Libraries and publishers are in the business of connecting readers and authors. Bestsellers make up the majority of traffic in public libraries, but how can libraries, publishers, and others in the ecosystem team up to help readers discover the best fit for their tastes? This is the brass ring that supports a diversity of thought … Continue reading Ebook Discovery
Much attention has been paid to library lending, the availability of ebook titles that public libraries can purchase, and the business models associated with ebook acquisition. When we consider school libraries and ebooks, we discover a very different situation—greater access to the ebooks that school libraries collect, a greater variety of business models, and a … Continue reading School Library Ebook Business Models
The Pew Research Center’s Internet Project has intensively studied the changing world of public libraries for the last three years. The first stage of our research explored the growing role of ebooks, including their impact on Americans’ reading habits and library habits. Our second stage examined the full universe of library services, as well as … Continue reading A New Way of Looking at Public Library Engagement in America
You’ve been working on adapting The Giver into a movie for almost two decades. Why do you think this book has such potential as a film? Well, I was looking for a project to do with my father, Lloyd Bridges, and I wanted to make a children’s movie. So I started to look through some … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jeff Bridges
Standing in the Cecil B. DeMille Reading Room, Mehr holds one of the library’s prized possessions: director Fred Zinnemann’s shooting script for the Academy Award–winning 1953 film From Here to Eternity, filled with his handwritten production notes.
It’s been more than 40 years since ALA held its annual conference in Vegas, and many things have changed since then. But the 2014 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition, June 26–July 1, still brings together the professional development you’ve come to expect with exciting new ideas to help propel librarianship into the future. The program … Continue reading ALA Las Vegas Annual Conference & Exhibition
Buffets, 99-cent shrimp cocktails, and cigarette smoke-choked “gourmet rooms” once defined the Vegas culinary scene. The goal: Feed gamblers quickly so they can get back to the slot machines and roulette wheels. Not anymore. The city of neon has lured some of the world’s best chefs and restaurateurs, all eager to build their brand (and … Continue reading A Taste of Las Vegas
Herbst served in the US Army from January 2001 to March 2009, including two deployments during the Iraq War. It was during this time that he developed his love of reading. Herbst would visit the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation tents (MWRs) on base when time permitted. MWRs often housed small libraries that contained books donated … Continue reading From Boots to Books
“We were jazzed to have her come to the library,” said Director Betty Waznis, whose staff has been marketing the four-year-old program with press releases and partnerships with local government offices. Kunze heard about the program by word-of-mouth and called the library to make an appointment, explaining that she had a deadline looming. Library staffers asked Kunze … Continue reading Library Passport Program Wins Miss California
After years of practicing adult collection development skills in a medium-sized suburban public library, I have discovered that specific “shortcut” rules have become second nature to me. I present here an annotated rundown of my shortcuts that can help anyone create and maintain viable and successful collections for customers older than 10. My guide begins … Continue reading The Practical Librarian’s Guide to Collection Development
You’re known for making movie cameos. What is your favorite one to date? Stan Lee: I did one in the new Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie. I think it’s a very funny one. We’re pretty partial to the librarian you play in The Amazing Spider-Man. Do you have a spidey sense? No, I wish I … Continue reading Newsmaker: Stan Lee
Velez moved in with her brother, a US citizen, and at his suggestion enrolled in a free Spanish GED program offered at the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library (WPL). She earned her degree in just a few months. Now Velez and her son serve as volunteer library promotores, helping other Latinos to take advantage of free … Continue reading Connecting Latinos with Libraries
