Kristen Totleben and Kathryn Deiss

Learning Together

January 29, 2015

Block said that by focusing on our abundances (gifts we have and contribute) rather than our deficits (what we lack), we could have a relationship based on “enoughness,” the idea that what we have is enough to sustain our relationship and reach our goals. Inspired by Block’s ideas, we committed to changing our relationship to … Continue reading Learning Together


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The Price of Patronage

December 4, 2014

When I travel, the first thing I typically seek out in any new city is its public library. It gives me immense pleasure to see a thriving library, full of patrons taking advantage of all the materials and services each unique place has to offer. But I know I am not alone. Any bibliophile, library … Continue reading The Price of Patronage


Nancy Fawley

Flipped Classrooms

October 7, 2014

The method is not new; literature classes traditionally follow a similar model in which students read assigned texts as homework and come to class prepared for discussion. The renewed focus is a result of technological innovations that allow instructors to transfer a lecture into something portable that can be viewed or listened to outside of … Continue reading Flipped Classrooms


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Speaking Up

June 10, 2014

In some ways, it is the subtlety of the act of harassment that allows it to be so often overlooked: When I worked in IT, sexism and misogyny were the unspoken accepted practice. I learned to navigate that world to the best of my ability, knowing that to fight back could mean professional death. So … Continue reading Speaking Up


Rene Tanner

A Moment of Science

May 19, 2014

Academic libraries are adopting strategies bookstores use—arranging writing workshops, inviting authors to give talks, and hosting book clubs—to make their spaces and services engaging. Thriving local bookstores, such as the Poisoned Pen and Changing Hands Bookstore in the Phoenix area, have figured out the importance of community and social activities in an era of steep … Continue reading A Moment of Science


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Changes and Connections

February 4, 2014

In 2011, I was elected as president of the Interna­tional Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the global voice of the library and information profession. With my term hav­ing ended at the World Informa­tion and Library Congress this past August, I wanted to share some thoughts on why libraries remain as relevant as ever … Continue reading Changes and Connections


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Start-Up Librarian

November 11, 2013

Remember all those library jobs that were going to open up once the boomers retired? Pundits prophesied librarians being in demand everywhere, with libraries scrambling to fill empty positions. There weren’t going to be enough librarians to go around! Things haven’t turned out quite as we expected, and now the rhetoric has shifted to the … Continue reading Start-Up Librarian


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Guide to Reading Levels

September 24, 2013

By now, we’ve gotten used to the idea that many children’s books identify a Reading Level (RL) somewhere on the jacket or back cover. This number is handy for parents and children’s librarians trying to find books of an appropriate comprehension level for young readers. But where did the number come from? It was generated … Continue reading Guide to Reading Levels


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Under Sequester

August 20, 2013

More than 260 librarians and almost 800 library technicians who work for the Department of Defense (DOD) are being furloughed 11 days, one day per week from July 8 to September 27, due to sequestration. While this is a personal financial hardship, we are also concerned about having to cut library services for our patrons: … Continue reading Under Sequester



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Retired, but Embedded

June 13, 2013

As librarians, our skills are as embedded in our personal lives as in our work, and they do not desert us when we leave our positions. After retiring in 2009, I began volunteering at Hedgebrook, a writing residency program for women on Whidbey Island in northwest Washington State. Inspired by its founder, Nancy Skinner Nordhoff, … Continue reading Retired, but Embedded


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There Are No Free Libraries

March 13, 2013

Over the past few months, an image has been making its way around social media to underscore the value of libraries. It’s a checkout receipt from “your local library” that lists various borrowed items—three DVDs, five books, one ebook, six CDs—and the cost to the borrower for each, all of which are $0. Below the … Continue reading There Are No Free Libraries