Page 841 – American Libraries Magazine

Dominican University Library School Establishes PhD Program

By Leonard Kniffel | October 12, 2009

In a bold recession-bucking move, Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, has launched the first PhD program in library and information science in its 108-year history. The Doctorate of Philosophy in Library and Information Science, to be administered through the suburban Chicago university’s accredited Graduate School of Library and Information Science, has accepted its first … Continue reading Dominican University Library School Establishes PhD Program →

Say Anything game tips for National Gaming Day

October 12, 2009

Librarians Chris Harris and Brian Mayer discuss the game “Say Anything,” which is available as a free donation to libraries from North Star Games for National Gaming Day on November 14. Chris and Brian show how to play the game and provide tips for using it in public and school libraries. To register for National … Continue reading Say Anything game tips for National Gaming Day →

Angry Patrons Seek Gwinnett Director’s Ouster

By Beverly Goldberg | October 7, 2009

The stakes have risen in an ongoing dispute between Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library officials and area residents served by the Dacula branch, despite the board having rescinded its August decision to close the three-year-old facility and shift the staff and collection to the yet-to-be-built Hamilton Mill Library. Although GCPL trustees agreed September 22 to … Continue reading Angry Patrons Seek Gwinnett Director’s Ouster →

Facebook à la Fulbright

By Heather Lea Moulaison | October 7, 2009

A New Jersey librarian had put me in touch with this outgoing young woman, starting the social networking experience that would supplement F2F (face-to-face) contact in class throughout the academic year. I had already been using Facebook to keep in touch with friends and colleagues while in the United States. Surprisingly, Facebook also became a … Continue reading Facebook à la Fulbright →

LITA Forum: Thinking Aloud About the Cloud

October 6, 2009

One of the more lively discussions at LITA Forum was during a session whose topic had more to do with next year's Forum topic than this year's: Ken Fujiuchi from Buffalo State College in New York and Kathryn Frederick from Skidmore College in New York gave the audience a lot to consider in their talk … Continue reading LITA Forum: Thinking Aloud About the Cloud →

LITA Forum: Thinking Aloud About the Cloud

October 6, 2009

One of the more lively discussions at LITA Forum was during a session whose topic had more to do with next year’s Forum topic than this year’s: Ken Fujiuchi from Buffalo State College in New York and Kathryn Frederick from Skidmore College in New York gave the audience a lot to consider in their talk … Continue reading LITA Forum: Thinking Aloud About the Cloud →

Florida Library to Label YA Books by Age, Not Maturity

By Greg Landgraf | October 5, 2009

The city commission of Leesburg, Florida, has voted 4–1 to have the young adult literature section of Leesburg Public Library divided into physically separated age-appropriate groupings, creating a separate area for books targeted for high school students. “It will be based on reviews to determine the intended audience for a book, not the content,” Director … Continue reading Florida Library to Label YA Books by Age, Not Maturity →

LITA Forum in Tweets

October 5, 2009

In no particular order, here are some of the tweets that I thought hit on the big themes of LITA Forum 2009–and some that were funny enough not to leave out. They're very lightly edited at times. My notes are in italic. eligerman first step is to admit you have a problem (On changes to … Continue reading LITA Forum in Tweets →

LITA Forum: Are We Starting to Get IT?

October 5, 2009

If I learned one thing at LITA Forum this year, it's that if you put a bunch of techie librarians together in one hotel for a whole weekend, they're going to spend a lot of time dishing on IT. No single session encompassed the overarching theme of the casual break-time conversations better than Kenning Arlitsch … Continue reading LITA Forum: Are We Starting to Get IT? →

LITA Forum Saturday Keynote: Knowledge in the Age of Abundance

October 5, 2009

When David Weinberger, author and fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society talks, I listen up. So his opening the presentation by saying that "the Age of Information is pretty much over" was tough news to take first thing on a Saturday morning. (Although we've been hearing that since at least 2002, it's … Continue reading LITA Forum Saturday Keynote: Knowledge in the Age of Abundance →

LITA Forum Saturday Keynote: Knowledge in the Age of Abundance

October 5, 2009

When David Weinberger, author and fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society talks, I listen up. So his opening the presentation by saying that “the Age of Information is pretty much over” was tough news to take first thing on a Saturday morning. (Although we’ve been hearing that since at least 2002, it’s … Continue reading LITA Forum Saturday Keynote: Knowledge in the Age of Abundance →

LITA Forum: Are We Starting to Get IT?

