Ten winners of the inaugural Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award were recognized at a ceremony hosted by the New York Times December 9. The award, administered by the ALA’s Public Information Office and the Campaign for America’s Libraries, recognizes public, school, and college librarians for service to their … Continue reading I Love My Librarian Award Ceremony
I received an e-mail message earlier this week from Dick and Marjorie Waters of Godfreys Associates, library consultants in Rhode Island, letting me know that they had send a letter to the Rhode Island congressional delegation—Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin. "With all due respect to ALA President James … Continue reading Billions Not Millions Needed, Urge Some Advocates
Ten years ago, for a moment, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, then a U.S. representative in Congress, was the darling of school libraries in Chicago. I can remember interviewing Ann Weeks, then director of the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and Information Services, after he'd made the grand gesture of donating his share of the year's congressional … Continue reading When Governor Blagojevich Was a School Library’s Best Friend
Here's the inside scoop on the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times 'I Love My Librarian!' Awards. Thanks to the support of the two eponymous sponsors who fund them, along with ALA's administrative contribution, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian for the award. That's a lot of appreciation for the services library professionals … Continue reading Live from New York, It’s Librarians Getting Plenty of Love
Laramie County (Wyo.) Library System is now publicizing a year-and-a-half old service that's just plain cool: An animation station where kids can make their own stop-motion movies. 0 "We started this as a 'discoverable'—in other words, one of the many hidden surprises throughout the library," said County Librarian Lucie Osborn. "Word-of-mouth was our greatest ally." Even … Continue reading Getting Animated
One of my favorite programs at the recent LITA National Forum was a presentation on library web labs given by Jason Battles of the University of Alabama and Jody Combs of Vanderbilt University. At its heart, the concept is an adaptation of Google Labs. Library web labs list new and experimental services offered by the … Continue reading Working in Beta: Library Web Labs Let Users Shape Service
"I have this idea that I thought I would tell you," said the e-mail message. "I am sure it's not original, but with the economy and the whole environmental crisis, carbon footprint things going on, maybe ALA can FINALLY have an option on their membership to NOT receive the magazine?" Namely American Libraries. So began … Continue reading Eliminating Print Won’t Solve the Problem
"Forty-one states are likely to face budget shortfalls this year or next, forcing you to choose between reining in spending and raising taxes," said President-elect Barack Obama at the National Governors Association meeting December 2 in Philadelphia. "Jobs are being cut. Programs for the needy are at risk. Libraries, parks, and historic sites are being … Continue reading Obama Invokes Libraries at Governors Conference
I'm pleased to announce that American Libraries is now accepting submissions for our annual Library Design Showcase, to be published in the April 2009 issue. This is a showcase of new and newly renovated or expanded libraries of all types. Roughly 30 of the best construction projects of the year will be highlighed in this … Continue reading Library Design Showcase Call for Submissions
I was delighted this morning when Jenny Levine, ALA's own Shifted Librarian, pointed out to me the "Librarians Who Want Oprah to Come to the Amer. Library Assoc. Conference" page on Facebook. "Let's thank Oprah in person when we hit Chicago!" says host Sara Hansen, and I agree completely. I regret, however, that the inside … Continue reading Oprah Sends Her Regrets
I fell in love with StoryCorps back in 2005. "Listening is an act of love," StoryCorps founder Dave Isay told me, so I listened as he explained how this national oral history phenomenon began in 2003 with a StoryBooth in New York City's Grand Central Station, how it has grown, how the Library of Congress … Continue reading Giving Thanks by Listening
The last panel discussion at the Traditional Cultural Expression Conference in Washington, D.C., addressed "Emergent Technologies, Emergent Cultures: The Interface of Technology with Traditional Cultural Expression." "How is knowledge embodied in media?" asked Ramesh Srinivasan, assistant professor in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA. He advocates for a hip-hop model or any number of other … Continue reading Traditional Cultural Expression Conference, Sixth and Last Panel
