Public awareness of crime, sexual harassment in libraries, and inappropriate books and web sites in schools due to American Library Association policy. ⚖️
Kelly Jensen uses hate and projection to smear IMLS (United States Institute for Museum and Library Services). IMLS gets smeared like doo doo, because this is one underhanded, disgusting technique ALA uses to push its efforts to indoctrinate children in schools and libraries using the taxpaying public's money to do so.
Kelly Jensen's doo doo references, themselves a form of projection, start right in the title of her latest IMLS hit job, the first significant word:
Oh look, she censored the word in the title by using an asterisk, but it's spelled out right there in the URL. So it's okay for kids and URLs but not for Book Riot by Riot New Media:
In fairness, she did use the word in the text, in one of many efforts to smear IMLS:
"further enshittifying democracy, rather than serving the American citizenry."
And these people are supposedly "trusted experts" for children, set into law by ALA's "Freedom to Read Act" that ALA is spreading across America and the federal government.
School librarians are not trusted experts. If anything, they represent the "ensh*ttification" of public education throughout America, and the scatological reference is just more projection.
Trusted expert Kelly Jensen is an awarded hero of American Library Association with a Presidential Commendation from ALA's American Association of School Librarians (AASL). That means she's a trusted expert for ALA itself. ALA librarians award each other, like they award books they want kids to read, like Gender Queer. Awards are given to people and books for the most kids harmed or the best potential to harm kids. This is sort of like "Library Girl" Kendra Sunderland won multiple awards from the adult entertainment industry.
School librarians generally are not trusted experts for school children, given they are trained no book is ever inappropriate for any child and given the vocal ones are uniformly opposed to America and capitalism, like the one suing me who published on Bluesky, "THE REVOLUTION IS OVERDUE," but I digress. So many other cases, other librarians, I should write a separate story about it.
Back to Kelly Jensen, here is the doo doo level of her AASL Presidential Commendation arguments against IMLS:
the perfect encapsulation of how the Trump Vance administration is hellbent on destroying an agency dedicated to sharing and protecting truth, facts, and information
the regime's obsession with and dedication to AI is about bowing to technocrats and further ensh[*]ttifying democracy, rather than serving the American citizenry
The Trump Vance regime
No one in the current regime
IMLS is an arm of propaganda for the Trump-Vance regime
The IMLS Freedom Trucks stole over $14,000,000 from U.S. taxpayers, intended to serve public libraries and museums, and funneled it directly into the pockets of the right-wing private corporation PragerU
the Freedom Trucks, which the regime claims celebrate America’s shared cultural history in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary
Maybe if she keeps saying "regime" often enough it will become the truth? She's a "trusted expert" after all, with a Presidential Commendation. She writes "regime" 20 times in her one screed. Here's more:
a history and philosophy of whitewashing history
It is infuriating to see that states with lower literacy levels, where schools have become the most targeted by partisan politics (past and present), where books and texts filled with facts and history have been yanked off the shelves "to protect the kids," and where money is being stolen from public schools to fund the private education of the already-wealthy are the ones getting the "treat" of Freedom Trucks
These Trucks further lie to some of the most vulnerable about this country’s history and further the propaganda that the regime hopes they’ll continue to swallow down without question
Here's where she calls everyone stupid if they allegedly lack "critical" skills:
Too many of those who will hop aboard the trucks lack the critical literacy skills (of all kinds) to ask questions.
This gutter level of argument and projection goes on and on for the remainder of the hit piece. I'll skip it now.
Contrast that writing with real journalism, real reporting, presenting many of the same issues, but without the hate and projection:
🚨NEW: American Library Association President Sam Helmick (they/them) Says Backing Drag Queen Happy Hour Supports Parental Choice.
Helmick’s statement comes amid a fierce debate over the rights of parents to opt children out of sexual lessons or material in schools and the… pic.twitter.com/yYCna3fSuh
Also, Kelly Jensen takes a victory lap that she supposedly forced IMLS to change its home page. She writes on Bluesky:
Yes, indeed, the IMLS home page is back to what it was before they spit out AI slop on it last week.
Guess what works? Exposing, amplifying, shaming, and pushing back.
Pure propaganda. First, IMLS likely corrected things on its own. Second, Kelly taking a victory lap is a joke. Last year she wrote an article that had absolutely zero effect on IMLS. She leaves that out of her fakery. Last year she wrote "The Latest From IMLS and What You Need to Prepare For Right Now," and all that exposing, amplifying, shaming, and pushing back made no difference. Though back then she used administration 4 times and no regimes. Now that she's using 20 regimes, that made the difference. She's a trusted expert on her own delusions of self worth.
Besides, how good is Kelly as a "trusted expert" on IMLS if she brags about and recommends other librarians block federal government accounts on Bluesky?
"Mom, what did you do on your Friday night?"
Well, I spent it blocking federal departments and agencies on Bluesky, like in any other normal f[*]cking reality.
