Columns Archives | Page 78 of 78 | American Libraries Magazine

The Librarian Is In

Will's World
By Will Manley | October 23, 2009

I'm no prophet, but my guess is that 2009 will be known as the year of the great health care debate. While I haven't studied all the details of the various plans, I do support the concept of universal health care for all. I have felt strongly about this issue since 1972 when I broke … Continue reading The Librarian Is In →

Sugar Ray

Rousing Reads
By Bill Ott | October 23, 2009

The first program I ever saw on television was a boxing match: Rocky Marciano versus Jersey Joe Walcott, September 23, 1952. My family didn't have a television at the time, but our neighbors across the street did, and my father, mother, and I were all invited over for the fight. Marciano won handily, but what … Continue reading Sugar Ray →

We Are All Millennials

Librarian's Library
By Mary Ellen Quinn | October 23, 2009

Net Gen? Gen Y? Gen M? All are labels we've heard applied to the generation ranging in age from adolescents just entering or about to enter high school, to those just joining the work force. Whatever they're called, they have particular, technology driven learning styles, which are examined in Teaching Generation M: A Handbook for … Continue reading We Are All Millennials →

Killjoy Was Here

On My Mind
By Thomas Washington | September 23, 2009

Recently I listened to a commencement speaker who said, "If faculty members can't offer students some hope and optimism for their future, some path of confident thinking in uncertain times, then we have no right or reason to be around them." I'd prefer offering students a sunnier picture from behind the reference desk, but the … Continue reading Killjoy Was Here →

What Do You See?

Another Story
Joseph Janes | September 23, 2009

On what was apparently a slow news day, the front page of the July 29, 2009, New York Times featured YAWA—yet another Wikipedia article—a variation on the enduring theme of “Wikipedia is changing the world; how shocking” (or how wonderful, depending on the mood of the reporter). This one highlighted an exploration of the ethics of … Continue reading What Do You See? →

Building a Digital Branch

Dispatches from the Field
By David Lee King | September 23, 2009

Library websites have been around for about 15 years. The list of what has changed in the past 15 years could fill a library. Programming languages have changed. Web browsers have changed. Internet connections have gotten faster, and websites have come to serve a wider variety of functions. Interaction has also changed. Many library websites, … Continue reading Building a Digital Branch →

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

3d

Kelly Greig writes: “The century-old library in Stanstead, Quebec, that straddles the Canada-US border now has a new door so Canadians can get in after the US limited entry to the building last year. For decades, people in Stanstead were allowed to walk around the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, but last year the US limited access, [forcing potential Canadian users] to drive down the street and go through a border crossing just to get in the front door.” The newly installed door cost nearly $600,000.

CTV News (Toronto), Apr. 9; American Libraries Online, Apr. 14, 2025
3d

Sydney Butler writes: “Believe me, I know the pain of troubleshooting 3D prints to the point where I just feel like throwing my printer in the garbage and buying a new one. Tracing print issues back to specific printer problems can be a nightmare, but there are a few likely issues you should check before turning your printer into scrap.”

How-To Geek, Apr. 11
3d

Allen Jones and Sae Ra Germaine write: “Interlibrary lending and document delivery have never been neutral technical layers. They are shaped—sometimes constrained—by the platforms libraries choose to implement. Over the last 25 years, two broad models have emerged: centralized networks and regional or distributed networks. Against this backdrop, the National Library of Australia explored a third path: a national network of networks, which includes libraries of all types—academic, public, special, and corporate.”

Katina, Apr. 8
4d

William Bishop writes: “Digital books have grown in popularity over the past decade, but more Americans still read books in print than in digital formats. Overall, 75% of US adults say they have read all or part of at least one book in the past 12 months, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2025. Much smaller shares say they have read an ebook or listened to an audiobook in the past year. While book reading is widespread, the survey also shows that participation in book clubs is much less common.”

Pew Research Center, Apr. 9
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Shana Lynch writes: “This year’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Index report reveals AI’s capabilities are advancing quickly; less so, our ability to measure and manage them. The annual AI Index has tracked the field’s evolution since 2017, measuring everything from technical capabilities and research output to societal impact and public perception. The new report shows that AI models are achieving breakthrough results in science and complex reasoning, but at a concerning environmental toll. Meanwhile, AI’s workforce disruption has moved from prediction to reality, hitting young workers first.”

Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Apr. 13
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On April 8, ALA announced the fourth and final round of recipients of its Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, an initiative to help small and rural libraries increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities. The 300 funded proposals represent 46 US states and the Northern Mariana Islands, and 73% of selected libraries serve communities with populations of 5,000 or fewer. Fifty libraries will receive grants of $20,000, and 250 libraries will receive grants of $10,000.

ALA Public Programs Office, Apr. 8
5d

Cara Bertram writes: “On April 28, 1892, the first librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL), Klas August Linderfelt, was summoned to a meeting with library trustees and Mayor Peter J. Somers. There, Linderfelt was accused of embezzling $4,000, to which he admitted guilt and was subsequently arrested. Linderfelt’s arrest came as a shock to the library profession. Not only was he the head of the MPL, but he was also the president of both the ALA and the Wisconsin Library Association. A longtime and active member of ALA, Linderfelt was well liked by his colleagues, leaving them reeling at his arrest.”

ALA Archives, Apr. 10

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