Columns Archives | Page 54 of 54 | American Libraries Magazine

Going the Distance

Editor's Letter
By Leonard Kniffel | September 23, 2009

The future of online learning is now, says Kenneth E. Hartman, academic director for Drexel University Online and chairman of National Distance Learning Week (November 9-13). His article in this issue makes a compelling case for online education in general and distance learning in particular. Earlier this year, I taught a one-week summer course in … Continue reading Going the Distance →

Once in a Lifetime

President's Message
By Jim Rettig | July 23, 2009

If you find the no-frills Billy Goat Tavern on a list of restaurants for the America Library Association’s Annual Conference in Chicago, the likely reason is that it inspired and remains true to the 1970s Saturday Night Live “Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No Coke,pepsi!” skit. Walls decorated with blowups of columns by Mike Royko and others celebrate … Continue reading Once in a Lifetime →

Sweet Home Chicago

Editor's Letter
By Leonard Kniffel | July 23, 2009

Hardly anyone I know in Chicago is actually from Chicago, born and raised here that is. Most of my friends and colleagues are from someplace else, a lot of us from Michigan. I always tell people back home in Detroit that if the Midwest were a country, Chicago would be the capital, so I feel … Continue reading Sweet Home Chicago →

Open Discovery Interfaces

Dispatches from the Field
By Marshall Breeding | June 1, 2009

Discovery interfaces allow libraries to offer more modern tools to their users for searching library collections. While the ILS serves as the automation environment for library staff, the discovery interface extracts data from the ILS and other repositories and gives end users a centralized index with new search capabilities. Almost all commercial library automation vendors … Continue reading Open Discovery Interfaces →

Open Source Public Workstations

Dispatches from the Field
By John Houser | May 1, 2009

In a time where an economic downturn and concerns about climate change are influencing library managers' decisions, many libraries are looking for ways to save money and reduce environmental impact. Open source operating systems and software applications can decrease power utilization while providing a positive patron experience. Prior to 1999, mentions of any open source … Continue reading Open Source Public Workstations →

Beyond the Barriers

Another Story
Jospeh Janes | October 1, 2008

A quest for real-time gold Beeeeeeeeep. Alarm. 4:50. Predawn. Downstairs. Coffee. Eyes . . . opening . . . slowly. Countdown. 2,008 drummers, thousands more dancers, singers, athletes from all around the world, a couple of speeches, a flying gymnast lighting the torch, and the unsettling feeling that it can’t possibly only be 9 o’clock. … Continue reading Beyond the Barriers →

Why Johnny Can’t Search

Another Story
by Joseph Janes | January 2, 2007

A couple of generations ago, a catchphrase entered the American lexicon, representing growing concern about the quality of education and in particular a perceived decline in literacy. “Why Johnny Can’t Read,” from the title of 1955 book by Rudolf Flesch, became a byword for the perception of relaxed standards and concomitantly lower achievement in schools. … Continue reading Why Johnny Can’t Search →

Latest Library Links

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Greg Miller writes: “For schoolchildren in the 1880s, this colorful star chart would have brought astronomy to life. Through vivid images, hidden flaps and sliders, and clever use of lighting effects, the chart was designed to help teachers illustrate Earth’s place in the universe. The chart was part of a kit, called Yaggy’s Geographical Study, produced for teachers in 1887 by Levi Walter Yaggy, an inventor-turned-publisher who held several map-related patents. Contained in a canvas-covered plywood box, the kit contained maps and charts depicting the world and its climatic zones and peoples. A second edition was released in 1893.”

National Geographic, July 19, 2018
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The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library at Ohio State University has acquired a rare collection of materials by Oliver “Ollie” Harrington (1912–1995). Arriving from Germany, Harrington’s collection includes original published cartoons, along with roughs, sketchbooks, and other archival materials. Inspired by and later involved with the Harlem Renaissance, Harrington published cartoons in a number of Black and leftist newspapers, including the Amsterdam News and the Chicago Defender. Best known for his series Bootsie, Harrington continued with his work after leaving the US due to the scrutiny he was under by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early 1950s.

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum Blog, May 23
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Erica Bauermeister writes: “Scents are the stealth weapons in the arsenal of the senses. They head directly to the emotional parts of the brain, bypassing rationality. The memories they evoke are rich, immersive things, three-dimensional, and intimate. Novels about scents tend to affect us in a similar way. We read their sentences and dive into a sense we rarely pay attention to in our normal lives. Perfumers divide fragrances into families, much as we categorize books by genres. For these five evocative books, perfume categories seem a perfect way to characterize them.”

Literary Hub, May 24
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Melissa DeWitt writes: “As a new librarian, and as someone who is new to working at a university, there’s a lot to learn. I’ve found that it’s the students, especially student employees in the library, that provide the most holistic view of campus life and culture. In addition to myths and campus lore, students have very strong opinions about their classes, professors, and perceptions of leadership. I’ve learned about what classes were difficult and why in different departments. Basically, if I want to know how students feel about new construction plans, the history of a particular spot on campus, or the perception of an assignment, I just have to ask.”

ACRLog, May 24
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Reggie Ugwu writes: “Hip-hop artist and Yo! MTV Raps host Fred Brathwaite, better known as Fab 5 Freddy, never kept a consistent diary in the 1970s and 1980s. Instead, decades before social media, he documented the events of his daily life on film, deploying either a compact point-and-shoot camera or a Hi8 camcorder that he always kept at the ready. His personal photographs and videos, consisting of 120 boxes, comprise much of a career-spanning archive that was recently acquired by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, part of the New York Public Library.”

New York Times, May 24
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The African Union Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 20 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions to foster closer collaboration between the two institutions in a strategic move to drive sustainable development of the continent, through education and skills. The collaboration seeks to encourage a reading culture in Africa and enhance human intellectual capital by offering relevant resources. AfLIA President John Tsebe affirmed the association’s eagerness to support AU in realizing its Agenda 2063 goals, by having libraries participate in the process.

African Union, May 20
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Jenn Carson writes: “I am one of those people often approached to deliver webinars and conference talks and write books about my ‘endless ideas and enthusiasm.’ Am I lying and faking it? Lying, no. Forcing myself to be uncomfortable, definitely. I have found ways to work around, or more accurately work with, my insecurity, complacency, and aversion to public speaking (or public anything). And I hate to sound like my mother, but it’s actually been good for me to get out of my comfort zone. I’m going to share what’s worked for me, in the hopes it will help you too.”

Programming Librarian, May 22

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