I'm looking forward to what the new IMLS will do for America.
The American Library Association is the nation's top facilitator of child pornography. Enabling ALA in this facilitation is the Institute of Museum and Library Services [IMLS]. President Trump seeks to defund IMLS. That scares ALA that stands to lose millions in future funding, like the $9,589,105.00 IMLS has granted ALA in the past to help enable its facilitation of child pornography, even if indirectly by freeing up funding for furthering the facilitation.
#SaveIMLS is ALA's effort to keep the child porn facilitation funding flowing and keep awarding the libraries committing CIPA fraud by the millions of dollars since they follow ALA policy. Of course it is worded as saving libraries or "building youth literacy skills" or "maker spaces" or "libraries matter" or "libraries transform." ALA mocks parents who want to act on behalf of children but they sure use the trick when it really is faked for self gain.
Can you imagine if ALA was honest? #SaveIMLS! "Libraries facilitate child porn!" "Child porn is your First Amendment right unless you are caught and a judge says otherwise!" "We defend all child porn viewers from invasion of privacy in public libraries!"
Worse, #SaveIMLS is astroturfed, meaning if you see in newspapers that people and libraries oppose losing IMLS funding, it is because ALA put them up to it. It is literally fake news. Faked fake news. ALA astroturfed on net neutrality despite IRS 501(c)(3) rules, so why should it not do it again? It is doing it again and
It comes complete with a child character from Harry Potter chopping off the head of a snake, red blood and all, saying #NevilleFightsBack. #Resist! Meaning, apparently under the circumstances and given ALA's general hostility to the President, Neville fights back against the President of the United States by chopping off the head of the snake. That would be Donald Trump. Excellent propaganda to get kids to "#resist" and astroturf for ALA's #SaveIMLS:
There's so much more evidence, but that's enough for now. Just take a look at Sharyl Attkisson discussing astroturfing at a TED Talk:
American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries
Log Number:
NE-01-00-0003-00
Fiscal Year:
2000
Award: $149,924.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Education and Training
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-06-05-0112-05
Fiscal Year:
2005
Award: $239,416.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Research
Recipient Type:
Library
In this project, the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will survey library networks, consortia, and cooperatives to develop a clear and current understanding of how library networks and cooperatives operate and the many ways these collaborative organizations help advance learning communities. Currently, library planners and policy makers must rely on outdated and inadequate information because they lack reliable definitions and sufficient data. The project will develop definitions and classifications in a Web-based dictionary and create an online report generator. All resources developed in the project will be freely available from the ALA Web site. ASCLA will provide ongoing support and updating of the data after the end of the grant period.
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-06-12-0494-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $486,587.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Research
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
Management of Content and Collections
21st Century Skills
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Community
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Community
Access to Content and Collections
The American Library Association and the University of Maryland, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association, will conduct a three-year study of public libraries as providers of digitally inclusive services and resources. Digital literacy and digital inclusion are becoming increasingly important aspects of individual and community success. This study will generate new understanding of the roles public libraries are playing, and gaps or needs that must be addressed to help libraries fulfill their vision of equitable access for all. Building on the methods of the long-running Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, this new investigation will provide useful new data for public policy decision makers and funders.
Public Library Association
Log Number:
LG-06-13-0203-13
Fiscal Year:
2013
Award: $499,741.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Research
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
The Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, divisions of the American Library Association will support a three year project to conduct research that will examine how library programming about early literacy development affects parent behavior and engagement. Through the support of parent focused early literacy services and programs, public libraries can play a key role in helping children become ready to read and be ready for school. However, the research demonstrating the impact of parent education programming at public libraries has not been undertaken. “Bringing Home Early Literacy: Determining the Impact of Library Programming on Parent Behavior,” will determine whether parents or caregivers who engage in early literacy practices with their children help them develop the early literacy skills they need to be ready to read.
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-07-10-0228-10
Fiscal Year:
2010
Award: $581,609.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Demonstration
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
Community
The American Library Association will partner with the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and Florida State University to develop a Web-based resource to help libraries and governments provide better e-government–related services such as filing taxes, applying for citizenship, enrolling children in schools, and applying for social services. This project will enable greater coordination between government agencies and libraries, reduce costly duplication of effort, and provide a more comprehensive model for serving users of e-government. The Web-based resource will include useful content, tutorials, best practice recommendations, an embedded government information digital reference service, guidance on the provision of e-government services, an online forum for service providers to share and exchange information, and tools to facilitate local customization of e-government services provision in libraries. The project will design, develop, and test the Web-based resource in coordination with multiple states and public libraries.
