A Numbers Game


April 20, 2011

26 is a peculiar number. Mathematically speaking, it’s not that interesting; the Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers tells us it’s the sum of the digits of its cube (26^3 = 17576). Yawn. Wikipedia offers the atomic number of iron, the number of Swiss cantons or Oscars won by Walt Disney, or, alarmingly, the … Continue reading A Numbers Game


Wallander’s Last Stand


March 22, 2011

Readers whose knowledge of Scandinavian crime fiction goes beyond Stieg Larsson know that it was Henning Mankell who jump-started what has developed into a nearly 20-year golden age. The very fact that Sweden could foster a new spin on the Chandlerian hard-boiled novel seemed puzzling initially. How could there be crime novels in such a … Continue reading Wallander’s Last Stand


Let’s Not Borrow Trouble


March 22, 2011

At my library, I’m in charge of collection development for our largest academic division. Sometimes I find the task daunting as I struggle to find a balance between buying things that will likely get used today and anticipating what might be needed in the future. The choices I make will influence the long-term health of … Continue reading Let’s Not Borrow Trouble


New From ALA Editions


March 22, 2011

In New on the Job (2006), Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg provided useful advice for school librarians just starting out in their careers. Now, in Being Indespensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader, they provide a template for librarians trying to save their jobs. The idea is that by “Knowing Who … Continue reading New From ALA Editions


DIY Programming


March 22, 2011

Because many libraries are staff-strapped as well as cash-strapped, do-it-yourself programming is a growing trend. Amanda Moss Struckmeyer and Svetha Hetzler base their book, DIY Programming and Book Displays: How to Stretch Your Programming without Stretching Your Budget and Staff , on ideas they came up with at Middleton (Wis.) Public Library. They set up and … Continue reading DIY Programming



21st-Century Public Libraries


March 22, 2011

Though not unique to the United States, the public library movement has flourished here, sprung from a late-19th-century ideal of educating the masses and defined by pioneers such as Melvil Dewey. The mission remains essentially the same, but the public library (like all libraries) is undergoing some heavy self-examination. In the introduction to Public Libraries … Continue reading 21st-Century Public Libraries



Transforming Libraries


March 21, 2011

A key goal of the 2011–2015 ALA strategic plan is to provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services for today’s dynamic and increasingly global digital information environment. Virtually every media interview I’ve had during the past seven months has been an occasion to illustrate how libraries, the people who work in them, … Continue reading Transforming Libraries


Must We Abide?


March 15, 2011

More and more, publishers, database providers, and other corporate content proprietors are taking steps to replace the traditional benefits of ownership with the rigorously controlled provisions of licensing. Known as terms of sale (TOS) or end-user license agreements (EULAs), these licenses uniformly stipulate who can (and can’t) use a certain product and how that product … Continue reading Must We Abide?


I’m Not Your Scapegoat


March 7, 2011

I’ll admit it: I’ve always thought unions were a little passé. I just couldn’t shake the image of a typical union dude as a hard-bitten, grimy-fingered steelworker swigging black coffee spiked with gin. So despite the fact that as a public librarian I’m a dues-paying member myself, I’ve never mustered the enthusiasm to attend a … Continue reading I’m Not Your Scapegoat


The Little Library that Could


March 7, 2011

Inspiring libraries are often the ones with big budgets. They have impressive buildings, enormous collections, and large staffs. The Makiki Community Library in Honolulu, Hawaii, has none of these things, but that doesn’t make it any less remarkable. This small donations-based, volunteer-driven organization effectively executes its deep-seated mission of engaging the community. In the 1940s, … Continue reading The Little Library that Could