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Dollar General Invests in the American Dream

August 18, 2010

Through community partnerships, Wauconda (Ill.) Area Public Library developed Spanish- and English-language brochures, as well as a video that was posted to YouTube. Housed in a brand-new doublewide trailer, the tiny Pinewoods branch of the Athens (Ga.) Regional Library System developed a volunteer ESL training manual that’s on the library’s website. These are among the … Continue reading Dollar General Invests in the American Dream


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Early Literacy: A Sustainable Statewide Approach

August 17, 2010

Public libraries have maintained that they are significant in boosting children’s literacy since the first children’s section was established in the late 1800s. But in times of economic uncertainty, decision-makers find it easy to levy budget cuts against discrete, relatively powerless entities such as libraries. Regional approaches create entrée for libraries to gain greater visibility … Continue reading Early Literacy: A Sustainable Statewide Approach


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When Crisis Calls

August 13, 2010

I recently answered a call on ASK NYPL, the New York Public Library’s telephonic and electronic reference line, from the New York City Police Department. A 16-year-old girl was threatening to throw herself off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Brooklyn to Staten Island, and the only identification that she had in her effects was an … Continue reading When Crisis Calls





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Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading

July 27, 2010

Librarians and their supporters spoke loudly and clearly about the value of libraries during the American Library Association’s 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24–29. On Library Advocacy Day, June 29, some 2,000 librarians and library supporters registered for a rally at Upper Senate Park, according to Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA’s Washington … Continue reading Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading


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Up, Up, and Away: A Bird’s-Eye View of Mission Marketing

July 20, 2010

Early in July 1982, Larry Walters tied more than 40 weather balloons to his lawn chair and rose 16,000 feet above the smog over Los Angeles. Spotted by various aircraft, he descended by shooting the balloons with a BB gun, eventually drifting some 20 miles. He ended up hanging from some power lines. FAA officials … Continue reading Up, Up, and Away: A Bird’s-Eye View of Mission Marketing


Our Authors, Our Advocates

July 20, 2010

The American Library Association got a brand-new president June 29, when Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress entered the ballroom at the Renaissance hotel in Washington, D.C., dancing to the tune of “Celebration,” along with the incoming presidents of the 11 ALA divisions and four of her favorite authors: Marie Arana, Brad Meltzer, Sharon … Continue reading Our Authors, Our Advocates



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The Future of Libraries: Interview with Thomas Frey

July 16, 2010

Without consulting a crystal ball, Thomas Frey, executive director and senior futurist at the DaVinci Institute, writes and speaks about a promising future for those libraries strongly connected to their communities and quickly adaptable to the changing world around them. Tom Sloan, executive director of the DuPage Library System in Geneva, Illinois, asked Frey to discuss … Continue reading The Future of Libraries: Interview with Thomas Frey


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Good Dog. Sit. Listen.

July 15, 2010

Christopher, a bubbly 7-year-old, has come to the La Mesa branch of San Diego County (Calif.) Library to read to Sunny. With book in hand, Christopher sits down and begins. As he reads, he and Sunny cuddle together. Sunny, an 80-pound collie, is a certified therapy dog and with his handler, Gloria Laube, he visits … Continue reading Good Dog. Sit. Listen.