November / December 2011
Features
Helping Warriors Unleash the Power of the Pen
By Amy Hartman and Holly BaumgartnerAchievement Unlocked
By Greg LandgrafGaming has gained a foothold in libraries, with good reason. It’s a popular service, and one that can offer...
Serving Players Through Selection
By Erik Bobilin and Nicole PagowskyPreserving Bits
By Greg LandgrafAs video games gain influence in our culture, the need to preserve them for future study gains importance as ...
Summer Reading Levels Up
By Greg LandgrafGrassroots Advocacy: Putting Yourself Out There
By Lauren Comito, Aliqae Geraci, and Christian ZabriskieLibrarians shouting about funding is fast becoming old news. We need to find new ways to take a stand against library...
Departments
Librarian's Library: Occupying Technology
By Karen MullerA few years ago an earnest-sounding college student called the ALA Library to gather information about librarianship as...
Rousing Reads: Hard-Boiled Mysteries and Soft-Boiled Poets
By Bill OttThe world needs more hard-boiled mysteries written by soft-boiled poets. This admittedly peculiar insight occurred to...
Executive Director's Message: Transforming Libraries, Transforming ALA
By Keith Michael FielsThe digital “revolution” has been a major topic of public attention and discussion among librarians this...
President's Message: Chapters, Affiliates Display Their Strength
By Molly RaphaelALA provides a strong, unified voice for our libraries. Much of the Association’s strength comes not just from...
Librarian's Library: New from ALA Editions
By Karen MullerWith all types of libraries suffering budget crises, a key skill is to know where—and how—available dollars...
Youth Matters: Reach Out through Outreach
By Abby JohnsonSome of the most important library work I do is outside the library’s walls. Outreach—traveling offsite to...
On My Mind: An Unplugged Space
By Amanda Wakaruk and Marc TruittThe physical library was once a place of refuge, an escape from distraction. But today, the constant need to connect...
Dispatches from the Field: A Guide to Ebook Purchasing
By Sue PolankaAnother Story: Readers Are Fundamental
By Joseph JanesI was all set to wax rhapsodic here about my iPad, how much I’m enjoying my new toy (and it is a toy, I know),...
In Practice: Information Literacy 2.0
By Meredith FarkasIdeas about information literacy have always adapted to changes in the information environment. The birth of the web...
Next Steps: Building a Competitive Advantage
By Brian MathewsWill's World: No More Kidding Around
By Will ManleyNews Stories
September/October 2011
Features
Talk to Teens—They’re Still Listening
By Elaine Meyers and Virginia A. WalterAbout a decade ago, libraries were talking to teens about what would make the public library a cooler place. The...
Main Street Public Library
By Wayne WiegandOne day in the mid-1990s Doug Zweizig and I were having lunch on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, where we...
Leading By Example: 2011 ALA Award Winners
The The individuals and libraries shown here have been singled out by their peers for their extraordinary achievements...
Leading By Example: Emerging Leaders
Newcomers to the profession are getting a boost toward leadership, thanks to ALA’s Emerging Leaders program....
Avoiding the Path to Obsolescence
By Steven Smith and Carmelita PickettBlockbuster was much in the news last fall, though not in the favorable light it once enjoyed. The cultural phenomenon...
Departments
Dispatches from the Field: Using Web Analytics Well
By Kate MarekAre your website visitors doing what you expect them to do or what you want them to do? Are they following the path you...
Rousing Reads: The Problem with Sports Novels
Bill OttMost sports novels, especially the kind that follow a team or an individual through a season of play, face a built-in...
In Practice: Open Source, Open Mind
Meredith FarkasI’ve been a big advocate of open source software since I learned about the model of software licensing and...
New from ALA Editions
By Karen MullerWith over 11 million articles and loans moving through the cooperative resource sharing processes of libraries each...
President's Message: The Big Easy Revisited
By Molly RaphaelReturning to New Orleans for the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference this year was both rewarding and...
Librarian's Library: Manage Best with Best Practices
By Karen MullerThis month we’re examining the library literature for tips on how to manage our libraries better. Improvements...
Next Steps: Broadcast Collaboration
by Brian Mathews“Remind me how to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull?” “What music should I play for a piece about polar...
Another Story: What’s Gone Is Gone
Joseph JanesI wasn’t intending to write a “9/11” column, really. The 10th-anniversary rumblings have already...
