“She began crying and got very upset. She said, ‘I’m so sorry. They have autism. We don’t go to the library very much because I don’t feel welcome,’” says Rogers-Whitehead. And that was the beginning of the Salt Lake County (Utah) Library’s sensory storytime—a special program for children on the autism spectrum. Rather than exclude … Continue reading Storytime for the Spectrum
There is no one working in a library who wouldn’t benefit from continuous learning. At some institutions, only those in professional positions are granted time and money for professional development. This not only creates an uncomfortable divide between colleagues, it also suggests that only professionals really need to learn on the job. This couldn’t be … Continue reading A Learning Organization
The good news is that the Center for the Future of Libraries is providing guidance around the most challenging changes for library professionals. Trends such as the sharing economy and Big Data are worthy of discussion for libraries of all kinds. The sharing economy has given rise to unexpected collections: People are turning to their … Continue reading Libraries Transform
Podcasts are digital audio files delivered through the internet, like on-demand talk radio, usually downloaded or streamed through an app, such as iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play Music. Listeners can have new episodes delivered to them by subscribing to a show’s feed. Though mainstream culture is just now catching on to podcasts thanks to shows … Continue reading Hearing Voices: Librarian-Produced Podcasts
Digital humanities (DH) is the umbrella term that describes much of this work. It is neither a field, a discipline, nor a methodology. It is not simply the humanities done with computers, nor is it computer science performed on topics of interest to the humanities. DH is the result of a dynamic dialogue between emerging … Continue reading Special Report: Digital Humanities in Libraries
But ask someone to fill out a form, search a library database, or edit a term paper, and it quickly becomes clear that a phone is not a perfect replacement for all of a computer’s functions. According to a recent Pew Research Center study of smartphone use, for approximately one in five Americans, their mobile … Continue reading The New Digital Divide
The final audit for the 2015 fiscal year will be presented at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting in Boston. However, I would like to share with you now that preliminary results show a positive outcome for the Association. Overall, revenues generated by ALA and its divisions were 5% higher than expected, while expenses were slightly lower. … Continue reading Financially Healthy
Enter Christy Karpinski, who has since turned that internship into a permanent position as digital librarian and museum manager at Busy Beaver’s Button Museum, which now displays 9,000 pinback pieces of cultural history and ephemera. Karpinski’s background is in photography, but she has also made websites and organized digital collections of photos, which spurred an … Continue reading Bookend: Pushing Buttons
“A Body in Places” is a two-year series of dance and movement performances that includes “A Body in Fukushima,” in which Otake danced in the vacant areas surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, damaged during the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, and “A Body in a Station,” first performed at Philadelphia’s 30th … Continue reading Eiko Otake at Russell Library: “A Body in a Library”
1. Literary Candles ($11) Readers can bring their favorite books to life with Etsy artist Callie Meaney’s literary candles. Whether it be the scent of the ocean breeze at Jay Gatsby’s shoreline, the freshly laundered socks of Dobby the House Elf, or the blue spruce from the Narnia forest, From the Page soy candles bring … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide for Librarians and Book Lovers
Before the opening general session even began, hundreds of school librarians met at IdeaLab, a sort of digitally enhanced poster session, with tabletop video displays on topics from STEM and STEAM, national standards, Common Core, and more. Karen Nourse Reed and Jennifer “Megan” Carlton, of the James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University … Continue reading AASL Conference Opens with IdeaLab
David Gibson, a moving image technician, is LC’s videogame steward, and he earned the role by chance. “I was the youngest person in the office, so they gave me the job,” he says, laughing. He does credit gaming as a youth and while in graduate school with providing a background to archive the 4,000 videogame … Continue reading Bookend: Game On
