Ruth Baleiko, the Miller Hull Partnership Odegaard Undergraduate Library, University of Washington, Seattle “Digital downloads, ebooks, personal content, and live programming compete for space with books, periodicals, microfilm, audio, and video in today’s libraries. The library of the future will be shaped in ways that support and enhance navigation and exchange of these new forms … Continue reading The Future, Today
State and local government workforces have faced significant reductions since 2009. In 2011 alone, state and local governments cut nearly 250,000 jobs. While some hiring has occurred lately, reductions have been significant and are unlikely to grow to pre-recession levels. Securing a library job can be challenging. Competition is fierce, and the skill sets of … Continue reading The Future of MLS
At the same time, school librarians continue to serve their communities by linking children, young adults, and teachers with both the information they need and the skills to use it. We’ve identified three trends that we see as most affecting the role of the school librarian in the near future. Information on demand In … Continue reading The School Librarian as Learning Alchemist
We’ve selected five trends from the collection to highlight. Visit the trend library to learn more about each and to see the expanding collection of trend information. Anonymity Long a hallmark of internet culture, anonymity is a selling feature for new mobile apps such as Whisper and Secret. Information shared via anonymous apps includes emotional … Continue reading Trending Now
In 2013, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the formation of a Center for the Future of Libraries. The project, initially supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), focuses much of its work on identifying emerging trends relevant to the libraries, the librarians, and the communities they serve. Why … Continue reading Forecasting the Future of Libraries 2015
I wrote Our Enduring Values, which was published by ALA Editions in 2000. In the decade and a half since, the world has endured the savagery of September 11, 2001; the deaths of millions in wars and other conflicts, many waged in and over the cobbled-together countries that are the poisonous legacy of colonialism and … Continue reading The Life of Libraries
This case fueled talk in the community for months. However, on the heels of the Boston Marathon bombings four months later, much of the talk dissipated. Community leaders became concerned that the issue of child sexual abuse would take a back seat to newer—more sensational—news, and lose focus within the community, leaving abuse to perpetuate. … Continue reading Keep Me Safe Storytime
An avid reader, Keplinger was born with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a disorder that causes legal blindness. Last fall, she wrote about the important role honors like the Schneider Family Book Awards play in ensuring people with disabilities see themselves in the stories they read. Keplinger shared her thoughts with American Libraries on the appeal of YA literature, encouragement for young … Continue reading Newsmaker: Kody Keplinger
Film programming can seem more complicated than other kinds of programming. How do you choose films to show? What equipment should you use? How do you market your programs? Where do you begin? The most challenging part—but in many ways the most important—is to make sure you are in compliance with the law relating to … Continue reading Screening Legally
Welcome to Tales and Travel, a recreation program designed to encourage participation, conversation, and expression among Alzheimer’s and dementia patients by simulating the act of traveling to different countries and US states. While seated around a communal table at one of the six nursing home, assisted living, and memory care facilities that Degnan and her … Continue reading Stimulating Minds
Of course it wasn’t Freudenberger and the community alone who made these changes happen; it was thanks in part to an initiative called Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC), which launched a program in April 2014 involving 10 library districts. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the American Library Association and the Bethesda, Maryland–based … Continue reading Libraries Transforming Communities
She was working full-time as a general manager at a bakery while taking classes toward her associate’s degree at Los Angeles Harbor College. “I’ve always done really well without my high school diploma, but there were a few classes that I wanted to take,” she says. “At the time, I was thinking of possibly becoming … Continue reading Second Chances
