Author Archive: Carrie Smith

Carvey uses CNC technology to mill wood, plastic, circuit boards, and other materials.

Make It 3D

By Carrie Smith | July 18, 2018

Carvey When Inventables launched Carvey in 2015, it was one of the first fully enclosed desktop computer numerical control (CNC) carvers, solving a problem many other subtractive manufacturing machines posed: They were large, noisy, and produced a lot of dust. Billed as a “3D carver,” Carvey works within many of the same design principles of … Continue reading Make It 3D →

“I Can’t See Not Giving Me to You”

By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2018

Danley is a national and international slam poetry champion, the Maryland Library Association’s 2018 Poet of the Year, and a Kennedy Center master teaching artist. She closed the Auditorium Speaker Series on Monday, June 25 at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibits in New Orleans with a warm and sometimes humorous performance addressing powerful … Continue reading “I Can’t See Not Giving Me to You” →

2018’s Top Tech Trends

By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2018

Independent technology consultant Marshall Breeding moderated the discussion, which focused on upcoming technological shifts such as: Quantum Computing Jason Bengtson, assistant director of library IT services at Kansas State University Libraries, kicked things off by explaining quantum computing. While traditional, digital computers use bits (which store a 1 or 0), a quantum computer uses qubits, … Continue reading 2018’s Top Tech Trends →

Spatial Humanities in Libraries

By Carrie Smith | June 25, 2018

Weimer was joined by two other panelists to provide an introduction to spatial humanities and its potential as an aspect of library instruction and its role in student research at “Understanding and Using Spatial Humanities: Digital Mapping at the Forefront of Scholarly Research,” moderated by Leslie Wagner, chair of the Map and Geospatial Information Round Table, … Continue reading Spatial Humanities in Libraries →

Should We Be Cynical or Skeptical?

By Carrie Smith | June 25, 2018

For Alicia Kubas, government publications and regional depository librarian at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, it was the government shutdown in 2013—her first year as a government documents librarian—that made it clear how access to government information can be an issue for citizens, and a cause of cynicism. The content of many government websites … Continue reading Should We Be Cynical or Skeptical? →

Mobile phone with Demco DiscoverMobile app.

Reaching Patrons on the Go

By Carrie Smith | June 1, 2018

DiscoverMobile by Demco The recently launched DiscoverMobile app connects communities to everything their libraries have to offer. The app is available to all types of libraries and is designed to run on both Android and iOS devices. The app is hosted and maintained by Demco—libraries manage only their own content and branding. Libraries can add … Continue reading Reaching Patrons on the Go →

Students assemble the Ultimate Shootout game from the littleBits Code Kit.

Coding for Fun

By Carrie Smith | May 1, 2018

littleBits Code Kit Little Bits has been used in classrooms and makerspaces for years as a platform for building and experimenting with electronics. The Code Kit, released in summer 2017, is its first education-oriented kit to incorporate simple coding into projects. The kit introduces an LED matrix and a “codeBit” to the littleBits collection of … Continue reading Coding for Fun →

Embracing Diverse Narratives

By Carrie Smith | March 1, 2018

Living Language for Libraries Living Language for Libraries, from Books on Tape, provides access to online courses for more than 20 languages, teaching grammar, vocabulary, and culture from beginner to advanced levels. Courses include traditional tools such as flashcards and audio recordings as well as games designed by native speakers and other learning tools that … Continue reading Embracing Diverse Narratives →

One mile above sea level marker on the Colorado State Capitol Steps.

