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2014 ALA Annual Must-Dos

May 12, 2014

Catch the speakers Start conference on a high note at the Opening General Session (June 27) with alternate-reality game designer Jane McGonigal and learn how games that tackle real-world problems like hunger and poverty can be used in library programming. Hear from bestselling authors and thought leaders, as well as experts from adult and youth … Continue reading 2014 ALA Annual Must-Dos


Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2014

May 2, 2014

The holiday, now commonly known as Día, celebrates multicultural children’s books, reading, and education, with libraries holding reading events and play activities for young patrons. What may have been one of the wildest celebrations in the country took place at Joliet (Ill.) Public Library. Wildlife education center Big Run Wolf Ranch brought to the library … Continue reading Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2014



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Patrons: Your New Partners in Collection Development

April 30, 2014

Librarians have always welcomed users’ suggestions for titles to add to the collection. When those titles meet the guidelines on subject matter, format, and price, librarians are happy to buy patron-suggested material. Some libraries even offer suggestion forms on their website. However, in the same way that many librarians have moved away from title-by-title selection … Continue reading Patrons: Your New Partners in Collection Development


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Going Beyond Google Again

April 28, 2014

It seems unlikely that people will give up their reliance on general-purpose search engines or their practice of beginning a search using Google or one of its competitors. But people should be encouraged to use other research tools when needed, such as databases and more specialized search engines—otherwise known as the Invisible Web. What makes … Continue reading Going Beyond Google Again


Keeping Kids in Stitches

April 22, 2014

Youngsters learn how to navigate a sewing machine courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library’s Lorain branch “Sew Lorain Kids” program. Debuting this past fall, the low-tech drop-in maker class has students producing finger puppets, lunch napkins, and hand warmers. At the suggestion of one boy in the program, kids are also experimenting with upcycling older … Continue reading Keeping Kids in Stitches


Library Systems Report

Library Systems Report 2014

April 15, 2014

This phase of the industry offers many choices, including both proprietary and open source license options, some based on cloud technologies and others that continue to rely on local hardware. Though a new generation of library services platforms has entered a phase of early adoption, the integrated library system remains viable, especially when extended to … Continue reading Library Systems Report 2014


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Newsmaker: Judy Blume

April 15, 2014

I know you’re not supposed to ask this of writers, but how’s the current book going? Slowly! It’s never good for me to stop and start, and with this book I’ve had to do that several times. Two years off to write and produce the Tiger Eyes movie. Months away from it for other reasons. But … Continue reading Newsmaker: Judy Blume


Public Libraries to Take Center Stage in Financial Literacy

April 7, 2014

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a new partnership with public libraries to help them become a trusted source for unbiased financial education information and resources in their communities. “Libraries already play an important role in communities across the United States,” CFPB Director Richard Cordray said at an April 7 press conference … Continue reading Public Libraries to Take Center Stage in Financial Literacy


Emerging Leaders

April 2, 2014

These are the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders of 2014. Initiated in 1997 as a one-year program under former ALA President Mary R. Somerville and revived in 2006 under former ALA President Leslie Burger, the Emerging Leaders program recognizes the best and brightest new leaders in our industry. It’s open to librarians under 35 years … Continue reading Emerging Leaders


ALA Leadership Institute Participants Continue to Benefit

March 26, 2014

Last August, 40 librarians gathered at the Eaglewood Resort and Spa in Itasca, Illinois, to participate in the first ALA Leadership Institute. Facilitated by ALA past-president Maureen Sullivan and Association of College and Research Libraries content strategist Kathryn Deiss, the group learned about models of leadership and group dynamics, and shared ideas and research. They … Continue reading ALA Leadership Institute Participants Continue to Benefit


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Melvil Dewey, Compulsive Innovator

March 24, 2014

This native of New York State’s burned-over district never could stop thinking about the number 10. As an adolescent, Dewey fell hard for the metric system, whose “great superiority,” as he wrote in a high school essay, “over all others consists in the fact that all its scales are purely decimal.” Considering 10 a magic … Continue reading Melvil Dewey, Compulsive Innovator