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-07-12-0495-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $249,867.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Demonstration
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
Community
Building upon earlier planning work supported by IMLS, the American Library Association and its partner StoryCorps will develop and implement “StoryCorps @ Your Library,” a replicable program to be piloted at ten public libraries that will be selected from across the country. Recipient libraries will receive equipment, training, promotional materials, and other resources to help them implement community documentation projects using the popular StoryCorps interview model. Local libraries will retain copies of all interviews, but preservation copies will also be deposited with the Library of Congress. The project team will produce freely shareable training materials to help public libraries better understand strategies for sustaining local oral history programs.
American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries
Log Number:
LG-07-12-0571-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $249,330.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Demonstration
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
21st Century Skills
Community
The American Library Association’s Association for College and Research Libraries will partner with the Association for Institutional Research and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to design, implement, and evaluate a new program that helps academic libraries develop new assessment plans that better reflect library contributions. The program will focus on library impacts in key areas such as student learning and success. As part of the project, 300 teams, each consisting of librarians and other campus representatives from U.S. colleges and universities, will receive training in data-informed advocacy, and each team will develop an assessment plan appropriate for its campus and academic library.
American Library Association, Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
Log Number:
LG-55-11-0346-11
Fiscal Year:
2011
Award: $33,968.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
The American Library Association (ALA) will conduct a four-month planning grant as the beginning of a multiyear collaboration, making StoryCorps services accessible to public libraries across the country. StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. Drawing on the knowledge of a diverse advisory group of library professionals, ALA and StoryCorps will convene a Board of Advisors to aid in the planning and design of this collaborative national program. In doing so, it will create a replicable model resulting in increased programming opportunities at libraries and collection growth that can benefit institutions of all sizes and their communities.
Association of College and Research Libraries
Log Number:
LG-62-11-0216-11
Fiscal Year:
2011
Award: $99,985.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
Two national summits will be convened to recommend strategies that help academic libraries better demonstrate their value and better explain how their services align with the institutional goals of colleges and universities. The Association of College and Research Libraries, in partnership with the Association for Institutional Research, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the Council of Independent Colleges, will collaborate to host the two events, which will serve as the basis for a white paper that summarizes findings and establishes recommendations for future action.
American Library Association, Young Adult Library Services Association
Log Number:
LG-62-12-0538-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $99,937.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
21st Century Skills
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Community
The American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association will conduct a yearlong series of national forum activities to bring together key stakeholders from libraries, education, technology, adolescent development, and the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Invited participants will meet both virtually and face to face to explore the world of young adult library services and ultimately produce a white paper that will provide direction on how these services needs to adapt to better meet the needs of 21st century teens.
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-62-13-0210-13
Fiscal Year:
2013
Award: $99,996.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
Preservation, Conservation, and Care of Content and Collections
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Access to Content and Collections
The American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Program Office will use its grant to develop and disseminate a white paper that documents the characteristics, audiences, outcomes, and value of public programming in libraries at a national level. The project team will examine general trends emerging from recent evaluations and use that data to create a framework for describing public programming in libraries, identify gaps in current knowledge, and develop research strategies to serve the field. Assessing the state of library programming on a national level will increase understanding of how library programs increase broad public access to knowledge and foster support for lifelong learners across diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
American Association of School Librarians
Log Number:
LG-62-13-0212-13
Fiscal Year:
2013
Award: $99,398.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
Issue Areas:
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Community
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Access to Content and Collections
Early Learning
The American Association of School Libraries will host a national forum to determine if a causal relationship exists between strong school library programs and student academic achievement. The forum will lead to the creation of an interdisciplinary, networked community of researchers focused on causal research in school libraries that meet the rigorous criteria for scientifically based empirical research. While past studies have suggested a correlation between school libraries staffed by professional school librarians and containing adequate resources to increased student achievement, further progress requires the more rigorous experimental design of causal studies. Fifty invited scholars from the school library and related research fields will participate in the forum, which will lead to the publication of a white paper that will guide further inquiry on this topic.
American Library Association
Log Number:
LG-00-12-0755-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $50,000.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Planning Grants
Recipient Type:
Library
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, will partner with Influx Library User Experience Consulting in this planning grant to develop and deploy a lightweight prototype of a web-based “summer reading app”. The project team will then coordinate with other organizations, including the Digital Public Library of America, to use the prototype software application as a means of gathering feedback from a variety of stakeholders, as to what features and functions would be desirable in a more fully-functional software application, to support summer reading programs in libraries across the country. PLA will use this feedback to draft a fuller functional requirements specification to potentially guide future software development efforts.
