The Library. A Third Place.

The ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services published a short article titled "The Rise of Third Place and Open Access Amidst the Pandemic - Advocacy, Legislation & Issues".

In her article, Emma Wood emphasized the library as a third place. She noted that libraries across the country have stretched into virtual third places during the pandemic. Wood also explains the move to more Open Access (OA) resources and indicates that this shift provides for more equity especially for under-funded libraries.

The South Dakota State Library provides a variety of services to libraries across the state as they seek to enrich their communities and schools:

• open access to 58 subject-specific databases (accessible 24/7 to South Dakota residents)
• interlibrary loan support including SD Share-It
• statewide courier service
• Braille and Talking Book Library
• digitization
• summer reading programming
• training and professional development
• school library support
• public library support
• reference services

November is Native American Heritage Month

Flandreau Indian School Choir, South Dakota
image from blogs.loc.gov

November is Native American Heritage Month, and the federal government has many resources online and in print to help you learn more.

Visit https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ for exhibits, audio/video, images, and more.

The “For Teachers” section of this website https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/for-teachers/ highlights many resources shared by government agencies such as The Library of Congress, National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, and the Smithsonian Institution.

On November 11, 2020, the first national memorial dedicated solely to Native American veterans was unveiled at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/washington/nnavm

The United States Department of the Interior and Department of Justice publish many documents that can be found in collections of Federal Depository Libraries nationwide.

The SD State Library is a federal depository library and provides access to print and electronic federal government publications. Print publications are available via interlibrary loan. Electronic publications are linked from the state library online catalog.