The series has helped position the library as a center for creative cultural exchange within the UCLA and Los Angeles–area communities and has provided a pedagogical opportunity for faculty to perform with their students. “I’m rewarded by seeing the concentration and enjoyment on audience members’ faces, and the relief and excitement from the faculty and … Continue reading Bookend: The Right Notes
This article examines the rise of values-based diversity as the next evolutionary step in workplace diversity management and the implications of this new approach for librarianship. “Values-based diversity has a valid place in libraries’ strategic thinking,” says Robert C. Harris, human resources manager at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. “It’s an appreciation of diversity that’s not … Continue reading Eyeing the New Diversity
The exhibit hall at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas provided both a respite from the weather and a chance to learn about the latest developments in library technology. As the world’s largest exhibition of library products, the ALA Annual Conference continues to be a unique opportunity to assess current technologies from an almost … Continue reading Supporting Print, Digital, and Mobile
Moorefield-Lang, a former school librarian who is now education and applied social sciences librarian at Virginia Tech, was joined by Katherine Messier, managing director at Johnston, Rhode Island–based Mobile Beacon, a nonprofit that provides broadband service to libraries and other nonprofits; Bohyun Kim, digital access librarian at Florida International University Medical Library in Miami; and … Continue reading Left to Our Devices
Many libraries are eagerly digitizing their materials and making them accessible online. This enthusiasm often stems from patrons, who are excited to make use of the resources on the internet, or from administrators, who are intent on elevating the library’s public profile. But the push for digitization often puts pressure on library staff to make … Continue reading Metadata for Image Collections
There is money in Azerbaijan and plenty of it. Petroleum wealth mostly. Two-thirds of the country is rich in oil and natural gas, and Western companies are tapping oil fields in the Caspian Sea that the communist regime left untouched during the 70 years Azerbaijan spent as a part of the Soviet Union. Change is accelerating … Continue reading Building a Pipeline to Education in Azerbaijan
Radical literature that calls for destroying the status quo and hate speech that assaults various demographic groups may well be uncomfortable to read, but study of the human condition wouldn’t be honest or complete if it didn’t take a hard, thorough look into humanity’s darker corners. On the other hand, maintaining collections for that kind … Continue reading Extremism @ the Library
Su Kim Chung is head of special collections public services at UNLV Libraries—home to the Center for Gaming Research, which includes a world-renowned Gaming Collection that documents the history, economics, and regulation of the gaming industry; and the Oral History Research Center, which collects oral narratives from local residents. Several of UNLV’s digital collections provide … Continue reading Bookend: Vintage Vegas
An excerpt from Making the Most of Your Library Career, edited by Lois Stickell and Bridgette Sanders (ALA Editions, 2014). Making your mark Many thoughts percolated in my brain the day I started a new library position. I considered the new technologies, theories, and trends that I had encountered in graduate school, in journal … Continue reading How to Make the Most of Your Library Career
With the advent of the digital revolution and the opportunities and challenges that this disruption provides, the school librarian is one of the most prepared professionals to make momentous choices on behalf of students. These choices comprise a broad range of options that include hardware, software, age appropriateness, access, pricing models, collaboration with classroom teachers … Continue reading Digital Resources in School Libraries
People were increasingly looking for digital content for their e-readers and mobile devices. And they were turning to libraries, expecting that just as they had been able to borrow print books, they would also be able to borrow ebooks. Libraries were trying to keep ahead of this trend and began allocating more of their materials … Continue reading Ebooks: Getting There … But Not There Yet
It’s been two years since the Ephrata (Pa.) Public Library began lending Roku devices—digital video players that people plug into their televisions so they can view on a larger screen digitized programming that is archived online, such as the content of PBS.org, and on other streaming platforms like Netflix. The lending program has proved wildly … Continue reading Libraries Stream toward Roku Lending