Will's World: Networking without Pity
Will ManleyI’m working on a new house project. It’s one of the most complicated projects that I’ve ever taken on...
News Stories
July/August 2011
Features
Step Easily into the Digital Future
By Kathy Anderson and Laurie GemmillLibraries know the future is digital, but how do we get there in these times of shrinking budgets and staffs? In a...
First Things First: First-Class Service for 1st Graders
By Becky Cothran-NicholsOn eight school-day mornings every September, school buses pull into the Selma–Dallas County (Ala.) Public...
The Case for Graphic Novels in Education
By Jesse KarpHow to Offer More than a Movie
By Alan JacobsonMany libraries don’t screen films. Many just “play and walk away.” Here’s how to make your...
How One Library Digitized Its Community’s Newspapers
By Allison QuamThe Winona Newspaper Project, an open, noncommercial digital archive, is providing access to a number of historic...
Libraries and the Future of Electronic Content Delivery
By Lisa Carlucci Thomas“Libraries are about content plus community,” says Michael Porter. “What does that mean in a world...
New Technologies, New Directions Emerge at ALA 2011
By Lisa Carlucci ThomasWho’s the Boss?
By Jamie E. Helgren and Linda HofschireDepartments
Rousing Reads: Surf’s Up
Bill OttI’ve never been on a surfboard, never even seen one up close, but after finally getting around to reading Don...
Editor's Letter: What You Told Us
By George M. Eberhart and Beverly GoldbergIn April, we conducted an online survey of our readers, in order to find out what American Libraries is doing right and...
Dispatches from the Field: Librarians’ Assessments of Automation Systems
By Marshall Breeding and Andromeda YeltonIn Practice: Tutorials That Matter
Over the past decade, a large number of academic libraries have created online learning objects for their patrons....
Next Steps: A Pioneer Evolves
by Brian MathewsAndrew Carnegie had a radical idea. In 1895 when he developed the public library complex in Pittsburgh, it included...
Youth Matters: My Midsummer Metamorphosis
By Jennifer Burek PierceSummer is an island. The trees around my house come into leaf, a bright and wafting curtain of green between me and the...
Newsmaker: Daniel Ellsberg
President's Message: Empowering Voices
By Molly RaphaelWe are living in extraordinary times. Throughout the library world, reductions in financial resources threaten our...
Librarian's Library: New from ALA Editions
by Karen MullerLibrarian's Library: Conquering the Digital Divide
By Karen Muller“The digital divide gets bridged in public libraries everywhere in America,” said Mary Dempsey, Chicago...
Executive Director's Message: E-books, Young Professionals, and Reinventing ALA
Keith Michael FielsALA’s Executive Board and governing Council spent much of their time during Annual Conference in New Orleans...
Will's World: Dead Trees We Have Known
by Will ManleyAnother Story: As They Like It
Joseph JanesOne of the best parts of my job, especially this time of year, is marveling at great achievements; how splendid it...
News Stories
May/June 2011
Features
Professional Growth through Learning Communities
By Paul Signorelli and Lori ReedWhen we library staff members are struggling to respond to incoming phone calls, email, text/instant messages, tweets,...
Fanbase to the Rescue: A Massachusetts Tale
By Eric T. PoulinWhile much has been written recently about using Facebook as a promotional tool for libraries and librarians, opinions...
Refresh Your View of E-rate
By Marijke VisserSuffering from the after-school network grinding-to-a-halt syndrome? Have a flat or declining budget with little state...
Keeping Our Message Simple
By James LaRueA couple of years ago, our library lost two elections in a row. I was so surprised (for reasons I’ll get to below...
Magical Meals
By Kathy CannataAfter Hurricane Katrina, some people wondered if New Orleans was worth rebuilding and said, “Sure the food is...
Facebook for Libraries
By David Lee KingToday, I spent part of the day connecting with people. I complained about a silly election video, chatted with a...
The Best in Library Branding
By Judith GibbonsThe John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award (JCD) turned 65 years old this year and celebrated this milestone...
Reading for Life: Oprah Winfrey
By Leonard Kniffel“I don’t believe in failure,” Oprah Winfrey has said, and when you talk about celebrities who...
Renewing Our Mission in New Orleans
By Pamela A. GoodesLibrarians, library support staff, vendors, and guests will once again bring their economic and muscle power to assist...
