This is an excerpt from Engaging Babies in the Library: Putting Theory Into Practice by Debra J. Knoll (ALA Editions, 2016). Librarians are now beginning to realize the impact they have on a baby’s development can influence his or her developing brain for a lifetime, and they are doing whatever it takes to make these … Continue reading Engaging Babies in the Library
“We were both trying to instill a volunteer culture in an environment that didn’t have that culture,” says Gorman, assistant dean for special collections and university archives. “[Yet] there were people in the community who were very educated, highly motivated, with a range of skills I could leverage.” Along with Smith—a photographs, artifacts, and textiles … Continue reading Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
Section 215, which became known as the “library records provision,” not only allowed law enforcement agencies to secretly monitor electronic communications emanating from libraries, it also required librarians to turn over patron information if requested and even imposed a gag order on those forced to comply, thus preventing them from telling anyone. ALA opposition to … Continue reading “Baseless Hysteria”?
This year’s Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) theme is “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read!”, and two-time Newbery Medal–winner Kate DiCamillo is the 2016 CSLP National Summer Reading Champion. DiCamillo is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux. DiCamillo also served as the first National Summer … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kate DiCamillo
Downtown Mamak Asian Street Food 407-270-4688 mamakasianorlando.com 1231 E. Colonial Dr. For a taste of Orlando’s Asian neighborhood, casual Mamak (“mamak” is the Malaysian word for a street food stall) is a lively, inexpensive spot with familiar bites such as crispy spring rolls, Vietnamese summer rolls, and dumplings. But you can also try something unusual … Continue reading Orlando Magic
After 12 years, the American Library Association (ALA) returns to Orlando, Florida, for its 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition, and one could say the city has changed almost as much as our dynamic profession has since 2004. With more than 5,300 restaurants, 100 parks, 120,000 hotel rooms, and one of the fastest population growth rates … Continue reading 2016 ALA Annual Conference Preview
What made you want to write this book? Library weeding has always been something I enjoy—and that I’ve had lots of experience with—so when I came to Booklist, I started writing a series of online columns called Weeding Tips. The response to it was huge, so turning those columns into a book seemed like a … Continue reading A Conversation with Author Rebecca Vnuk
ALA hoped to add 25,000 square feet of office space by taking title to the ground and six floors in the new building, then lease three of those six floors to offset expenses for furnishing and finishing the new space and renovating 50 East Huron Street. Many doubted the wisdom of the move. That ALA … Continue reading The Saga of Huron Plaza
Libraries have much at stake in products that align well with their strategies, resonate with their patrons, and facilitate the work of their staff. Previously established products are evolving to gain long-overdue modernization. In an era of web-based and cloud computing, library technology has held fast to aspects of the previous age of client–server computing. … Continue reading Library Systems Report 2016
In 2013, Highland Park (Mich.) High School was accused of throwing out a large collection of history materials, including some rare items, which had been cultivated over a 50-year period. That same year, the Urbana (Ill.) Free Library discarded nearly 10,000 items, apparently just based on age, rather than condition or use. The discarding was … Continue reading Weeding without Worry
Use the Preliminary Program to start planning how you’ll be “transforming our libraries, ourselves” at the 2016 ALA Conference and Exhibition. Focus on the future Join ALA’s Center for the Future of Libraries for Library of the Future sessions examining trends in the neuroscience of attention in education (Steelcase), the use of feasibility studies for designing … Continue reading 2016 ALA Annual Conference Must-Dos
As all doctoral candidates know, dissertations are rites of passage that facilitate a student’s transition into independent scholar, and to earn this passage, he or she must make an original contribution to the knowledge of the field. Sadly, dissertations are often overlooked as a source of information within our profession. While the topics vary, these … Continue reading Notable Dissertations 2016
