March/April 2019 THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION - REACTION Libraries and the future of secure, distributed databases p. 26 Top Tech Trends p. 34 LC’s New Digital Direction p. 38 PLUS: Melinda Gates, VR for Seniors, Game of Thrones Ephemera WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN? What does it have to do with libraries? BLOCKCHAIN Edited by Susan Alman and Sandra Hirsh Technology experts and editors Alman and Hirsh build on their ongoing research to discuss how blockchain’s potential use as a convenient sys- tem for recordkeeping could lead to more government documents, histor- ical records, and other pieces of information migrating to such a system. They and their contributors also examine its possible consequences for academic, public, school, and special libraries, as well as the information professionals who sustain those institutions, making this book an excit- ing read for everyone interested in the future of librarianship. ---- | so cover | pp | ” x ” . | Members: . LIBRARY FUTURES SERIES , , The Library Futures Series brings together library experts and innovators to explore the profession’s many futures by focusing on emerging trends. ) Additional trends in the LIBRARY FUTURES SERIES ANONYMITY RESILIENCE DESIGN THINKING Alison Macrina Rebekkah Smith Rachel Ivy Clarke and Talya Cooper Aldrich ---- ---- ---- | so cover 2019 | so cover | so cover pp | ” x ” 64 pp | 5” x 7” pp | ” x ” . $24.99 . Members: . Members: $22.49 Members: . www.alastore.ala.org/library-futures March/April 2019 American Libraries | Volume 50 #3/4 | ISSN 0002-9769 BLOCCOVER STORYKCHAIN REACTION How library professionals are approaching blockchain technology and its potential impact p. 26 BY Carrie Smith FEATURES 34 Tech Trends Library tech leaders recommend their favorite tips and tools 34 BY Alison Marcotte 38 A New Digital Strategy for America’s Library The Library of Congress expands its online 42 offerings through letters, maps, and colors BY Greg Landgraf 42 Copyright for Creators How we built an arts- focused program 38 at our library BY Carla-Mae Crookendale, Hillary Miller, and Sue Robinson 20 22 18 UP FRONT TRENDS PERSPECTIVES 3 From the 16 Ditching the Gender Data IN PRACTICE Editor Why “male” and “female” are vanishing 46 Unintentional Inequity A Digital Discourse from some library card applications BY Meredith Farkas BY Sanhita SinhaRoy BY Anne Ford DISPATCHES 6 From Our 18 What’s in a Building Name? 47 AI and Machine Learning Readers University librarians and BY Jason Griffey archivists contribute to reviews of contentious namesakes YOUTH MATTERS ALA BY Timothy Inklebarger 48 Spreading ‘Bookjoy’ BY Maricela Leon-Barrera 4 From the 20 Libations in the Library President Alcohol-friendly events draw ON MY MIND Exploring AI new, younger faces 49 Transform the High School Library BY Loida Garcia-Febo BY Anne Ford BY Chiquita Toure 8 Update SPOTLIGHT LIBRARIAN’S LIBRARY What’s happening 22 It’s Not Such a Small World After All 50 Become Future Ready at ALA Introducing older adults to virtual reality BY Karen Muller 12 From the BY Anne Ford SOLUTIONS Candidates NEWSMAKER Campaign statements 24 Melinda Gates 52 Ebooks Made Easy from the candidates Philanthropist pens book on lifting up Budget-friendly acquisition models for 2020–2021 ALA women to save the world president and 2019– PEOPLE 2022 ALA treasurer PLUS 54 Announcements BY Julius C. Jefferson Jr., 17 By the Numbers Lance Werner, Maggie 23 Global Reach Farrell, and Andrew THE BOOKEND K. Pace 25 Noted & Quoted 56 An Archive of Ice and Fire 16 Academy of American Poets Insert | Dominican University 21 | OCLC Cover 4 | Scannx 7 | University of Alabama 33 | University of Nebraska 11 | American Library Association Editions Cover 2 | Graphics 5 | JobLIST Cover 3 THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Address: 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611 Website: americanlibrariesmagazine.org A Digital Discourse Email: [email protected] Phone: 800-545-2433 plus extension Career Ads: JobLIST.ala.org lockchain’s practical applications are still being EDITOR AND PUBLISHER A vintage explored—not least by library professionals. In Sanhita SinhaRoy What is your [email protected] | x4219 typewriter our cover story (p. 26), Carrie Smith asks five nerdiest MANAGING EDITOR 1970s Doritos librarians and information professionals about possession? Terra Dankowski B sleeping bag [email protected] | x5282 this emerging technology and its likely impact. We hope you find the discussion as intriguing as we did. SENIOR EDITORS A Russian Amy Carlton For tech that’s more accessible in the here and now, [email protected] | x5105 copy of Paul McCartney’s read our feature on some of the latest trends (p. 34) Santa Claus George M. Eberhart Conquers the [email protected] | x4212 CHOBA B popping up in libraries across the country. Alison Martians LP Phil Morehart CCCP album Marcotte talks with several members of ALA’s Library [email protected] | x4218 Sanhita SinhaRoy A Sting action and Information Technology Association about digital EDITOR-AT-LARGE figure from Plastic shirt- Anne Ford citizenship, translation apps, and