American Library Association, Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
Log Number:
LG-46-13-0234-13
Fiscal Year:
2013
Award: $25,000.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries
State:
IL
Issue Areas:
21st Century Skills
Community
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, will create National Guidelines and Best Practices for Financial Literacy Education (FLE) in libraries nationwide. Both guidelines and best practices guides will be located and freely available on the RUSA website. Guidelines will consolidate and standardize best practices, innovative thinking, and successful service delivery models for library-based FLE, offering an essential framework for interventions to help patrons gain financial knowledge, literacy, and even fluency. The guidelines and best practices will spark substantial improvements in how and how many libraries offer appropriately tailored FLE services, filling a substantial nationwide service gap. Documents will be complemented by single- and three-session FLE webinars to help prepare librarians and library staff.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-40-16-0137-16
Fiscal Year:
2016
Award: $243,922.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
Recipient Type:
Library
American Library Association's Public Programs Office will develop and deliver web-based and in-person workshops that equip librarians with skills like coalition-building and dialogue facilitation so they can better understand, support, and engage with their communities. To meet this goal, the American Library Association will collaborate with the National Coalition on Dialogue and Deliberation to create a broader offering of free community engagement resources for exploration learning by library professionals. Training will be provided through a series of free webinars and three in-person pre-conference trainings. American Library Association will also offer 25 travel scholarships for small and rural librarians to participate in the in-person training.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-40-16-0081-16
Fiscal Year:
2016
Award: $305,085.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
Recipient Type:
Library
The American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) will create a training program for library staff around college and career readiness services for middle schoolers. Working in partnership with the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, the project is geared to library staff in libraries with a service population of 15,000 or fewer, as well as libraries that are 25 miles or more from an urbanized area. Initially, the project will train 80 library staff through a highly collaborative and inquiry-based process before adapting the training into self-paced eLearning modules that are freely available to the library community. Additionally, YALSA will support a community of practice within its existing Teen Programming HQ to promote peer-to-peer learning and will develop, test, and refine a suite of college and career-readiness resources for libraries to adapt based on individual community needs.
For more information on the project: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/future-ready-library
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-00-15-0108-15
Fiscal Year:
2015
Award: $50,000.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
Recipient Type:
Library
The American Library Association will provide 50 scholarships to help a diverse group of librarians, library staff, and library students in the United States attend the World Library and Information Congress in Columbus Ohio. The scholarships will be provided to individuals in the early or middle-stage (20 years or fewer) of their careers who are not already actively engaged in International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The project will help to ensure the next generation of participants and leaders on the global stage from the United States fully represents the diversity in the community and in the country.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-00-15-0114-15
Fiscal Year:
2015
Award: $498,755.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Research in Early Careers Development
Recipient Type:
Library
This research project builds on a prior IMLS-funded research symposium to find out what works at the intersection of formal and informal learning in the school library through a planned and coordinated research agenda. Project activities will build on previous investigations underlying learning in libraries, testing findings of research, theory, and best practices. The project team will make recommendations about next steps in evaluating the impact of school libraries on student achievement and help determine methodologies for future research. The authors will also help identify key features of educational interventions that can be used as indicators that an intervention is likely to develop key skills needed to have significant positive impact on student performance.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-06-07-0047-07
Fiscal Year:
2007
Award: $407,111.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
The American Library Association, in partnership with the Western Council of State Librarians, will develop a national voluntary certification program for support staff in rural or small town public and academic libraries. Needs assessments for the last fifteen years have called for a national, standardized certification program for library support staff. The three-year project will result in a set of core competencies and policies and procedures. It will provide alternative options for assessing current knowledge of the field and experience for non-traditionally trained library staff. The resulting plan will be tested in five sites and will be sustained by ALA.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-06-07-0051-07
Fiscal Year:
2007
Award: $358,690.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
The American Library Association’s Public Programs Office will create and administer the Online Resource Center for Library Cultural Programming (ORC), a professional development Web site to help librarians find authoritative resources for cultural programming, and will train librarians in cultural programming techniques. The ORC will organize and make accessible through links and online documents a wide array of national cultural program information and training tools, and provide access to successful "turnkey" programs developed by cultural organizations such as state humanities councils, thus extending the value of the original investment in the programs. The ORC will be particularly useful for librarians in small rural libraries who rarely can attend conferences and have little professional development funding. The three-year project includes a major evaluation of the Web site by librarians, educators, and students.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-06-10-0082-10
Fiscal Year:
2010
Award: $590,110.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
This American Library Association project focuses on disseminating information on the availability, accessibility, and value of the Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) program; adding additional approved courses and competency sets for specializations; collaborating with state libraries and Library Technical Assistant programs to develop reciprocity agreements and promote the LSSC Program; and measuring the impact of the program on an estimated 900 participants and the services they provide in their libraries.
American Library Association, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services
Log Number:
RE-06-15-0073-15
Fiscal Year:
2015
Award: $106,669.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, in partnership with ProLiteracy, will develop online training and supporting resources to better equip librarians and library staff to serve adult learners. This project will put into practice ALA’s “Adult Literacy through Libraries National Library Literacy Action Agenda.” The project supports lifelong learning and addresses the need for community engagement by developing tools to help frontline library staff prepare people to fully participate in their local communities and our global society. This project provides the information and tools libraries need to go all-in on adult literacy.
