design-concordia3

August 14, 2018 750 × 500 2018 Library Design Showcase

Higher Learning

R. Howard Webster Library, Concordia University Library, Montreal

The renovated R. Howard Webster Library is an immersive visual and auditory experience. Audio clips greet patrons as they enter the library, and green walls filled with plants create natural clean air. The library features 22 types of study areas, including silent reading rooms, zero-noise rooms, presentation practice rooms, and a technology section with 3D printing and virtual reality capabilities.

Project: Renovation and expansion
Architect: Menkes Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes
Size: 135,670 square feet
Cost: $37 million Canadian
Photo: Adrien Williams/Concordia Library

Latest Library Links

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Hanaa’ Tameez writes: “When news sites shut down, those sites’ owners often don’t prioritize the preservation of the content. MTV pulled down MTV News in June. After Deadspin was sold, many of its archives temporarily disappeared. In 2021, the authors of a Reynolds Journalism Institute report found that just seven out of 24 newsrooms they interviewed were fully preserving their news content. Readers aren’t the only ones who lose out—there are all kinds of personal and professional challenges for journalists, too. They’re left to archive their work on their own.”

NiemanLab, July 31; Variety, June 24; Wired, May 15; Reynolds Journalism Institute, Apr. 19, 2021
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Michelle Kraft writes: “I have been a librarian for over 25 years. As someone who has been in a leadership position for a few of those years, one of the areas that concerns me are the challenges regarding educating and training the new generation of medical librarians. Students are graduating from programs with few skills or knowledge that would be considered applicable for even entry level positions. I have interviewed new graduates for medical librarian positions who have never heard of some of the largest most heavily used resources in the medical library world.”

Krafty Librarian, July 30
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Raina Tuakoi writes: “As a children’s librarian, I am asked a variety of questions. Most are eagerly looking for the next book in a popular series or in need of the Dewey Decimal call number for their research project. And then there are a few that need a little more time and care. Books can be an essential tool when addressing significant life events and they can help little children understand their big emotions when they experience grief upon the loss of a loved one.”

ALSC Blog, July 31
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Ella Creamer writes: “A fundraising campaign has raised [more than £190,000 (US $207,000)] to help repair a Liverpool (England) library and community hub that suffered severe fire damage after being targeted by anti-immigration rioters on August 3.” Spellow Hub Library is located near a mosque where right-wing groups gathered and clashed with police. The riot was one of many in England prompted by false online claims that the suspect in the July 29 killing of three young girls in the town of Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker. The fundraising campaign was created by local manicurist Alex McCormick.

The Guardian, Aug. 6; Liverpool Echo, Aug. 3
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Steve Tetreault writes: “I am an Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education skeptic. I think there are ethical, legal, and environmental issues with the use of AI that need clarification, at the least, before schools start promoting the use of AI. I realize folks will say, ‘It’s already out there, so we have to prepare students for how to use it.’ But there’s a lot of stuff we don’t take school time to prepare students for.” Relevant to Tetreault’s concerns, Aaron Tay discusses ways that large language models are using library content.

Knowledge Quest, Aug. 1; Musings about Librarianship, Aug. 2
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Lisa Campbell and Brittany Kester write: “In April, the Department of Justice updated its regulations to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The update ensures web content will be accessible for people with disabilities in libraries. Under this rule, all local and state governments will need to meet international accessibility standards for online services and online electronic documents (WCAG 2.1 level AA) by 2026. While this may be a lengthy but necessary undertaking for many libraries, there are several easy things you can start doing now to ensure your web content is accessible.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Aug. 5
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Samantha LaFrance writes: “A new spate of state laws and policies is giving lie to the idea that banning books is about families making decisions for their own children. In Utah, Tennessee, Idaho, and South Carolina, state lawmakers have moved away from so-called “parental rights”—and into government-mandated book bans. In Utah, for example, House Bill 29 will require all schools in the state to remove a book that is deemed to be ‘objective sensitive material’ by just a few school districts in the state. [The Utah State Board of Education ordered 13 books removed from public schools in the state August 2.] In effect, the law will make the objections of just a handful of parents the law of the land.”

PEN America, July 29, July 18; New York Times, July 29; Salt Lake (Utah) Tribune, August 2.

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