virtual reality (VR), the movie Dune folding board [email protected] | x4213 among other burgeoning tools. For instance, some library EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING ASSISTANT workers are using VR to foster empathy by presenting Carrie Smith Fanny pack [email protected] | x4216 Ten years patrons with the opportunity to experience a tornado or collection of comic walk through a refugee camp. As Joyce Kasman Valenza ART DIRECTOR and anime First cellphone, Rebecca Lomax of Rutgers University School of Communication and [email protected] | x4217 convention a Motorola lanyards Information says in the story, this new technology can DynaTAC—massive! ADVERTISING Michael Stack [email protected] | 847-367-7120 help “patrons go well beyond the four walls of the library.” Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement. Similarly, in our Spotlight (p. 22), some older patrons ALA reserves the right to refuse advertising. of Arlington Heights (Ill.) Memorial Library are bene- PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT Mary Mackay Old-school fitting from a VR program that takes them on virtual The Harry Associate Executive Director geometry Potter books vacations. It’s an especially heartwarming story, as many Mary Jo Bolduc set and Rights, Permissions, Reprints | x5416 slide of these seniors are typically homebound by physical or MEMBERSHIP rule from cognitive limitations. One patron said he never thought middle Lorelle Swader he’d see the beach again until the library brought a VR school Associate Executive Director VR is being viewer to his memory-care facility. ADVISORY COMMITTEE Weighing in on artificial intelligence and machine Susan H. Polos (Chair), Salvador Avila, Joseph M. Eagan, used to foster Sonja Eyler, Mary L. Hastler, Ben Allen Hunter, Jasmina Jusic, learning are ALA President Loida Garcia-Febo (p. 4) Sigrid Kelsey. Intern: Lisa Anne Romano empathy, and librarian Jason Griffey (p. 47). We also profile the Editorial policy: ALA Policy Manual, section A.8.2 Library of Congress’s new five-year digital strategy INDEXED presenting Available full text from ProQuest, EBSCO Publishing, (p. 38) as well as offer an interview with philanthropist H. W. Wilson, LexisNexis, Information Access, JSTOR. patrons with Melinda Gates (p. 24), who speaks about empowering SUBSCRIBE the chance women and the vital role libraries play in providing Libraries and other institutions: $74/year, 6 issues, US, Canada, equal access to information. Gates is this year’s honor- and Mexico; foreign: $84. Subscription price for individuals included in ALA membership dues. 800-545-2433 x5108, email to experience ary chair of National Library Week, in April. [email protected], or visit ala.org. Claim missing issues: If all this digital discourse has you craving analog, ALA Member and Customer Service. Allow six weeks. Single a tornado or issues $7.50, with 30% discount for five or more; contact Carrie you may delight in our Bookend (p. 56), which show- Smith, 800-545-2433 x4216 or [email protected] walk through cases Texas A&M’s collection of items donated by best- PUBLISHED selling author George R. R. Martin. The photo comes American Libraries (ISSN 0002-9769) is published 6 times a refugee yearly with occasional supplements by the American Library complete with a sword and dragon figurine. Association (ALA). Printed in USA. Periodicals postage paid at camp. You can’t get more analog than that. Chicago, Illinois, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Personal members: Send address changes to American Libraries, c/o Membership Records, ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. ©2019 American Library Association. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced or republished without written permission from the publisher. americanlibrariesmagazine.org | March/April 2019 3 from the PRESIDENT Exploring AI How libraries are starting to apply artificial intelligence in their work have recently started to hear more phrases such by AI. As Bourg says, it is important for academic as, “I don’t have to visit a library; I just ask Alexa libraries to make their collections accessible to [or Siri or Google Assistant] and it tells me AI tools like Alexa so that when someone asks Ieverything I need to know. I speak to it all day.” a voice assistant for information, reputable The impact of even this early wave of artificial scholarly literature is available. To make this intelligence (AI)—including voice assistants and successful, libraries will have to work to ensure machine learning (ML)—is still uncertain in many scholarly information is openly accessible, not fields, but it is time to include AI on our profes- locked behind paywalls. sional agenda and in our national conversation. All this may be a lot of new information to In talking with librarians working in this area, process. But Catherine Nicole Coleman, digital Loida Garcia-Febo it’s clear that while AI can be useful, it also raises research architect at Stanford Libraries in Palo familiar concerns about privacy, intellectual free- Alto, California, has a good approach: Last year, dom, authority, and access.