American Library Association, Public Library Association
Log Number:
RE-56-12-0031-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $45,145.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Collaborative Planning Grant
Issue Areas:
Community
Community
The Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), will undertake a one-year collaborative planning project to design and develop a leadership training model for key staff in public libraries across the United States. This project will design, pilot test, and develop an outcomes-based evaluation plan to provide leadership training to public library administrators, senior managers, and staff who want to increase their capacity to lead within the library and the community. With insight and instruction from ICMA, the grant project will also create a mechanism for librarians to work with municipal officials towards enhancing the capacity of libraries to be more active and successful participants in community initiatives.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-00-12-0117-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $250,837.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
The American Library Association will partner with The Harwood Institute on The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities, a scalable program that will advance community engagement, innovation, and transform the role of libraries in their communities. The project will develop the tools, innovations and resources that will help libraries lead a collaborative approach to community engagement and community development. It will address the need in local communities for public innovators and change-agents by preparing library leaders who can make more intentional choices and judgments about fulfilling the promise of libraries in transforming communities. The partnership will develop ALA capacity, train more than 350 librarians as facilitators to their communities, and create a pilot set of inter-related professional development components.
Public Library Association
Log Number:
RE-00-12-0119-12
Fiscal Year:
2012
Award: $291,179.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
The Public Library Association will partner with the ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies to develop an online collection of digital literacy resources that will be accessible to libraries, patrons, and other community-based organizations. The team will gather and evaluate existing state and public library resources related to digital literacy, and promote these resources to increase library awareness. Grant activities will include development of training curricula in English and Spanish, technology trainer competencies, handouts, and patron skills assessment.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-00-13-0096-13
Fiscal Year:
2013
Award: $50,000.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Issue Areas:
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
The American Library Association (ALA), in consultation with thought leaders from the library and information science community and from other sectors, will use its grant to establish the Center for the Future of Libraries, modeled on the successful American Alliance of Museums Center for the Future of Museums. The goal will be to provide library planners and community leaders with information resources and tools that will help them understand the trends reshaping their libraries and communities and incorporate foresight into their planning processes. ALA will focus on collaborative planning, initial program and product development, and laying the groundwork for economic sustainability.
American Library Association, Office for Diversity
Log Number:
RE-01-04-0015-04
Fiscal Year:
2004
Award: $928,142.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Master’s Level Programs
The American Library Association's Office for Diversity will double the number of underrepresented master's in library science students in its Spectrum Initiative program from 105 to 210 and will create mechanisms to aggregate and disseminate information about diversity recruitment and education initiatives. It will collaborate with Association for Library and Information Science Education to hold a national-level dialogue and build an outreach program to enhance the capacities of library schools to attract diverse students. Match: $936,384
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-01-07-0098-07
Fiscal Year:
2007
Award: $872,920.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Master’s Level Programs
Building on the success of the Spectrum Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships for ethnically and racially underrepresented students attending graduate library and information science programs, the American Library Association will initiate “REACH 21: Preparing the Next Generation of Librarians for 21st Century Library Leadership.” The project will foster the recruitment, matriculation, and early career development of 150 minority students in master’s-level library and information science programs; provide mentoring and coaching of sixty additional students from underrepresented backgrounds; establish a formal, year-long mentoring program that will leverage community and support networks and aid educational and early career retention; and create an outreach services component.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-02-11-0025-11
Fiscal Year:
2011
Award: $886,499.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Doctoral Programs
Issue Areas:
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Inclusive and Accessible Learning
Diversifying library and information science education is critical to the preparation of future librarians, the advancement of research within the field, and the sustained relevance of the profession and its practice to an increasingly diverse nation. The American Library Association Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship Program: Building Change will provide tuition and stipends for at least seven ethnically diverse students pursuing PhDs in library and information science at one of 21 participating academic programs. Currently, only 15 percent of doctoral degrees awarded by library school programs are to ethnic minorities. Funding from IMLS will support fellows’ first two years of study while participating programs will fund subsequent years of required study.
