We’ve all done that a thousand times. On the surface, “just curious” is one of those phrases that doesn’t really mean anything and gets tossed in just to signal that a question isn’t urgent or immediate or that it doesn’t connect to any larger matter. Which is fine on its face and is, in most … Continue reading Just Curious
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
Does this mean librarians aren’t important to most users’ library encounters? Of course not! We’re the ones making those virtual visits seamless for them. That said, I think there is great value in this high-tech world in creating high-touch services that put a human face on the library and remind patrons of the value librarians … Continue reading High Tech, High Touch
Storytime Underground, an informal idea-sharing website where youth librarians can learn from each other, started with Guerrilla Storytime—gatherings of children’s librarians sharing ideas, brainstorming, and troubleshooting issues related to early childhood librarianship—at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. Since then, Guerrilla Storytime has been held at conferences all over North America, creating … Continue reading Storytime Underground
In the books I read, no one carried magnifiers or large print texts for class. No one used a cane or needed special programs on their computers. If they did, those characters were either superheroes whose powers essentially negated their disability or they were broken characters meant to be pitied. They never mirrored my experience … Continue reading The Way I See It
When I talk to librarians about 3D printing, the most common question I hear—after the question about printing a gun—is “Why provide this service?” Of the many answers, the most straightforward is “We’ve always done this sort of thing.” The library is, at its core, an engine for the democratization of knowledge and information. Conceptually, … Continue reading The Case for 3D Printing
The first few months of my tenure as president of ALA have been amazingly full and rewarding. At once exhilarating, educational, and sometimes exhausting, this time has reinforced one of my own longest and deeply held convictions: Libraries are powerful. They shape minds, bolster economies, and anchor communities of every size in every corner of … Continue reading Advocate. Today.
The essays in the 2014 edition of Banned Books: Challenging our Freedom to Read, by Robert P. Doyle, outline how case law has extended the protection of the freedoms of speech and press to include freedom of expression of ideas and information. This background reading informs use of the “First Amendment Action Guide,” an advocacy … Continue reading Intellectual Freedom: A Core Tenet
ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition can be quite a production, especially in Las Vegas. For the American Libraries team, this past conference involved four editors reporting, blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook, with five freelance librarian writers reporting. Two editors hung back in the Chicago office to accept our on-the-spot work, editing for style, resizing … Continue reading How We “Do” Annual Conference
As I begin my ALA presidency, I’m aware of the need for both consistency and change. Like ALA presidents before me, I bring to the table my commitment to the profession as well as a good understanding of the Association’s structure, finances, members, and aspirations. But my unique experiences will also help shape my approach … Continue reading Advancing Our Mission
Through her long career, Peggy Johnson, author of Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, now in its third edition, has been one of many librarians who has taken the profession from book selection and purchasing to collection management by addressing such issues as cooperative collection development, collection analysis, and scholarly communications. Her book’s introduction explains … Continue reading Building the Collection
Music is the best market for forecasting potential trends. We can confidently assume that the last physical format for music, the CD, is in its twilight stage—soon to be replaced entirely by digital formats and niche markets like LPs. Starting in the late 1990s, the music industry experienced a downward sales curve that continued until … Continue reading E-Content and First Sale