Keeping Library Digitization Legal
By Bobby GlushkoThe ability to digitize hard copies, the proliferation of born-digital content, and increased access to online...
Library Advocacy: One Message, One Voice
By Richard M. DoughertyWe are all too familiar with stories about reductions in library hours, library closures, staff layoffs, canceled...
Departments
Dispatches from the Field: WordPress as a Library CMS
By Kyle M. L. Jones and Polly-Alida FarringtonEngaging with library users on the web is no longer restricted to simply putting a static HTML file on a server and...
Librarian's Library: New from ALA
by Mary Ellen QuinnHowever much one learns while studying for that MSLS degree, some skills are learned on the job—perhaps with the...
Rousing Reads: The Ancient World
Bill OttEvery year, in late March and early April, I’m consumed with putting together Booklist’s annual Mystery...
Librarian's Library: Volumes of Vernacular
By Mary Ellen QuinnLibrarian's Library: The Road to New Librarianship
By Mary Ellen QuinnLibrarian's Library: A Compendium of Communication
By Mary Ellen QuinnYouth Matters: A Facility Forever Young
Jennifer Burek PierceWhat do young people want?
Executive Director's Message: The Digital Revolution and the Transformation of Libraries
by Keith Michael FielsTwo major topics dominated discussions during the ALA Executive Board Spring Meeting April 22–24 at the...
Next Steps: We Never Close
by Brian MathewsImagine that your library building is open 24/7 with no overnight staff or security gates. What if trusting patrons...
President's Message: Wrapping Up a Busy Year
By Roberta A. StevensFor my last message as ALA president, I’d like to update members and others on the initiatives that were kicked...
Will's World: My Professional Heroes
Will ManleyWhen I hear the term “movers and shakers,” I think of Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Sarah Palin, and Hillary...
In Practice: Too Much Information?
by Meredith FarkasI have many friends who use the mobile location-based networking site Foursquare to broadcast exactly where they are at...
On My Mind: Reviving the Spirit of Andrew Carnegie
By Mark HerringSurely, readers old enough to remember Andrew Carnegie may stare in wonderment at this title: Revive the spirit of...
Another Story: A Numbers Game: The Life of an E-book
By Joseph Janes26 is a peculiar number. Mathematically speaking, it’s not that interesting; the Penguin Dictionary of Curious...
News Stories
March/April 2011
Features
Library Design Showcase 2011
By Greg LandgrafWhile it’s the contents of the library, and the activities that take place there, that support a community in...
Building a Culture of Literacy through Día
By Jeanette LarsonMiami-Dade Partnerships Take Root
By Victoria GalanThis Old Library
By Peter GisolfiMaureen Sullivan
By Maureen SullivanVisit maureensullivan.org
Susan Stroyan
By Susan StroyanLeading from Libraries
Discovering the Nature Explorium
By Tracy Delgado-LaStella and Sandra FeinbergLibraries, which are always searching for new ways to connect with their communities, have offered reading gardens and...
Departments
Rousing Reads: Wallander’s Last Stand
By Bill OttReaders whose knowledge of Scandinavian crime fiction goes beyond Stieg Larsson know that it was Henning Mankell who...
In Practice: Let’s Not Borrow Trouble
By Meredith FarkasAt my library, I’m in charge of collection development for our largest academic division. Sometimes I find the...
Librarian's Library: New From ALA Editions
By Mary Ellen QuinnIn New on the Job (2006), Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg provided useful advice for school librarians just starting...
Librarian's Library: DIY Programming
By Mary Ellen QuinnBecause many libraries are staff-strapped as well as cash-strapped, do-it-yourself programming is a growing trend....
Librarian's Library: (Micro)blogging in the Library
By Mary Ellen QuinnMichael P. Sauers used his own experience as a blogger (at travelinlibrarian.info) to explain the technology an easy-to...
Librarian's Library: 21st-Century Public Libraries
By Mary Ellen QuinnThough not unique to the United States, the public library movement has flourished here, sprung from a late-19th-...
Dispatches from the Field: Libraries and Mobile Services
By Cody W. HansonMobile devices are ubiquitous in today’s society, and there’s no evidence that that is going to change....
President's Message: Transforming Libraries
By Roberta StevensNewsmaker: Christine Wigfall Morris and Barbara Sorey
Christine Wigfall Morris, affectionately known as Miss Chris, was hired by the City of Clearwater, Florida, in July...
On My Mind: Must We Abide?
