This Week in Core Jan 12

HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Monday, January 12

• Core Leadership Development and Mentoring Committee will meet from 10am – 11am CT
• Core Member Engagement Coordination Committee will meet from 10:30am  11:00am CT
• Core Executive Committee will meet from 1pm – 2pm CT

Tuesday, January 13

• Core Webinar: Beyond Your Department: Uniting Catalogers will be held from 1pm – 2pm CT
• Core Leaders Group, with members of the Core Leaders Group (Core Division Committee Chairs, Section Leaders, Board of Directors, Core Staff) will meet from 2pm – 3pm CT will meet from 2pm – 3pm CT

Wednesday, January 14

• Core/ALA Learning webinar “Getting Started with Book Mending” will be held from 1:30pm – 3:00pm CT

Thursday, January 15

• Core Fundraising and Scholarship Committee will meet from 3pm – 4pm CT

Friday, January 16

• Core Preservation Outreach Committee will meet from 11am – 12pm CT

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK

Monday, January 19 – ALA offices are closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

• Core Member Engagement Coordination Committee will meet from 10:30am – 11:00am CT

Tuesday, January 20

• Core/RUSA Webinar: From Goals to Impact: Library User Stories will be held from 1pm – 2pm CT

Wednesday, January 21

• Core Diversity and Inclusion Committee will meet from 1pm – 2pm CT

• Core Webinar: Leadership Skills Through Professional Service will be held from 1pm – 2pm CT

Thursday, January 22

• Core Collection Management in Public Libraries Interest Group will meet at 1pm CT

Friday, January 23

• Core Buildings for College and University Libraries Committee will meet from 10am – 11am CT
• Core Buildings & Operations Section’s Planning and Design Committee will meet from 11am – 12pm CT
• Core Emerging Tech Trends Committee will meet from 12pm – 1pm CT

 MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Submissions for the 2026 John Cotton Dana Award (JCD). are now open. The deadline to submit is March 13, 2026.
• Nominations for the Core Margaret Mann Citation sponsored by OCLC are now open. Nominations due by February 27, 2026. Please help us spread the word and encourage your colleagues to nominate someone that is deserving of this recognition.
• Nominations for the Core Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship in Library and Information Technology sponsored this year by the American Library Association are now open. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2026.
• Nominations for the American Library Association (ALA) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) are now open. Deadline to apply is April 6, 2026.
• This month’s #IamCore featured member is Masha Stepanova.
• The Core Continuing Education Coordination Committee is looking for new members. One of the many perks for serving on this committee is the ability to attend Core webinars at no cost. Interested? Contact Tom Ferren at tferren@ala.org.
• Core is pleased to announce the release of the 2026 Core Fundamentals Web Course Schedule. This series of related online courses covers basic topics that enhance skills in various areas of library work. Students have 4-6 weeks to complete the work on their own time.  Course instructors are available to lead the student through the course and answer questions.. 
• Present a webinar or moderate an e-Forum Discussion for Core! Send your e-forum discussion idea to core-eforum+help@groups.io. Complete the webinar proposal form to submit your webinar idea.

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

Check out these new titles which are available in the Core/ALA Store.

• The High-Impact Digital Library: Innovative Approaches for Outreach and Instruction. Digital library terminology like “accessible,” “discoverable,” and “searchable” usually presumes passive collections waiting to be found by motivated information seekers. Rarely do we envision collection managers initiating outreach with those most likely to benefit from the collections. 
• A Complete Guide to Creative Technology Spaces in Academic Libraries: Media Labs, Makerspaces, and More. Beyond the loaning of laptops and phone chargers, libraries are branching out into supporting patrons by providing spaces and services that encourage art, communication, and innovation. Perhaps you’ve been tasked with building such a space in your academic library. It might be a media studio, a virtual reality lab, or even a combination space that has a podcasting suite, equipment circulation, 3D printing, and a computer lab. Or maybe you’ve been doing this for a while; you know it’s time to expand, but you’re not quite sure which direction to take or what equipment you need.
•  Generative AI and Libraries: Claiming Our Place in the Center of a Shared Future. Addressing a topic of great concern with both urgency and clarity, this book offers a compelling vision for libraries to claim their central role as trusted stewards of knowledge and architects of a responsible and equitable AI-driven world.
• The Digital Accessibility Handbook for Libraries. Providing concrete guidance on integrating accessibility into all aspects of a library’s digital work, this book will serve as your one-stop guide to accessibility standards, processes, and best practices.

To have your committee meeting, Core event, or Core member opportunity listed in a future issue of This Week in Core (TWIC), contact the Core Office at core@ala.org a few weeks ahead of time and title your message “TWIC Post Request.”