacy, and civic engagement. As the Library works on Activity 4.4 "Position the library as a place that brings people together and facilitates civic discussion," of our Extended Strategic Plan don't be surprised if "Choose Privacy Week" gets a higher profile in 2015.

National Library Week, April 14 - 20

Beaufort County Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, April 14–20.  It's a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers who enrich and shape our communities.  Please share with others that you value the libraries of America as a group, particularly those in our state and county!

Libraries continue to be busier than ever helping families, students, seniors, etc., during these tough times. But as we all know by now, public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries are still struggling to maintain budgets, staff, and resources to serve the needs of their communities.  

Libraries today are more than repositories for books and other resources. Often the heart of their communities, campuses or schools, libraries are deeply committed to the places where their patrons live, work and study.  Libraries are trusted places where community members can gather to reconnect and reengage to enrich and shape the community and address local issues. 

(If you've been keeping up with the BDC Facebook page, you will have learned some surprising statistics about our own Beaufort County Library's materials and services this week.  For those of you who love numbers, statistics regarding materials and services in South Carolina are posted online in the State Library Annual Reports at http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/annual-library-statistics.) 

Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students, government employees and the public to discover what their communities needs are and meet them.  Beaufort County Library will soon start mapping out our institution's Strategic Plan, during which we will ask our community to tell us what they need.  Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for job seekers or those to support early literacy, librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond as they are able by maximizing limited resources as cost-effectively as possible.

State, county, and oftentimes local governments provide much needed funding for libraries to provide public access to the Internet to everyone, critical databases for individuals and small businesses, homework help, and much more. Beaufort County Library is funded mostly by the taxpayers of Beaufort County.  This means that the individuals elected as representatives to the Beaufort County Council hold the purse-strings for all county agencies, including Beaufort County Library.  If you value the services and programs of our library system, please share that belief with them.

On the other hand, should you feel that the library system is not a positive asset to our community, please contact Jan O'Rourke, Assistant Library Director, and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee to share your thoughts about how the Library system can better serve you and your family.  Data collected will help form the 2014 -2017 Strategic Plan. 

ALA Acts for Equal Access

The American Library Association has been active in promoting digital literacy and broadband technology to equalize access to information for all Americans.  The South Carolina Library Association's (SCLA) listserv shared the message below on Feb. 12th:

• Today ALA released the first national report detailing U.S. library engagement with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. The preliminary report highlights statewide library BTOP projects and improvements they have made to public access technology resources, digital literacy and workforce development. BTOP was established to increase broadband access and adoption nationwide, and U.S. state and public libraries have been critical partners in this effort. View the full report here: http://www.districtdispatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ALA_BTOP_Report.pdf.

• At the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski joined more than 10,000 librarians and library advocates to release a video message thanking them for their role in supporting digital literacy. The ALA and the Institute of Museum and Library Services worked with Chairman Genachowski and FCC staff members to support broadband adoption–with a focus on digital literacy training through our nation’s 16,400 public library locations. Watch the video now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBNp0AdWgE&feature=youtu.be.