By the Numbers: Get to Know Denver

By Carrie Smith | January 2, 2018

5,280 Denver’s elevation (in feet) above sea level gives the city its “Mile High” nickname. Over the years, three different steps outside the gold-adorned Colorado State Capitol building have been marked as the official mile-high point. 150 Number of archival collections of personal and professional items from African Americans in the West available in the … Continue reading By the Numbers: Get to Know Denver →

Small Business Support

By Carrie Smith | January 2, 2018

SimplyAnalytics After 10 years of providing geographic analytics, SimplyMap relaunched as SimplyAnalytics in mid-2017, with expanded and refined mapping and analytics tools. Researchers can create thematic maps and reports using more than 100,000 data variables. The standard data package includes more than 3,000 variables, including demographics, retail sales, employment, and ancestry. Premium data packages include … Continue reading Small Business Support →

ALA Members to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications

By Carrie Smith | December 28, 2017

ALA members will decide on a resolution—to be included in the 2018 general election ballot, opening March 12 and closing April 4—determining whether the Association’s executive director should be required to hold an ALA-accredited master’s degree or a Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)–accredited master’s degree with a specialty in school library media. … Continue reading ALA Members to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications →

Pedal Power

By Carrie Smith | September 1, 2017

Haley Tricycles Book Bikes Haley Tricycles has been building book bikes for libraries and literacy organizations since 2008, when the company designed the bike for Gabriel Levinson’s Chicago Book Bike project, arguably the first modern book bike. The Haley Book Bike is based on a display bike format: It has two fold-out side tables with … Continue reading Pedal Power →

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Shatha Baydoun writes: “There are a few occasions in one’s career that are groundbreaking. Being selected to represent Wayne State University as a Student-to-Staff at the 2018 ALA Annual Conference was such an occasion for me. Between June 21–26, I attended my first conference as an LIS student at New Orleans. I was assigned to the International Relations Office. The choice was serendipitous since I am of Lebanese descent with roots in Sierra Leone and living in Dearborn, Michigan.”

ALA Membership blog, July 20
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Casey Stepaniuk writes: “Looking for Muslim romance novels? You’ve come to the right place! Here are 10 of the best Muslim romance novels in which one or more of the main characters identifies as Muslim. I have, however, erred on the side of highlighting books that are also by Muslim authors. I’ve also tried to choose books with a range of characters from diverse ethnic and national backgrounds. Some are contemporary, some are YA, and one is historical.”

Book Riot, July 19
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Beth Cramer and John Boyd write: “After working for 26 years as academic librarians, we have reached a point in our careers where we are right-sizing professionally and personally. This year, Appalachian State University granted us a nine-month contract, enabling us to pursue our dream of cycling across the US from Washington, D.C., to Astoria, Oregon. Along the way, we are visiting public libraries, taking photos, and making notes about library services and programming, in particular services available to bicycle tourists and other non-residents.”

OUPblog, July 19
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Chris Hoffman writes: “Losing your hardware is bad enough, but what happens to your personal data? Could a thief with your phone, tablet, or laptop access your apps and files? It depends on the device you lost—unfortunately, most Windows PCs aren’t encrypted. Thieves can always erase your device and keep using it—unless you enable something like Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad—but they can’t get at your personal data if your device’s storage is encrypted.”

How-To Geek, July 20
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Viola Davis has accrued some serious hardware—an Emmy, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, and two Tonys—for her roles in film, television, and theater. Now the actor is taking on children’s literature. American Libraries caught up with Davis to talk about libraries, storytelling, and her forthcoming book, Corduroy Takes a Bow (Viking Books for Young Readers, September), before her Closing Session appearance at the 2018 Annual Conference in New Orleans on June 26.

American Libraries Trend, July/Aug.
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Jamie Katuna writes: “Healthy. What a word. A trillion different opinions, guidelines, historical changes, and bits of data crammed into seven letters. A word we toss around like a hot potato, assigning to it whichever meaning is most convenient or profitable. A word that has become, essentially, meaningless. Need convincing? This headline was published in Healthline. How are they categorizing ‘super healthy?’ Doesn’t matter, just know that these 50 foods are. What can we do? Perk up with skepticism when someone claims something to be healthy.”

KevinMD.com, July 20
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Alex Shashkevich writes: “When historian Rowan Dorin first stepped onto the Stanford campus in early 2017, he made it a habit to visit Green Library every week to dig through its collection of medieval documents and objects. After a few months, Dorin, an assistant professor of history specializing in medieval Europe, discovered something out of the ordinary. Three leaves of ancient parchment were labeled as a Hebrew translation of text about grammar, but its margins had Latin words like fish, capers, and dill.”

Phys.org, July 20

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