#LibrariesTransform: National Library Week

NLW-FBcover_0This year, National Library Week is happening in the United States from
April 10-16. Given Cite This For Me’s growing presence in the US and partnerships with top US universities, we feel it’s all the more fitting to share our love for libraries from across the pond. Plus – beyond the conversation surrounding MLA format, APA citation, and Chicago style citation Harvard referencing, our second favourite subject matter is definitely the library. The theme of this year’s Library Week is “Libraries Transform” and it goes without saying that the Cite This For Me Team understand the longstanding, transformative impact that libraries have on one’s life.

An initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), National Library Week has been an annual week-long event since 1958 to acknowledge the “contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.” (National library week, 2009). The key role and influence libraries have in one’s life come in many shapes and sizes – the library contributes to a student’s education, provides a meeting place for the community, instills learning on youth and provides access to resources in the form of both digital and non-digital tools.

As Cite This For Me deepens its relationships with librarians, educators and students across the US and UK, each conversation reaffirms how affixed and ultimately significant the library is in a student’s research journey. Afterall, “There is no problem a library card can’t solve.” (Brown, 2009).

Want to get involved?  ALA has outlined the various celebrations happening this week, including:

  • Monday, April 11: State of America’s Libraries Report released, including Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2015.
  • Tuesday, April 12: 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 13: National Bookmobile Day, a day to recognize the contributions of our nation’s bookmobiles and the dedicated professionals who make quality bookmobile outreach possible in their communities.

National Library Week is being celebrated in libraries across the United States, but you can also participate through social media using the hashtags, #NLW16 and #LibrariesTransform.

Bibliography

Celebrate national library week (1996) Available at: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek (Accessed: 10 April 2016).

National library week: Libraries transform (2009) Available at: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/article/national-library-week-libraries-transform (Accessed: 8 April 2016).

PictureQuotes.com (2016) Available at: http://www.picturequotes.com/there-is-no-problem-a-library-card-cant-solve-quote-241160 (Accessed: 8 April 2016).