Audio version

2 • COGNOTES 2015 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS ISSUE

Looking Forward to Seeing You in Boston Next January

I hope you enjoyed the energetic Annual Conference in beautiful San Francisco as much as I did, and came away with new ideas, strategies, and tools for helping our libraries stay future-focused. The number of inspiring events, sessions, programs, exhibit-floor activities, and networking opportunities seems to grow every year, and I was impressed by the many ideas and resources that we can readily implement when we return home. Thank you all for your hard work, creativity, and active participation.

A personal highlight for me was being inaugurated as the 2015-16 ALA President at the brunch event on Tuesday. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I hope to accomplish during my presidential year and to introduce “Libraries Transform,” a new, multi-year public awareness campaign (see video on page 5). The campaign's ultimate goal is to increase funding support for libraries and advance information policy issues in alignment with ALA's strategic advocacy goals. Our profession needs to share a consistent message about libraries today - that they are less about what they have for people, more about what they do for and with people. This campaign is designed to shift general perceptions of libraries from “obsolete” or “nice to have” to essential. You can find out more about the campaign and share your perspective about the ways in which libraries transform at www.librariestransform.org.

ALA's success is dependent upon your active engagement, so we are already looking forward to building on that engagement at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston. Keep an eye out for announcements about exciting speakers, authors, and thought leaders who will join us there. We will also offer 18 new format “deep dive” workshops in addition to the hundreds of discussions and sessions on timely topics, pre-Midwinter Institutes, exciting book award announcements, and exceptional networking opportunities. The Exhibit Floor will again be buzzing with events, authors, and more than 450 exhibitors showing off the latest technologies, titles, and more.

Save the date for the 2016 Midwinter Meeting, January 8 - 12, 2016, in Boston (note the earlier-than-usual dates!), and then for the Annual Conference June 23 - 28, 2016, in Orlando, where you will find a renovated, tight conference “campus,” plentiful new transportation options, and affordable room rates. Book early to be sure you get the discounted early-bird registration rates for both events. (Bundle registration opens September 9, Midwinter-only registration October 1, and Annual-only registration January 19).

I look forward to seeing you there, and, in the meantime, here's to our ongoing shared work in helping libraries transform.

ALA President Sari Feldman

Manzano Stresses Reading, Empathy, Understanding

By Kacee Anderson, Harmony Science Academy

Sonia Manzano, writer and Emmy Award-winning actress best known for her years on “Sesame Street,” wrapped up the Auditorium Speaker series June 29. Manzano opened her session with a montage of “Sesame Street” clips from throughout her 45 years with the show. “I really enjoyed writing about my life's issues as they happened to me on ‘Sesame Street.'” Sadly, Manzano's time with the show has come to an end, but she will undoubtedly continue to have a strong influence on young learners for years to come.

Manzano focused her discussion on her latest book Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx. Becoming Maria is a result of Manzano's examination of her journey to “Sesame Street.” It is the story of her life as a young Puerto Rican girl who was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. Her parents struggled with the system, with speaking English, and with each other. The struggle, or “la lucha,” was an everyday occurrence in her household. Due to this struggle and her father's violence, Manzano said, “I looked to television to find sanctuary, to find order, to find comfort.”

With true children's storyteller enthusiasm, Manzano read an excerpt from her memoir describing the time when her 4^th grade teacher took her to see West Side Story. “I could separate myself from the turmoil. There was more to life than this struggle.”

Manzano's success with the show helped her to understand her past and reach out to children in similar situations. “I didn't become Maria on “Sesame Street” in spite of my childhood, I became Maria on “Sesame Street” because of my childhood.” Maria was not just a fictitious character, as Manzano simply had to be herself. While portraying Maria, Manzano imagined a little girl in a destructive household watching her on television in the same way she watched characters on television as a child. “My character Maria has mirrored my experience. I think of it as the first reality show.”

One of Manzano's areas of focus in writing and acting on “Sesame Street” was to help children to reflect on other people's lives. Manzano stressed that, “Young people who grow up to be empathetic adults will create a more passionate world,” noting that the only frontier where that's possible is in books. Manzano referenced Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. We're afraid of showing kids a sad book, but that's a way of connecting with people in other situations. “Telling kids repeatedly to be nice is nothing, unless it's coupled with empathy.”

During the question-and-answer segment, Manzano praised librarians and teachers who are able to offer books to children for the simple pleasure of reading. In today's data-obsessed world, Manzano stated, “Reading books is the only time when right answers are not required.”