Trends Archives | Page 12 of 12 | American Libraries Magazine

Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities

By Lissa Staley | February 27, 2015

Any library can position itself to guide local authors toward becoming savvy and competent independent publishers. Ebooks and print-on-demand options leverage the strength of their platforms to reach larger audiences and make publishing possible within the library. Libraries can support the growth and autonomy of local writers by connecting them to relevant technology, tools, and … Continue reading Leading Self-Publishing Efforts in Communities →

The Allen County (Ind.) Public Library App

Libraries Explore Mobile Options

By Greg Landgraf | February 24, 2015

While there are vendors who offer apps that libraries can customize to their needs, some libraries have taken the step of developing mobile apps in-house. OCLS’s Shake It! was one of the first library-developed apps. Shake It! offers randomized recommendations of library materials based on age group, genre, and material type. After setting any combination … Continue reading Libraries Explore Mobile Options →

Boise (Idaho) Mayor David H. Bieter at the opening of the Boise Airport library facility on September 10, 2014.

Digital Books Are Up in the Air

By Timothy Inklebarger | February 11, 2015

Digital resources in the form of ebooks, audiobooks, and other media are beginning to take flight—literally—across the country by way of airport library branches. Branches are have popped up in airports around the country, including Philadelphia International; Seattle–Tacoma International; Manhattan (Kans.) Regional; Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood (Fla.) International; Boise (Idaho); and San Antonio International, over the last … Continue reading Digital Books Are Up in the Air →

Ferguson’s Safe Haven

By Timothy Inklebarger | November 10, 2014

After being informed that classes would be canceled, Carrie Pace, an art teacher at Ferguson’s Walnut Grove Elementary, wanted to do something, anything, to help with the recovery. While driving through town she passed the Ferguson Public Library. That’s where she got the idea to use the facility as a place for kids to go … Continue reading Ferguson’s Safe Haven →

Two different types of refreshable Braille display laptop readers demonstrated at the 2011 Universal Learning Design Conference, Brno, Czech Republic.

Promoting Access for Blind and Visually Impaired Patrons

By Mike L. Marlin | November 6, 2014

At the 37th UNESCO General Conference in Paris in November 2013, a parallel resolution passed overwhelmingly. Endorsed by the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and developed by its Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities (LPD) section, the “Manifesto for Libraries Serving Persons with a Print Disability” (the LPD … Continue reading Promoting Access for Blind and Visually Impaired Patrons →

A Novel in 30 Days

By Phil Morehart | November 1, 2014

“It’s a natural partnership,” Lissa Staley, public services librarian at Topeka and Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library (TSCPL), tells American Libraries. “We have everything you need to write a novel.” TSCPL offers two four-hour “write-ins” in November, allowing NaNoWriMo participants to work surrounded by others writers. A fiction-writing workshop and a kick-off event are held … Continue reading A Novel in 30 Days →

How Libraries Help Kids Stand Up to Bullying

By Beverly Goldberg | October 1, 2014

Before study hall was over, the principal was dealing with the perpetrators. “We handled it all immediately,” Watson tells American Libraries. “That’s a key role of what librarians can do in schools to be a force against bullying. If the students know you’re there, and that you’re an advocate for them, they’ll come to you.” … Continue reading How Libraries Help Kids Stand Up to Bullying →

Reference librarian Zac Laugheed of Denver Public Library.

Custom Library Book Bikes Roll Out Across US

By Chris Francis | August 13, 2014

“We were lucky with the weather, really,” Eric Litschel, adult services associate at Cleveland Heights–University Heights Public Library (CHUHPL), tells American Libraries. “The worst day I rode was probably a little over 10 degrees.” Sam Lapides, special projects coordinator at CHUHPL, says the library’s Book Bike program, initiated in spring 2013, was supposed to run … Continue reading Custom Library Book Bikes Roll Out Across US →

Detroit Public Library Provides Food to Fight Child Hunger

By Megan Cottrell | February 24, 2014

“Our kids come to our library branches starving,” says Merritt, executive director of the Friends of the Detroit Public Library Foundation. “They can’t concentrate.” Luckily, the person who asked the question was also someone who was poised to help—Brian Glowiak, vice president of the Chrysler Foundation, the charitable arm of the Detroit-based car company. The … Continue reading Detroit Public Library Provides Food to Fight Child Hunger →

Taking Aim at the Reality of Guns in Libraries

By Beverly Goldberg | January 14, 2014

The complexities involved are exemplified by a court case in Michigan, Capital Area District Library v. Michigan Open Carry (CADL v. MOC). The library sued MOC in 2011 for conducting open-carry protests inside CADL despite firearms being forbidden there. MOC prevailed in the lower courts, and the state supreme court declined to hear CADL’s appeal … Continue reading Taking Aim at the Reality of Guns in Libraries →

