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Party On! at Your Book Discussions

July 6, 2010

An avid colleague once told me that facilitating a book discussion is the most fun we can have at work. She was right. However, she didn’t mention the three Rs of any professionally done book discussion: reading, rereading, and research. As lovingly dedicated book laborers, we do most of this in our off-time with little … Continue reading Party On! at Your Book Discussions



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Mastering Moderation

June 8, 2010

You just found out you’re going to moderate a conference program or webcast. Congratulations. Now what? What exactly are you going to do? If what you do is emulate what you’ve seen most moderators do at library conferences, both physical and virtual, chances are you’ll politely ask attendees to take their seats before you start … Continue reading Mastering Moderation


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Annual Conference 2010 Preview

June 3, 2010

ALA’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24-29, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (WWCC) and surrounding hotels offers a full program agenda and an array of guest speakers culminating with members converging on Capitol Hill to express their support for library-friendly funding and policies to the U.S. Congress. The effort is designed to … Continue reading Annual Conference 2010 Preview



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Wisconsin Says “Cheese!”

June 1, 2010

“Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese! A Day in Pictures” is part of the ongoing Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries, a statewide effort to create a collective voice for Wisconsin academic, public, school, and special libraries. The campaign focuses on developing and communicating effective messages about the importance of all types of library service in Wisconsin. Inspired by … Continue reading Wisconsin Says “Cheese!”


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Dining in the District

June 1, 2010

The last several years have seen a boom in Washington restaurants. D.C. is attracting both top talent and celebrity chefs. Couple that with some legendary institutions and you can get yourself some good eats. A word about getting around: The city is broken up into four quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. Most of the … Continue reading Dining in the District


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Frontline Advocacy Is Everybody’s Job

May 25, 2010

“What makes this initiative different from previous advocacy initiatives is that it engages and empowers frontline library staff to work on advocacy at a different level than how library administrators, trustees, friends, and grassroots users operate,” says Alire. “The traditional focus has been on how to interact with elected officials and decision makers. Frontline advocacy … Continue reading Frontline Advocacy Is Everybody’s Job


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The Myth of Browsing

May 19, 2010

A headline in the November 12, 2009, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education tells what is becoming a familiar story: “In Face of Professors’ ‘Fury,’ Syracuse U. Library Will Keep Books on Shelves.” Pressed by economic realities, hurting for space, and seeing the opportunities offered by existing and emerging information technologies, the director of … Continue reading The Myth of Browsing


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10 Tips for Tracking Trends

May 11, 2010

As a public library director I spend a great deal of time searching out ways to keep my library relevant in today’s fast-changing environment. I’ve found that one method to do this is to keep myself current about societal trends and to strategize regularly about how my library might ride the wave of those trends … Continue reading 10 Tips for Tracking Trends