American Ballet Theatre principal dancer and author Misty Copeland to open first-ever ALA Virtual Event on June 24, 2020 <https://bit.ly/3c8H4ci>American Ballet Theatre principal dancer and author Misty Copeland will be featured during the Opening Session for the American Library Association’s first-ever Virtual Event. The session will take place 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Copeland first made history in 2007 as the second African American to be promoted to the rank of "soloist" in two decades at the company. In 2015, Copeland made history for the second time, when she became the first African American female principal "dancer" in the American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history. Read more<https://bit.ly/3c8H4ci> Privacy During a Pandemic: Town Hall for Library, Information Workers for Choose Privacy Week<https://bit.ly/2WnVzCc> When states and local governments closed libraries and schools to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic, library workers and educators responded to the emergency by quickly adopting commercial online tools and platforms to ensure continued access to resources. But with the emergency becoming a new normal, libraries need to critically evaluate these technologies and address any potential privacy and security gaps that could pose a threat to users' privacy. To mark Choose Privacy Week, the IFC Privacy Subcommittee will sponsor “Protecting Privacy in a Pandemic: A Town Hall for Library and Information Workers,” on Friday, May 8 at 1 p.m. CST. The virtual conversation is an opportunity for library and information workers to discuss their concerns and issues about privacy that are arising as libraries move to digital platforms and remote services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more<https://bit.ly/2WnVzCc> ALA announces STEAM funding and exhibitions for rural libraries serving Latino populations<https://bit.ly/3b8PyyC> Public library workers in rural communities are invited to participate in a project that will bring culturally inclusive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) programming and exhibitions to their patrons, especially often-underreached Latino populations. The initiative is offered by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute (NCIL/SSI), the American Library Association (ALA), Twin Cities PBS (TPT), Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), and Education Development Center (EDC), with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through the STAR Net STEAM Equity Project, 12 public libraries will receive $15,000 over four years (winter 2020 – summer 2024) to participate in professional development activities, support community partnerships and purchase STEAM learning materials. In partnership with library staff and their community collaborators, the project will engage families to empower tweens in STEAM culture and learning. Read more<https://bit.ly/3b8PyyC> AWARDS AND GRANTS Prairie State College Library selected as recipient of the first $500 Game On! Grant from GameRT<https://bit.ly/3di4a0g> Public Libraries Magazine announces 2020 Feature Article Contest winners<https://bit.ly/3b7xBAG> Alice Knapp, president of the Ferguson Library, wins 2020 Sullivan Award<https://bit.ly/2yy60LD> Nora Wiltse receives the American Library Association 2020 Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award<https://bit.ly/3dkXLBk> The Roxbury Public Library receives the Gale Cengage Financial Development Award<https://bit.ly/2YBjv7X> Cameron Carey receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant<https://bit.ly/2L0piMv> ALA PUBLISHING Intellectual freedom stories from a shifting landscape<https://bit.ly/2YDpw4g> Libraries and the substance abuse crisis<https://bit.ly/2YAcVP0> WEBINARS LITA Webinars: IT Buying Strategies 101 and Top Tech Trends offerings<https://bit.ly/3cjClEV> Jennifer L. Dean - PhD, MLIS - she, her, hers MLA Board of Directors and ALA Councilor Dean of Libraries and Instructional Technology Distance Education Coordinator University of Detroit Mercy Libraries / Instructional Design Studio 4001 West McNichols Rd Detroit, MI 48221 313-993-1090 deanjl@udmercy.edu [cid:ddd4adb7-72c6-4c9f-90db-a73682390962]