Libraries on the Vine

By Phil Morehart | December 3, 2013

“We avoided it for awhile,” says Gail Shackleton, director of library services at Appleby College, a 7–12 grade school in Ontario. She and library technician Stefania Mulyk administer the library’s social media presence, which already includes Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube. They waited to adopt Vine until four months after the app’s introduction because of … Continue reading Libraries on the Vine →

Several libraries and nonprofits are making adaptive toys available for checkout to children with special needs. (Photo: National Lekotek Center)

Toy Libraries: A Place to Play

By Megan Cottrell | December 3, 2013

Eannel, then director of the children’s library, tapped the mom on the shoulder and told her she had something for her son. A short while later she brought out a Side-Lyer toy—a device made for children with special needs, with beads and lights that make sounds and vibrate when lightly touched. “Within a minute, he … Continue reading Toy Libraries: A Place to Play →

Latest Library Links

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An Arizona antique dealer has discovered a long-overdue item from the Los Angeles Public Library, and it’s way too big to fit through the book-return slot. A bronze sculpture by US artist Lee Lawrie (best known for his free-standing Atlas in front of New York City’s Rockefeller Center) has turned up at Floyd Lillard’s antique shop in Bisbee, 50 years after it went missing from the iconic library in downtown L.A. Lillard said he plans to return the artwork to the library, just as soon as officials there decide how to transport the roughly 250-pound curved panel. He bought the sculpture about 10 years ago from a woman in Sierra Vista.

Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Sept. 20
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Rachel Kramer Bussel writes: “In April, librarian Jennifer Rothschild tweeted about the disparity between ebook and print prices publishers charge libraries vs. the public, garnering over 4,000 likes for a Tweet that read ‘So here’s the thing—I am worried that publishing is killing libraries, and that will, in turn, kill publishing,’ the first in a thread exploring the issue. The thread became so popular that Rothschild, collection engagement librarian for Arlington (Va.) Public Library, has continued them, expanding from discussing publishers’ library ebook prices to comparing prices for specific books on national bestseller lists, and noting when publishers change their terms.”

Forbes, Sept. 20
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Perhaps the largest Little Free Library in Mississippi is in Mize. It is a full-size reproduction of the TARDIS—Time and Relative Dimension in Space—a well-known device in the Doctor Who TV series that combines travel across time and space. The TARDIS is “much bigger on the inside” and full of adventure and mystery, so was an appropriate and engaging vehicle for a Little Free Library, said Dick Ford, who built most of the structure and was instrumental in getting it located outside the R. T. Prince Memorial Library in Mize. However, it is not the only TARDIS Little Free Library, as there are at least 37 others.

Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, Sept. 17
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Caroline Haskins writes: “One day in early September, Archivist Tony Cucchiara gave me a tour of the massive archival system for Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, accounting for all 570,000 burials. Green-Wood has millions of pages of burial orders, lot information, and family information spread across three buildings. The information in these files is useful to historians studying disease, to genealogists, to descendants of the deceased, and to New York history generally. However, climate change poses threats to archives around the country. In a worst-case scenario, climate change could mean that irreplaceable records documenting the course of human history are lost forever.”

Vice, Sept. 17
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A prolific book thief has been jailed for 25 months after he stole more than 7,000 books from three universities in Edinburgh, Scotland, before selling them online. Darren Barr is said to have made more than £30,000 by selling the textbooks through the online book markets WeBuyBooks, Ziffit, and Zapper. During an 11-month crime spree from October 2017, Barr is believed to have stolen thousands of textbooks from Napier University and hundreds more from Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities. The books included sought-after texts on nursing, business studies, human resources, criminology, and marketing.

The Guardian (UK), Sept. 18
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Joel Hruska writes: “Speeding up a slow PC can be a challenge, particularly when dealing with older hardware that may be on the cusp of needing an upgrade or replacement anyway. Sometimes, a system simply needs a fresh OS install or driver update to perform significantly better. In other cases, upgrade or wholesale replacement are necessary. This article is designed to help you troubleshoot a slow machine. Specifically, it walks through the process of determining whether your problem is more likely to be caused by software, hardware, or simply the age of the machine.”

ExtremeTech, Sept. 20
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Erin Nguyen writes: “Many public libraries can identify with the challenge of providing weekend programming to patrons. We know that weekends are an ideal time to provide programs for patrons who are unable to attend programming during weekday storytime sessions, yet we are often so leanly staffed on the weekends that adding the responsibility of presenting programs to our staff workload is next to impossible. Through grant funding and partnerships with a wide range of talented presenters, my library system is now able to provide Saturday family programming through our Saturday Stories and Songs series in order to meet this critical need.”

ALSC Blog, Sept. 20

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