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Surveying My Sex Appeal


July 26, 2010

The following story is a cautionary tale for all of those people who say that the internet has replaced the reference collection and that Google has replaced reference librarians. On a cheery morning in late April 1992, I had a flight of whimsy. I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside and thought, … Continue reading Surveying My Sex Appeal


New from ALA


July 26, 2010

In the first edition of Developing an Outstanding Core Collection Carol Alabaster outlined her principles of adult core collections, based on her work at Phoenix Public Library. In the second, she revisits those principles to make sure they are still valid (they are) and also addresses the technological changes that have occurred since the first … Continue reading New from ALA


Guided by Barcodes


July 22, 2010

Whenever I’ve created an instructional handout for students, I’ve struggled with what to include. For everything that ends up on the sheet, there’s usually five times as much that would be useful to students in the class. I include the URL to a web page with more content, but URLs are often long and I … Continue reading Guided by Barcodes


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Frankie Catches a Break


July 20, 2010

I recently finished reading James Kaplan’s Frank: The Voice, a wonderful new biography of Frank Sinatra from his birth in 1915 through 1954, when he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity. What impressed me most about the book—besides the account of Sinatra’s volcanic love affair with Ava Gardner … Continue reading Frankie Catches a Break


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Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle


July 15, 2010

After the initial hype is past, the real value of an emerging technology unfolds as librarians adopt, test, and learn from it on the ground. By understanding a tool’s practical library affordances and how they are adopted, adapted, and rejected, we can better evaluate its local promise critically, creatively, and with an eye toward sustainability. … Continue reading Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle


Signage: Better None Than Bad


July 12, 2010

A quick search of the photo website Flickr for the keywords “library signage” can produce interesting results. You will find everything from café-style chalkboard advertisements to sheets of white paper with a few pieces of clip art thrown in. Poor visual communication can create a frustrating environment for users, but it's a practice that librarians … Continue reading Signage: Better None Than Bad


Advising Tweens


July 12, 2010

There are plenty of books on readers’ advisory service for adults, and in 2007 Heather Booth gave us Serving Teens through Readers’ Advisory (ALA Editions). Now comes Readers’ Advisory for Children and ‘Tweens. Service to this group requires special skills, author Penny Peck asserts. She describes some of the issues, including censorship challenges, before exploring … Continue reading Advising Tweens


What Came Home from D.C.


July 8, 2010

The last thing I did before checking my suitcase at Washington National Airport was to tuck the pink steno pad in which I’d been scribbling all conference long into the front pocket of my suitcase. Well before the end of my trip, I had tired of lugging and protecting the accoutrements of conference life, so … Continue reading What Came Home from D.C.


Joseph Janes

I’m Sorry, You’re Out


July 6, 2010

Let’s see, which of my various forms of geekdom have I copped to in this column? Game shows? Check. Olympics? Check. On to reality TV, I guess. Not the Bachelorette / Real Housewives / Jersey Shore type of show (ick); think more Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, and of course Project Runway. I love Runway because … Continue reading I’m Sorry, You’re Out



Advancing Advocacy


June 23, 2010

During my travels as president-elect, I often spoke about the challenges and opportunities of becoming 21st-century libraries that incorporate new formats, technologies, and ways of learning. By transforming libraries for this new era, we are leaders in a rapidly changing and increasingly global economy that depends on people getting the right information, at the right … Continue reading Advancing Advocacy