American Library Association
Log Number:
RE-03-10-0063-10
Fiscal Year:
2010
Award: $432,495.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Pre-Professional Programs
The American Library Association will launch a three-year national initiative to recruit 50 ethnically diverse high school and college students to careers in libraries by developing a stronger professional presence at local career, education, and cultural events. New professionals from ALA’s Spectrum Scholarship Program and other national diversity recruitment programs will serve as field recruiters at events such as the McNair National Research Conference, the MechA National Chicana/Chicano Leadership, powwows, and the Annual Conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries
Log Number:
RE-06-05-0057-05
Fiscal Year:
2005
Award: $93,106.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
The Rare Book and Manuscript Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, will support a major national conference focused on examining issues of mutual interest to special collections library and museum communities and creating greater collaboration between them. The funds will provide 30 attendance scholarships for new and aspiring professionals from both fields, including 10 from professionally underrepresented minorities, and costs of speakers from the museum community. The conference is expected to attract 250 to 275 attendees. Titled Intersecting Missions, Converging Futures: Libraries and Museums in the Twenty-First Century, the conference will bring together practicing and aspiring professionals from both fields to investigate common concerns and to explore ways in which they can work together more closely in the future to fulfill their respective roles in society. Match: $96,589
Public Library Association
Log Number:
RE-06-14-0001-14
Fiscal Year:
2014
Award: $213,682.00
City:
Chicago
Program:
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
State:
IL
Program Categories:
Continuing Education
Recipient Type:
Library
The Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association, developed the PLA Leadership Academy (successfully piloted in Spring 2013), with an asset-based curriculum that educated librarians on how to build relationships with local government and other agencies. In the Navigating Change and Building Community project, PLA will refine and implement the PLA Leadership Academy, measuring the impact on participants and their libraries. The project team also will convene a meeting of leadership training providers to share evaluation results and best practices and further raise awareness and understanding of the PLA leadership model.
$149,924.00 + $239,416.00 + $486,587.00 + $499,741.00 + $581,609.00 + $249,867.00 + $249,330.00 + $33,968.00 + $99,985.00 + $99,937.00 + $99,996.00 + $99,398.00 + $50,000.00 + $25,000.00 + $243,922.00 + $305,085.00 + $50,000.00 + $498,755.00 + $407,111.00 + $358,690.00 + $590,110.00 + $106,669.00 + $45,145.00 + $250,837.00 + $291,179.00 + $50,000.00 + $928,142.00 + $872,920.00 + $886,499.00 + $432,495.00 + $93,106.00 + $213,682.00 = $9,589,105.00
NOTE ADDED 17 JUNE 2017:
The Annoyed Librarian absolutely rips into the "ALA propaganda machine" on this #SaveIMLS hoax:
They may have enriched themselves with stolen funding to afford what it took to get the awards. I have no idea how a library that commits fraud would be selected for such an award. But I predicted something like this might happen:
Susan Hildreth's ALA is an Anything-Goes Organization Out of the Mainstream
The ALA, in which Susan Hildreth is prominently positioned, is an "anything goes" organization. As Will Manley of the ALA put it:
It would appear that in the case of keeping children away from Internet p[]rnography, it is the library profession, not the Supreme Court, which has distanced itself from the mainstream. Our profession's 'anything goes' view of intellectual freedom simply does not square with the values of the communities we serve. N4.
Will Manley asks:
Why is there such a disconnect between our profession and everyone else on this particular issue? More specifically, how could we have allowed ourselves to be put in such a publicly disadvantageous position as defending the right of children to access p[]rnography? The answer is simple and ironic. Our profession preaches intellectual freedom but does not tolerate its practice within our own ranks. Librarians imbued with common sense and good political judgment are afraid to espouse even a moderate position that advocates the limited use of filters. There is a great fear within librarianship of being branded a censor. No librarian wants to be wounded by that bullet. That's why we can never really initiate an open and honest dialogue among ourselves on issues involving even the most obvious need for limitations of intellectual freedom. As a result, the extremists always dominate, and we end up with an "anything goes" official policy that distances the library profession from mainstream America. N4.
Has an out-of-the-mainstream extremist just been nominated for IMLS Director? She is from the FTRF, after all. But let us look at the library that she directs to examine this issue further. She likely has more sway there as director than in the ALA as treasurer of the FTRF.
Susan Hildreth's Library Approves Internet P0rnography and Opposes Filtering
Susan Hildreth directs the Seattle Public Library. The library refuses to use Internet filters to cut back on the p0rnography that may attract crime. N5. In fact, the library welcomes p0rnography: it's—"okay"! A shocking statement, yes, but here is the basis for that observation:
"Each individual to have access to constitutionally protected material," Seattle Public Library Spokesperson Andra Addison said.
In Seattle, it's open access to everyone. As long as it's legal, it's okay, even if it's explicit. They're not about censorship, they're about protecting user privacy and confidentiality.
"The library believes it's the right and responsibility of parents and legal guardians to determine and monitor their own children's use," Addison said.
And that's where it comes down to choice: choice for parents, choice for the library. Libraries try to walk that line, especially since there is a wide range of what people consider explicit. But all will tell you, filters can be a false sense of security.
"You can be vigilant, and you can be proactive but you cannot prevent it," Rosemary said. N6.
Susan Hildreth's Outdated Dogma on Internet Filters and Public Library P0rn
Dean Marney
A "false sense of security"? Does Susan Hildreth believe that? Yes. As she put it, "Internet filtering is not 100 percent effective at all. They're not able to deal with all the wild and crazy sites that are put up at every minute of the day." N7.
Susan Hildreth is using outdated dogma as well. She won't change when she gets to the IMLS.
