Author Archive: Laurie D. Borman

Colleen Lyon, head of scholarly communications at University of Texas at Austin.

Wading the Muddy Waters: Educating on Copyright and Digital Archives

By Laurie D. Borman | October 22, 2019

In this five-part series, American Libraries presents case studies and interviews with thought leaders looking at research trends in academic libraries. We’ll be covering trends on the topics of social justice, information literacy, digital archives, faculty outreach, and new technology. This is our third story in the series. Even with all that traffic, Lyon still gets … Continue reading Wading the Muddy Waters: Educating on Copyright and Digital Archives →

Librarians Bridge the Gap: Accessing Public Health Information

By Laurie D. Borman | September 17, 2019

In this five-part series, American Libraries presents case studies and interviews with thought leaders looking at research trends in academic libraries. We’ll be covering trends on the topics of social justice, information literacy, digital archives, faculty outreach, and new technology. This is our second story in the series. “Whether it’s helping to work with a question, … Continue reading Librarians Bridge the Gap: Accessing Public Health Information →

Digging through Boxes, Delving into Databases

By Laurie D. Borman | August 6, 2019

In this five-part series, American Libraries presents case studies and interviews with thought leaders looking at research trends in academic libraries. We’ll be covering trends on the topics of social justice, information literacy, digital archives, faculty outreach, and new technology. We’ll also explore how librarians build and grow relationships within the academic community. Our first … Continue reading Digging through Boxes, Delving into Databases →

The 11 cascading levels of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Visiting Egypt’s Libraries

By Laurie D. Borman | September 19, 2017

The new Biblioteca Alexandrina The Bibliotheca Alexandrina complex comprises not just a library building but also a planetarium and conference center. A large fence with guard stations about every 25 meters runs along the corniche. This was once where you could enter the grounds, but due to security precautions prompted by political turmoil, the entrance … Continue reading Visiting Egypt’s Libraries →

An Interview with Retiring ALA Executive Director Fiels

By Laurie D. Borman | July 28, 2017

What plans do you have for retirement? My game plan is to get a studio and do some painting. I have put this aside for many years—maybe since grad school. Lately I’ve been doing a little bit of work in en plein air oils. I like to have an easel in the back of my car and … Continue reading An Interview with Retiring ALA Executive Director Fiels →

A screenshot from a presentation by Daniel Ayala, director of global information security at ProQuest, at the 2017 Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta.

Cybersecurity and Privacy in 2017

By Laurie D. Borman | January 22, 2017

The use of ransomware by hackers on public computers has increased dramatically in the past two to three years, and libraries need to be diligent about security practices, said Daniel Ayala, director of global information security at ProQuest. Ayala provided tips and information during his talk on cybersecurity at Midwinter on Saturday. “We need to think of … Continue reading Cybersecurity and Privacy in 2017 →

ALA Council poses for a historic group shot. Photo by Cognotes

Council III Addresses Equity for School Libraries

By Laurie D. Borman | June 28, 2016

Chair of Committee on Legislation (COL) Ann Dutton Ewbank gave her report and requested that the Deaf Culture Digital Library resolution (CD #46_62516) be deferred to Midwinter 2017 so that appropriate research can be conducted. The motion passed. The COL also presented four additional resolutions, which all passed. They included: A resolution (CD #20.4) to … Continue reading Council III Addresses Equity for School Libraries →

Negotiation graphic from LLAMA President's Program

Lessons from Getting to Yes with Yourself

By Laurie D. Borman | June 25, 2016

When William Ury, cofounder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and the author of eight books about negotiating including the classic Getting to Yes, asks his audience which is tougher—negotiating with external audiences or internal ones like colleagues or family members—the answer is resounding: internal conflicts. Speaking at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando for the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) President’s Program, Ury has the advantage. He knows we know the enemy and the enemy is us.

Disseminating the World’s Largest Genocide Testimony Archive

By Laurie D. Borman | June 25, 2016

In seeking the partnership, the Shoah Foundation wanted to expand access of the testimonies from survivors, rescuers, political prisoners, and other witnesses from the Holocaust, the 1915 Armenian Genocide, the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. It was also looking to increase citations. With 112,000 hours of video that average two hours and … Continue reading Disseminating the World’s Largest Genocide Testimony Archive →

11 Questions with Christopher Murphy

By Laurie D. Borman | June 22, 2016

Murphy has nearly 30 years’ experience in editorial, production, and marketing positions at nonprofit organizations, most recently with the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), where he was senior director of publications and communications. He has a B.A. from Loyola University in Baltimore and a master’s from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Before packing his bags for Orlando, Murphy … Continue reading 11 Questions with Christopher Murphy →

Talia Sherer, director of library marketing at Macmillan (left), and Wendy Bartlett of Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library present at BEA.