By D. J. HoekNext Steps: The Little Library that Could
by Brian MathewsInspiring libraries are often the ones with big budgets. They have impressive buildings, enormous collections, and...
Youth Matters: Hope Springs Eternal
By Jennifer Burek PierceWill's World: Approachable You
By Will ManleyI am not a behavioral psychologist but it seems to me the most basic element of establishing a connection with someone...
Another Story: Lost and Found
By Joseph JanesAt dinner the other night with friends, we learned that their eldest daughter, a college sophomore, had had her...
Executive Director's Message: Engaging Members, Charting the Future of Midwinter
By Keith Michael FielsALA Executive Board meetings in San Diego focused on how to engage younger members, the ALA Membership Meeting, ...
News Stories
January/February 2011
Features
Get Ahead of Outsourcing
By John HuberHow will politicians and library leaders respond to the challenges of shrinking budgets, increased community...
Is the Association Ripe for Rebellion?
By Jim RettigDuring my 34 years as a member of ALA I have heard others—some members, some former members, some never a member—...
The Year in Review 2010
By American Libraries Editorial Staff1.
Info Pro: Adopting Tools from the World of Business Consulting
By Sarah Anne MurphyAs professionals serving increasingly business-savvy consumers, librarians must realize that we are, in fact,...
When There Is No Frigate But a Book
By Sara Zettervall“I am writing this letter to tell you that I am personally very, very satisfied with your services at the Adult...
Where to Eat at Midwinter
By Linda SalemEveryone needs to eat, and San Diego offers plenty of terrific options. Highlighted here are mostly restaurants in and...
Ted Danson, Neil Gaiman Headline Midwinter
Business meetings, celebrity authors—including Ted Danson, Kathy Reichs, Andre Dubus III, and Neil Gaiman—visits with...
When Small Is All
By Jane Pearlmutter and Paul NelsonIn 2007, the 9,214 public libraries in the United States served 97% of the total population, a figure that has remained...
Booking to the Future
By Jamie E. HelgrenIt’s no secret that librarians like books. For decades, those pages sandwiched between rectangles of cardboard have...
U.S. Poet Laureate W. S. Merwin Talks with Librarians
By Marcella VenezialeBefore assuming his post as U.S. Poet Laureate on October 25, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner W. S. Merwin met with a...
Departments
Newsmaker: Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Libraries
In what looks very much like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández...
Rousing Reads: 1946
By Bill OttThe war was over, soldiers were returning to civilian life, and governments were beginning to rebuild. Beneath the...
Librarian's Library: The Accidental Prison Librarian
By Mary Ellen QuinnJust a few years out of Harvard, Avi Steinberg left his job writing obituaries for the Boston Globe and applied for a...
In Practice: Keeping Up, 2.0 Style
Meredith FarkasWhen I first received my library degree, I religiously kept up with blogs and journals in my areas of professional...
President's Message: Outsourcing: Turning a Negative into a Positive
By Roberta A. StevensWill's World: Your Morning Metaphor
Will ManleyI have just entered the seventh decade of my journey through life and I have yet to encounter a true “morning person.”...
Librarian's Library: New from ALA
By Mary Ellen QuinnJust in time for the switch from AACR2 to the new RDA (Resource Description and Access) standard designed specifically...
Editor's Letter: An Exit Interview
By Leonard KniffelWhat better way to make sure you’re asked the right questions in your exit interview than to conduct it...
Executive Director's Message: A Remarkable Ending to a Tough Year
Keith Michael FielsGiven the tough economy and the fiscal crisis that has affected libraries of all types, it was no surprise that the...
Librarian's Library: Advisory Beyond Books
By Mary Ellen QuinnReaders’ advisory (RA) continues to grow in complexity and scope. It’s no longer just a question of connecting a patron...
Dispatches from the Field: Web-Scale Discovery
By Jason VaughanConnecting users with the information they seek is one of the central pillars of our profession. Web-scale discovery...
Next Steps: Forward Compared to What?
Brian MathewsAs a forward-looking library faces the future, one of the most vital steps it can take is to determine where it stands...
Another Story: No Relax: Sophisticated Search Operator Is a Metaphor of Modern Life
Joseph JanesI had a splendid time at the Internet Librarian conference last fall (and not just because I made it into a birthday-...
Youth Matters: Screening Your Reads
By Jennifer Burek-PierceIn the office to my left, a colleague works with two oversized monitors and a driving simulator attached to his...