October 5, 2009

If I learned one thing at LITA Forum this year, it’s that if you put a bunch of techie librarians together in one hotel for a whole weekend, they’re going to spend a lot of time dishing on IT. No single session encompassed the overarching theme of the casual break-time conversations better than Kenning Arlitsch … Continue reading LITA Forum: Are We Starting to Get IT? →

Latest Library Links

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Michael Kimmelman writes: “The other day, I wrote about two new branch libraries in New York City, which share an unusual feature: They’re both paired with 100 percent affordable housing developments. The economics of building subsidized housing in America depends on land that costs little or nothing, which almost inevitably means building on public land. But having sold off much of what it owned, New York no longer has a large inventory of big, usable lots for deeply affordable projects. The city does own library branches, however. And they occupy public land in the heart of many neighborhoods.”

New York Times Headway, July 17
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Cindy Hohl writes: “As we look ahead to meet the information needs of our membership, it is important that we stand united to remember why we work in this trusted profession. ALA has some big goals ahead with the hiring of the next ALA executive director, celebrating the Association’s 150th anniversary, creating a strategic plan to elevate the role of ALA throughout the field, and ensuring that we have strong member leadership to offer guidance and support. Our core values help us see that what one holds sacred is a touchstone in advancing this work as we strive to serve everyone in #AGoodWay together.”

American Libraries column, July/Aug.
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Trey Walk writes: “Over the past few years, new policies and laws in Florida have stopped teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity, while also repressing any honest efforts to grapple with systemic racism and slavery. [But] many people have taken a stand against these prejudiced policies, including in Florida. Their goal: to build a brighter future for the state. We hope today’s leaders fighting censorship in Florida can offer a blueprint to people across the US to further truly free and just education.”

Human Rights Watch, July 18
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Angela Dennis writes: “Young scholars, parents, and staff from the East Tennessee Freedom Schools program, a local summer enrichment program, marched in downtown Knoxville July 17 to protest literary censorship in public schools and libraries across the country. Recent legislation in Tennessee has fueled concerns about literary censorship. In May, Gov. Bill Lee signed into law an expansion of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. Opponents fear the new law might exclude the perspectives of marginalized groups in educational materials. The Knox County Schools Board recently revised its library policy to align with the new state law, further fueling debate.”

Knoxville News Sentinel, July 18
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Daniel Pfeiffer writes: “Information literacy has become a watchword for librarians—not merely a pedagogical aim but a moral obligation in a digital and political landscape riddled with misinformation. The clear necessity of information literacy in society belies a more difficult question: Should librarians be the ones to take on the full weight of this mantle?” Pfeiffer interviewed Amber Willenborg and Robert Detmering, librarians at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and authors of a new paper examining this question through interviews with 20 academic librarians.

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, July 17
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Jennifer Nardine writes: “I recently finished a second master’s degree, in counseling, from Virginia Tech’s School of Education (in Blacksburg). Shortly after graduating, I was startled when a colleague asked, ‘How are you going to show that [mental health] counseling is related to your work?’ Her implication: even though I’d put in the work to earn the degree, it wouldn’t serve me when it came time to apply for promotion. My response: It’s obvious to me that education, librarianship, and counseling are related.”

ACRLog, July 18
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Willem Marx writes: “Sometimes it’s not about catching up on the newest news or the hottest debut. Sometimes it’s about taking a bath with a cup of tea on a Sunday morning and listening to famous writers laugh about their MFA students while going nuts about their favorite short story writers. Sometimes it’s about taking a plane across the Atlantic just to visit a bookstore and pretend it’s still 1922 and Ulysses is all the rage. The book life is about a lot of things and these podcasts cover every single one.”

Electric Literature, July 19

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