Digital Strategies for Librarians

Librarian's Library by Anna Gooding-Call

A librarian’s library should evolve along with the tools of our trade. The following books will help you stay current on digital trends that affect all aspects of the profession.

Your Technology Outreach Adventure: Tools for Human-Centered Problem Solving
By Erin Berman
This title will guide professionals in exploring computer-focused library programming. While it provides good examples of tech programs that benefit from outreach, the bulk of the book deals with group planning and design. These are often applicable to any program series or project where planning happens in committee. Conference planners and professionals staging library-wide events may find its insights particularly useful. In addition to well-outlined brainstorming strategies, Berman details methods for transforming plans into effective programs while maintaining a spirit of cooperation among organizers. ALA Editions, 2019. 208 p. $54.99. PBK. 978-0-8389-1778-7. (Also available as an ebook.)

Information Literacy and Libraries in the Age of Fake News
By Denise E. Agosto, editor
This collection of essays does an outstanding job presenting multiple philosophies, strategies, and viewpoints on the problem of digital disinformation. Unlike the titular fake news, these short pieces are uniformly researched, well sourced, and invested with extensive bibliographies. Several stand in stark contrast to their subject as pieces that argue a point well without skirting facts. Topics range from strategies to help patrons develop critical-thinking skills to the history of yellow journalism. The bibliographies for each essay contain a wealth of further reading and possible foundations for thesis and research papers. Libraries Unlimited, 2018. 184 p. $65. PBK. 978- 1-4408-6418-6. (Also available as an ebook.)

Power Searching the Internet: The Librarian’s Quick Guide
By Nicole Hennig
Centered firmly on the practical, Power Searching compresses valuable information into a slim volume on the use of popular platforms like Twitter and especially Google as search resources. A particularly good resource for librarians who educate patrons about search habits, it reveals new sides to services that many people already know about. Its weakness is that it’s a physical book in a digital world. Some of its advice, such as that about Google+, is already out of date. Even so, its pointers are professionally valuable, clearly conveyed, and worth its price. Libraries Unlimited, 2018. 103 p. $35. PBK. 978-1-4408-6697-5. (Also available as an ebook.)

New Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know: A LITA Guide
By Kenneth J. Varnum
Varnum’s 2014 Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know gets a follow-up in this collection of essays about emerging technologies. While professionals comfortable with the “internet of things” and HTML5 will feel right at home, the book is a worthwhile look into the near future. It is solutions-oriented and positive when it addresses problems like privacy and link rot. Each well-cited essay includes a bibliography, and a thorough index completes the entire work. Like its predecessor, this book is likely to be relevant for about five years, during which time it will be extremely useful. Highly recommended. ALA Editions, 2019. 304 p. $70. PBK. 978-0-8389-1782-4. (Also available as an ebook.)

Power Up Your Read-Alouds: Building Reading Excitement through Technology
By Andrea Paganelli
It’s safe to say that many librarians still aren’t completely aware of transmedia, the digitally integrated storytelling strategy that makes books and storytimes interactive. This book represents a valuable self-education opportunity for any programming librarian, regardless of specialty. It even provides sample program-ready storytime plans. Despite its tech focus, much of this book’s advice for tailoring storytimes to specific audiences could apply to a traditional, nondigital storytime. All in all, a strong choice for a brand-new children’s librarian or LIS student. Libraries Unlimited, 2019. 150 p. $45. PBK. 978-1-4408-6520-6. (Also available as an ebook.)

Tech-Savvy Reading Promotion: A Toolbox for Librarians and Other Educators
By Nancy J. Keane
Stuffed with helpful advice on online tools, this title focuses on empowering librarians to locate and create digital media. The plethora of (mostly free or freemium) resources encompasses every format from infographics to virtual reality. Bulleted sublists help break down usage instructions into comprehensible chunks. Divided by category, the book explains each media type’s definition and potential usage. However, handholding is minimal; it’s meant for librarians who are already social-media aware. Any title about web pages is vulnerable to link death, and this one is no exception. For now, enjoy this indispensable work, and look for future updates. Libraries Unlimited, 2019. 166 p. $50. PBK. 978-1-4408-6850-4. (Also available as an ebook.)

Latest Library Links

15h

Michael Kan writes: “Are you still using ‘chocolate,’ ‘naruto,’ or ‘monkey’ for your passwords? You really need to stop. All three are among the most commonly used passwords, putting your accounts at risk of hacking, according to new data from NordPass. The password manager’s sixth annual list of the top 200 most commonly used passwords is pulled from a 2.5TB dataset of stolen logins taken from various sources.” ZDNet offers tips for creating stronger passwords and improved security measures.

PC Mag, Nov. 14; NordPass, Nov. 13; ZDNet, Nov. 14
20h

John Sharp writes: “Athens and Fairhope are two fast-growing cities in the fastest-growing areas of Alabama, and there is no mistaking their conservative bona fides. But according to early statistics about library card applications, their libraries appear to be bucking a trend embraced by conservative-leaning groups and the Alabama GOP: Their patrons appear to be trusting the libraries. More than 60% of parents at Fairhope Public Library and Athens-Limestone County Public Library have signed off on all-access passes for their children with no restrictions on library usage.”

AL.com, Nov. 17
2d

Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
2d

Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
3d

John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
3d

Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
4d

Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13