On My Mind: Why Must a Card Be a Card?
By Jesse EphraimNews Stories
November / December 2010
Features
How to Be Prepared in Case Violence Strikes
By Beverly GoldbergThe library workplace is no more immune to violent incidents than any other venue, sad to say, and just as vulnerable...
Giving out Money: Helping Students Find Local Scholarships
By Barb ChaseHere’s the problem: How does Suzie Senior find out about the local Kiwanis scholarship? Or the one offered by the local...
Chicano Librarianship
By Elizabeth MartinezAugust 29, 2010, marked the 40th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles, and it brought back many...
Wait! You Can’t Retire Without Sharing That with Us
By Amy Hartman and Meg DelaneyAs libraries face the departure of staff with well-honed reference skills, years of experience in the community, and...
Gaming 2.0
By Sandy FarmerThe most exciting things have happened at the Houston Public Library’s Central Library since it reopened in May of 2008...
Departments
Youth Matters: A Feeling for Books
By Jennifer Burek PierceRousing Reads: I’ve Got a Horse Right Here
By Bill OttThere are two kinds of horse-racing stories. The most common are the sentimental ones (think National Velvet) in which...
Will's World: My Own Private Bookmobile
Wills WorldMy car, a Subaru Outback, doubles as a library. There are always a lot of books in there. I never go anywhere without a...
Librarian's Library: Premodern Information Overload
By Mary Ellen QuinnEditor's Letter: Less Ink, More Words
By Leonard KniffelAnother Story: Sunrise, Sunset
Joseph JanesThe good people of Sunrise, on the east coast of Florida, want you to know that they do exist, still, and have not been...
Dispatches from the Field: Bridging Intellectual Freedom and Technology
By Jason Griffey, Sarah Houghton-Jan, Eli Neiburger and the Office for Intellectual FreedomIn the November/December issue of Library Technology Reports, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Collaborated with...
Newsmaker: Harry Potter READs: Actor Daniel Radcliffe on Reading
“Anything that gets kids into reading is fantastic,” says Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, who recently posed for an...
Librarian's Library: The MLS Project
By Mary Ellen QuinnOn My Mind: The Unknown Cataloger
Michael GormanHardly a month goes by without a story in the newspapers or elsewhere in the media about a scholar who has “discovered...
In Practice: Read the Fine Print
Meredith FarkasThere probably isn’t a person alive who’s read the Terms of Service (TOS) of every technology or service they use....
President's Message: Some Good News Out There Too
By Roberta A. StevensOne of the best aspects of being ALA president is the opportunity to be a part of state chapter conferences...
Next Steps: The Stanford Innovation Juggernaut
Brian MathewsThe libraries at Stanford University have been a juggernaut of innovation over the last 20 years.
News Stories
October 2010
Features
Fit Libraries Are Future-Proof
By Steven J. BellThe year 2009 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, as well as the 150th anniversary of the...
Twenty Years of Assistive Technologies
By Barbara T. MatesOn July 26, 2010, thousands of people applauded the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities...
Our Authors, Our Advocates
The American Library Association got a brand-new president June 29, when Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress...
Departments
Youth Matters: Hearts and Minds in Play
By Jennifer Burek PierceWhat makes younger library users, past or present, so interesting to researchers?
Librarian's Library: Digitization for the Rest of Us
By Mary Ellen QuinnMETRO (Metropolitan New York Library Council) has gathered 30 case studies for Digitization in the Real World:...
Editor's Letter: Banning and Burning
By Leonard KniffelI have never been prouder to be a part of this profession than I was on September 11 this year, standing shoulder-to-...
Will's World: The Conservatives Among Us
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that politically the library profession is quite liberal. There may be a lot...
Another Story: As the Web Fades Away
By Joseph JanesGrowing up, my athletic prowess was legendary. Strong, graceful, fleet of foot, gifted in multiple sporting endeavors,...
With a Little Help from Our Friends
By Roberta StevensFollowing my return in August from the 76th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions General...
In Practice: Nurturing Innovation
I’ve spoken to library staff from libraries all over North America and have heard countless stories about innovative...
Librarian's Library: Outside In
By Mary Ellen QuinnNews Stories
September 2010
Features
Dynamic Doers
Welcome to a showcase of the dynamic doers—a snapshot of those who have dedicated themselves to the profession,...
