2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting – Steven Johnson, Author of Future Perfect

Steven Johnson, author of Future Perfect, spoke as part of the Auditorium Speaker Series about decentralized peer-to-peer networks and how they can benefit society.

January 26, 2013

Steven Johnson, author of Future Perfect, spoke as part of the Auditorium Speaker Series about decentralized peer-to-peer networks and how they can benefit society. In this video, Johnson talks to American Libraries’ Phil Morehart about how he came to realize the value of “peer progressivism,” his research process, the changing state of journalism, his current projects, and just how the internet differs from the French railway system.

American Libraries’ George Eberhart interviews Katherina Lee, senior staff member for the National Library Board of Singapore and executive director of its international library development company Cybrarian Ventures, and Lee Kee Siang, director of technology and innovation for the National Library Board of Singapore.

2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting – Lisa Genova, Author

American Libraries’ George M. Eberhart interviews novelist and neuroscientist Lisa Genova, who presented the 2013 Arthur Curley Memorial Lecture. Genova uses her expertise and research on the brain to write detailed portrayals of characters with neurological conditions, including autism and early-onset Alzheimer’s.

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The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

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