The Seattle Public Library Run by Susan Hildreth is Riddled with Crime
And what has come of Susan Hildreth's anything-goes policy? This is an important question because, as IMLS Director, she may bring the ALA's anything-goes, out-of-the-mainstream and outdated dogma to the national stage. How has the Seattle Public Library been affected by this policy with which Susan Hildreth agrees? It has been riddled with crime, that's how. Look:
KIRO Team 7 Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne discovered security has already ejected 432 patrons in the first four months this year for offenses like assault, drug dealing, intoxication and lewd conduct.
....
In all, 1,323 conduct violations were substantiated just in 2008, a disproportionate number at the Central Library branch.
....
According to Seattle Library Administrator Marilynn Gardner, nobody has to worry about safety at any branch. N9.
Right. Nobody has to worry about safety in a library with thousands of incidents, N9, and where management believes viewing p0rnography is "okay," N6. No wonder Seattle librarians think there's a "sort of 1984 atmosphere at the library these days." N10.
The library simply refuses to use Internet filters to prevent p0rnography, N5; indeed, it believes p0rnography in the public library is "okay." N6. And the crimes continue by the hundreds. N11. Hundreds! Does anyone see a problem with that? Does anyone want Susan Hildreth to use her position as IMLS director to bring that to American libraries?
Loss of E-Rate Funding Never Restored; Hildreth Says Go Fish to the Poor
For those who do not know, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Internet filters in public libraries are perfectly legal. N12. To get E-Rate funding for "Internet Access," all you need do is use Internet filtering. The Seattle Public Library used to get money for "Internet Access," but 2003 was the last year as a result of the library's refusal to use Internet filters. N13. At least that's better than the nearby King County Library System that is defrauding the E-Rate program of over $1,000,000. N14.
Does anyone in the Seattle community know that the Seattle Public Library is intentionally turning down funding it used to get, simply because p0rnography is "okay"? Has Susan Hildreth, struggling for funding for the library, N15, done anything to restore the lost E-Rate funding? No. Instead, the library will shut for a week. N15. Apparently, ALA politics trumps local interests. "[F]or those who aren't familiar with our digital collection, this is a good time to learn how to download books, movies and music, since they will be available during the closure," said Susan Hildreth. N15.
Librarians, always decrying the "digital divide," N16, suddenly advise people to "learn how to download." N15. Will poor populations have computers at home to download during the week? She could have obtained E-Rate funding by properly filtering the computers but chooses instead to shut the library for a week. It's just more evidence of Hildreth's ideological bent. Obviously she cares more about the p0rn people than about the poor people. Is that IMLS material?
Susan Hildreth Frightens Librarians Into Silence
Remember from above how Will Manley revealed librarians are afraid to speak out for fear of what the ALA might do? Guess who Seattle Public Library librarians fear? IMLS director nominee Susan Hildreth:
[M]any librarians feel unrepresented by management, and some fear retribution for speaking their minds against new policies and restructuring.
....
When asked why she didn't include a librarian on the committee to provide perspectives of what day-to-day SPL employees need or believe should be added to service, Hildreth says she didn't want an internal perspective to influence the committee. "That's why we don't have [library] board members on the committee," she says.
The advisory committee isn't the only place where librarians feel silenced, though. In recent months, SPL employees have taken to anonymously posting comments on blogs to air their grievances about recent shifts in policy and what they perceive as a newfound institutional inattentiveness to the needs of many patrons. SPL employees stormed the web in protest when the December 30 edition of American Libraries magazine praised Hildreth and the library board for being "inspiring" and "ambitious."
The Stranger
A number of librarians have contacted The Stranger anonymously because they think the public needs to be informed that they are unhappy with SPL leadership. Common complaints include anger at the creation of a new level of middle management while entry-level positions are cut and hours are shortened; a lack of librarian input on planning, restructuring, and budget decisions; fear of retribution for negative comments (even if the comments are delivered internally, through proper channels); a lack of communication with the library board; and a long-term plan to replace qualified librarians with volunteers and paraprofessionals.
....
Librarians have their own hopes for [Mayor] McGinn. The mayor doesn't have much official power over the library-he approves the budget and appoints new members to five-year terms on the five-person library board-but they would like him to advocate for them. One librarian says, "It's hard for someone in my position not to fantasize about the mayor pulling Susan Hildreth aside at some future meeting and saying, 'I hear your staff is not at all happy with how things are being run lately. Not enough communication? Something about bullies? Might [be worth] watching.' It'd be nice to imagine there was pressure, however subtle, from above, for her to clean house a bit." N16.
Wow. Her own librarians are afraid of Susan Hildreth, and now she's going to be the IMLS director. Wow.
Conclusion
How ALA and ALA Affiliate Bullies
Get It Done
If Susan Hildreth becomes IMLS director, ALA politics will trump national interests, just like they trumped local Seattle interests with Susan Hildreth at the helm. She can clearly steer national funding the ALA's way. N17. I am certain she will steer national policy the ALA's way as well. Communities may suffer as a direct result.