Librarians Meet at BookExpo America

By Laurie D. Borman | May 13, 2016

Rawlinson spoke as part of a book publisher marketing panel, one of a series of programs sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) called Libraries Transform: ALA@BEA that highlighted the role of libraries in the publishing business. The panel, “Publisher Marketing Teams Helping You Help Readers,” described the many ways that librarians can access publishers … Continue reading Librarians Meet at BookExpo America →

Libraries Transform: ALA@BEA in Chicago

By Laurie D. Borman | May 10, 2016

At McCormick Place Convention Center, Libraries Transform: ALA@BEA will focus on library transformation and what libraries do for and with people. The discussions on May 12 will showcase the strong role of libraries in the publishing business: “Embrace the Innovative Future of Readers’ Advisory” at 9 a.m. tracks the latest trends in readers’ advisory and will … Continue reading Libraries Transform: ALA@BEA in Chicago →

Latest Library Links

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Genevieve Trainor writes: “The Guinness World Record holder for Most Prolific Book Thief is Ottumwa (Iowa’s) Stephen Blumberg. The 23,600 volumes he accumulated between the 1970s and his arrest in March of 1990 were all stashed in his 17-room home. Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, got involved with Blumberg as part of the FBI’s efforts to return the stolen manuscripts and rare books to their museums and libraries. Referred to as the Omaha Project, the information science proving ground involved four weeks, 44 catalogers and reference librarians and 600 volunteer hours to determine who might be the rightful owners.”

Little Village (Dubuque, Iowa), Dec. 4
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Casey Newton writes: “At the moment, no one knows for sure whether the large language models that are now under development will achieve superintelligence and transform the world. And in that uncertainty, two primary camps of criticism have emerged. The first camp, which I associate with the external critics, holds that artificial intelligence (AI) is fake and sucks. The second camp, which I associate more with the internal critics, believes that AI is real and dangerous. Today I want to lay out why I believe AI is real and dangerous.”

Platformer, Dec. 5
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Latia Ward writes: “One way to keep current with what students think of the library and its services is through Student Library Advisory Committee meetings. These meetings are a way to gather feedback and reinforce the library as a welcoming place. How do librarians create a welcoming environment within Student Library Advisory Committee meetings? Librarians create a welcoming environment through community, purpose, and dedicated space.” Also see part 1 of this blog post.

RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Nov. 13, Dec. 5
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Eleanor Hecks writes: “Few things are as frustrating to a user as when a site won’t respond. Unfortunately, it’s also an all-too-common scenario. Graceful degradation is a design approach that ensures the basics of a website will still function even if specific individual parts of it stop working. The approach removes single points of failure: just because one thing stops working doesn’t mean the system as a whole fails. A site following this principle fails in pieces instead of all at once, so the most important features remain available when some components encounter an error.”

Smashing Magazine, Dec. 6
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Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey and Lexi Lepof write: “On December 3, Knox County (Tenn.) schools received a list from the district of books to be removed from school libraries under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Knox County’s board of education voted in July, passing a policy to remove ‘explicit’ books from everyday student access in response to the new law. Some of the books on the list of nearly 50 titles might surprise parents. Among those to be removed are Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.”

WVLT-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dec. 4
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Joe Foley writes: “Copyright rules vary from country to country and have changed over time. In the US, works created between 1929 and 1963 that gave notice and renewed copyright have 95 years from their first publication date. That means that on January 1, 2025, a host of works from 1929 will enter the public domain. This means that copyright will expire on Buck Rogers, Captain Easy, Horace Horsecollar, Tintin, Hal Foster’s first Tarzan comic strips and, yes, Popeye.” Other notable works entering public domain in the United States include the Marx Brothers’ first film, The Cocoanuts, contralto Marian Anderson’s first record, and Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

Creative Bloq, Dec. 7; Everybody’s Libraries, Dec. 3, Dec. 7; Public Domain Review, Dec. 10
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Brittany Adams writes: “The digital landscape of libraries is expanding rapidly, with an increasing shift towards electronic resources and online services. As members of the library community, we’re witnessing a transformative era where physical collections are complemented—and sometimes replaced—by digital ones. This transition offers new opportunities for enhancing accessibility and engagement, but it also presents challenges, especially for young patrons and their families. It is essential to equip children and their caregivers with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving space confidently.”

ALSC Blog, Dec. 9

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