Winning Grants: A Game Plan
By Herbert LandauGrant seeking is a marketing process. Simply stated, you define your library’s need and sell it to one who can fund...
Dollar General Invests in the American Dream
By Leonard KniffelThrough community partnerships, Wauconda (Ill.) Area Public Library developed Spanish- and English-language brochures,...
Early Literacy: A Sustainable Statewide Approach
By Bonnie McCunePublic libraries have maintained that they are significant in boosting children’s literacy since the first children’s...
When Crisis Calls
By Matthew J. BoylanI recently answered a call on ASK NYPL, the New York Public Library’s telephonic and electronic reference line,...
Reaching Undergrads: Recruitment via Internship
By Sara D. SmithWhen Noelle Rader, a junior at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, applied for a student job in the library’...
Departments
Will's World: Why Librarianship Endures
Will ManleyOnce when I was working the reference desk, a seemingly normal community college student (no exposed underwear, ...
Librarian's Library: New from ALA: September 2010
By Mary Ellen QuinnRousing Reads: Happy Birthday, Dutch
By Bill OttElmore Leonard’s friends call him Dutch. Many of his fans do, too, and while using a nickname presumes a degree of...
Librarian's Library: Regional Reading Places
By Mary Ellen QuinnDispatches from the Field: Measuring E-Resource Use: Standards and Practice for Counting Remote Users
By Rachel A. Fleming-May and Jill E. GroggOver the years, librarians and researchers have studied the usage of books, journals, meeting rooms, photocopiers,...
Newsmaker: Charles Ogletree on Race, Reading, and the Presumption of Guilt
Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School professor and founder of Harvard Law’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race...
In Practice: Your Reality, Augmented
Meredith FarkasLast time, I discussed QR codes and how they can link you to content that provides further information about an object...
Next Steps: The Customer's Always Right
Brian MathewsWe strive to provide great customer service, yet few of us actually use the “C” word. We have many names—patron,...
President's Message: In Their Own Words
By Roberta A. StevensLibrarian's Library: The First First Library
By Mary Ellen QuinnOn My Mind: A Bookworm By Any Other Name
Jason Smalley“So what do you do for a living?” she asked, pushing her comb through my dampened hair. It was an innocent question...
Youth Matters: It's Not Monkey Business
Jennifer Burek PierceIf by vocation or avocation you’ve come to cherish children’s literature, you’ve no doubt encountered some skepticism...
Another Story: Who’s in Charge Here?
By Joseph JanesLady Gaga is totally playing us. I mean, “Alejandro,” a song that even ABBA couldn’t get past the semifinals of the...
News Stories
August 2010
Features
Information Commons Reduces Energy Consumption
By Ted StrandConventional wisdom would tell you building an all-glass library on the shore of Chicago’s Lake Michigan is probably...
Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading
Librarians and their supporters spoke loudly and clearly about the value of libraries during the American Library...
Up, Up, and Away: A Bird’s-Eye View of Mission Marketing
By Donald H. Dyal and Kaley DanielEarly in July 1982, Larry Walters tied more than 40 weather balloons to his lawn chair and rose 16,000 feet above the...
Raising A Reader Gets Children Started Early
By Alicia SantamariaThe child-care room buzzes with activity at the end of the school year. Children laugh and parents chat about their...
Books and Literacy in the Digital Age
By Ralph RaabI’d like to admit something to you upfront: I love books. I don’t mean the "isn’t-the-new-...
Party On! at Your Book Discussions
By Alan JacobsonAn avid colleague once told me that facilitating a book discussion is the most fun we can have at work. She was right....
Departments
Editor's Letter: Unnecessary Choices
By Leonard KniffelMembers of the American Library Association have been talking a lot about books these days, the future of the book as a...
Will's World: Surveying My Sex Appeal
The following story is a cautionary tale for all of those people who say that the internet has replaced the reference...
In Practice: Guided by Barcodes
Whenever I’ve created an instructional handout for students, I’ve struggled with what to include. For everything that...
On My Mind: Signage: Better None Than Bad
Leah L. WhiteA quick search of the photo website Flickr for the keywords “library signage” can produce interesting results. You will...
Youth Matters: What Came Home from D.C.
By Jennifer Burek PierceThe last thing I did before checking my suitcase at Washington National Airport was to tuck the pink steno pad in...
President's Message: Advancing Advocacy
By Roberta A. StevensNews Stories
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