I strongly oppose approving Susan Hildreth as IMLS director, and I urge people to contact their leaders [U.S. Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121]. For example, urge Senator John McCain to oppose Susan Hildreth as IMLS director. Especially tell members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committeebefore December 1. N18.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will be holding a full committee markup at 10am on Wednesday, December 1. On the agenda for this markup, among other issues, the committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Susan Hildreth to be the director of the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS). N18.
And, given what Will Manley (and The Stranger) said about librarians being afraid to speak out for fear of being labeled a censor (like the ALA labels all library patrons who raise concerns, N19), comments below may be left anonymously. Here's your chance. Speak out before the ALA policy that has made the Seattle Public Library crime riddled and fear wracked becomes national policy. The ALA monitors this blog so your comments will be noticed.
I'm Dan Kleinman and I wrote the above opinion. I began opposing ALA policy almost a decade ago when the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom policies forced inappropriate material into the hands of my kindergartner. The school principal eventually removed the material from the public school library stating she found it twice as bad as I had reported. Now running SafeLibraries.org, I educate people and politicians about who controls public libraries and what can be done to restore local control. I am consulted nationwide for my expertise in how the negative aspects of ALA influence can be mitigated, and I appear in numerous media reports. I write regularly and ask people to consider subscribing to SafeLibraries. Guest posts are welcome. I track library crimes on Delicious and broadcast my latest crime additions on my SafeLibraries Twitter. I may be reached at SafeLibraries@gmail.com.
I am available for media interviews. This is especially important as the ALA plans a huge propaganda campaign in September 2011 for the 30th anniversary of "Banned Books Week." I can provide balance with a smile and with solid legal and factual support, as illustrated above. Hint, no books have been banned in the USA for almost 50 years.
Today, the Senate HELP committee was no help. The nomination of Susan Hildreth to be the director of IMLS was favorably reported from committee. Her nomination now goes to the full Senate. When you call your senators, please urge them to oppose Ms. Hildreth’s nomination. Given this is the lame duck session, I doubt such opposition will prevail.
Have you got problems? Paul McCartney, in an appearance with President Barack Obama, mocked President George Bush about libraries:
Upon concluding his performance, McCartney aimed a bolt of sarcasm at Obama’s predecessor. “After the last eight years,” he quipped, “it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is.” The audience erupted in laughter.
"The audience erupted in laughter." Consider the following:
The President has not yet withdrawn his nomination of former failed American Library Association [ALA] President Carla D. Hayden to be on the National Museum and Library Service [IMLS] Board. As ALA President, Ms. Hayden promised to help libraries comply with US v. ALA. Since the ALA advises how libraries can avoid using filters or how to use them in a manner not compliant with US v. ALA while still claiming compliance so as to gain federal money, her promise was either false or she never followed through as the advice provided included how to skirt the law, thereby defrauding the public—and notice the cute legal CYA caveat at the end. So Ms. Hayden is either incompetent or fraudulent. In either case, her nomination for a position related to libraries should be withdrawn. But Paul McCartney made no mention of that while he was on the subject of libraries and presidents. For more on this topic, see "Obama Nominee Carla Hayden is Unfit for Administration Post; Dionne Mack-Harvin May Go to Jail for Following Hayden's E-Rate Advice."
Second, carefully consider the words of a song written by Paul McCartney and his brother Michael McGear entitled, "Have You Got Problems?":
HAVE YOU GOT PROBLEMS?
(Paul McCartney / Michael McGear)
Mike McGear
You wake up, you sip hot tea,
mindless music, radio free.
You see blue skies and think of sea.
How are you doing?
Then later on, switch on TV.
They give me un-news,
they give half truths to me.
They give us whys, they feed us lies.
How are we doing? (yeah, yeah, yeah)
To educate, they fabricate,
and we sit back till it's too late.
Have you got problems?
What are your problems?
Bring all your problems straight to me.
Trust in me now,
'cause I'm your leader,
don't hesitate now, I'll put you straight.
Think of all the promises made to you.
Think of all the lies that we're going through.
I am the light in your darkest hour.
Through any crisis I will be your power.
Don't believe, don't believe, don't believe
all you're told, all you read, all you're taught,
all you see, don't believe, don't believe,
all you're told, all you read, all you're taught,
all you see, don't believe.
Do what you want. Do what you do.
What do you want? Do what you like.
Do what you want. Do what you do.
What do you want? Do what you like (all your life).
Have you got problems?
....
Ironic, no? Read it again, slowly.
That said, Paul McCartney is a musical genius, and I love this song. And for those who missed the Mike McGear album named "McGear," if you like Paul McCartney and Wings, you will love this album. Here's a link to buy it: McGear.
As usual, all of this is my opinion. Now I ask you. Have you got problems? Please comment below.
Second, carefully consider the words of a song written by Paul McCartney and his brother 
.