Fundamentals of Planning and Assessment for Libraries By Rachel A. Fleming-May and Regina Mays Part of ALA Publishing’s Fundamentals series, this book helps to build understanding of planning and assessment cycles in a way that suits all library workers’ needs, no matter their prior familiarity. Fleming-May and Mays detail different parts of the cycle, including … Continue reading Demystifying Data
One of our greatest strengths is the simple and singular tool of using our united voice. When we unite our voices: We have the volume and power of a choir to amplify messages and make positive changes. Our message is informed by our unique and varied life experiences, our ancestors, and the goals we have … Continue reading One Voice
As the new calendar year begins, I am carrying that optimism forward. We are approximately one-third of the way through the American Library Association’s (ALA) fiscal year, which runs from September 1, 2022, to August 31. The most uncertain days of the pandemic seem to be behind us. Like many of our libraries and, indeed, many … Continue reading ALA Finances on Track
I answered by surveying the ongoing evolution of library and information services. If the first great wave in the late 18th through early 20th century served to pull the public toward literacy in all its dimensions, and the second wave in the latter 20th century helped introduce technological literacy, then the third great wave will be … Continue reading Information 911
In sharing my frustration with others, I learned there was nothing novel about this scenario. Other librarians had experienced this phenomenon, which I refer to as a pipeline issue. The experience led me to write a paper, “Best Practices for Talent Acquisition in 21st-Century Academic Libraries,” rethinking traditional approaches to recruitment and retention. I went … Continue reading Leveraging Talent
Public liability insurance. This covers the building and grounds, the contents of the building, library vehicles, and any accidents involving patrons on library property. It’s important to have adequate coverage in the event of a major claim. It’s also important that a library not be under- or overinsured. If underinsured, the library will have to … Continue reading Covering Your Bases
Learning from Libraries That Use WordPress: Content-Management System Best Practices and Case Studies By Kyle M. L. Jones and Polly-Alida Farrington The first part of this indispensable resource is an overview of WordPress. Not only does it cover the basics of this popular content management system, but it also includes the decision-making process for starting … Continue reading Decoding the Web
As we approach a new year, I challenge each of us to take the lessons we’ve learned and make these changes permanent. I challenge us to continue making programs and services more accessible for as many as possible, such as by offering livestream and hybrid options. When we center universal design, we are serving all … Continue reading Where Do We Go from Here?
I learned so much from that ruin. I learned the term flipping houses. I learned that wealthier people saw the homes in our neighborhood as “assets” but not places they themselves would ever live. But even more than that, before the property was sold to flippers, I learned about the gray market and the underground … Continue reading ‘Scared Money Don’t Make None’
Assessment work is multifaceted and needs both leadership and expertise to be successful. When assessments include matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), you have an even more complex situation. Traditional library assessment practices often exclude DEI elements, or many academic libraries may be unsure about DEI assessments. Yet it’s crucial to consider: If institutions … Continue reading The Value of a DEI Audit
Like most labor performed in technical services, the work required to maintain e-resources and resolve access issues is largely veiled. We hope that highlighting the breadth and depth of e-resource access issues will help nontechnical services staffers better understand them. We also hope library administrators will reconsider what support—especially staffing—needs to be allocated to maintaining … Continue reading Mending Broken Links
Sometimes when patrons learn their library will take an equity approach to programs and services, they wonder, “What is going to happen to everything that I love about the library?” In anticipation of this question, equity consultant LaKesha Kimbrough suggested that the planning team for the California Library Association’s Building Equity-Based Summers (BEBS) initiative, of … Continue reading One Goal, Many Approaches
