Dreaming of a National Park vacation? If so, there just might be a special library for you to visit between hiking and geyser viewing. Author and California State University Stanislaus librarian Maryann Hight volunteers at LeConte Memorial Lodge Library in Yosemite. She researched several unique libraries in national parks and found it was interesting and … Continue reading Exploring National Parks, Leveraging Social Media
Libraries of all types are currently undergoing changes that most agree are transformative in nature. But what do we mean when we talk about “transforming” libraries? We mean that we are not just dealing with quantitative change—doing more, for instance—but with qualitative change. This means fundamental change in the very nature of what we do … Continue reading Defining “Transformation”
We visited C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, on April 26–28, and found spacemen, superheroes, film and TV actors, comic book artists, authors, library advocates, and more who love American Libraries!
National Bookmobile Day, April 17, celebrated during National Library Week, is a chance for libraries and patrons to recognize and honor mobile services and the dedicated employees who ensure that patrons who are unable to reach brick-and-mortar libraries can still receive library services. Here are examples of several public libraries that offer bookmobile service and … Continue reading A Snapshot of Our Nation’s Bookmobiles
On April 16, ALA staff members gathered for a reading of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as part of a worldwide celebration marking its 50th anniversary. ALA was one of 207 sites around the world where King’s letter was being read aloud today. Although part of a larger, international … Continue reading ALA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
In honor of National Library Week (April 14–20), 25 new US citizens swore their Oath of Allegiance at the Library of Congress in a special naturalization ceremony on the morning of April 15. Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), administered the oaths. Mayorkas and Susan H. Hildreth, director of the Institute … Continue reading IMLS Partnership Announced at LC Citizenship Ceremony
Seven years ago, then–ALA President Leslie Burger helped launch the Emerging Leaders program with 117 participants and 23 projects. This year’s class of 55 Emerging Leaders met at Midwinter in Seattle, and will present their projects at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Open to librarians and support staff who are new to the profession, … Continue reading Something Old, Something New
The increasingly digital context brings challenges and opportunities for librarians, library staff, archivists, and museum professionals. New roles and the competencies required to perform them are evolving. One overriding role for all of us is that of the leader. The complexity of the changes we experience leads to many unfamiliar situations in which deep learning … Continue reading Leadership in a Digital Age
Do you listen to what customers say online about your library? Oftentimes they’re asking questions or announcing that they’re inside the building. Other times they’re sharing their experiences, both good and bad. But almost all of the time they’re using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to hold these online conversations. As library professionals, … Continue reading Follow Yourself
Sometimes relationships with those up the organizational chart are fantastic. Sometimes they are awful. Whether you work for an angel or a demon, you need to manage the relationship. Since what is required to accomplish that feat is not always obvious, I’ve put together 10 tips for success. Build relationships. Whenever I talk with library … Continue reading Managing the Managers
It’s no surprise when librarians turn up at the annual SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. But this year, it felt like a breakthrough. Librarians were everywhere—appearing on panels, leading core conversations with nonlibrary audiences, hosting receptions and meet-ups. Bonnie Tijerina of Harvard University, who also chairs ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee, … Continue reading Librarians Make Their Mark at SXSW 2013
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has reversed a directive to pull Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, from CPS libraries, though she maintains the book is not appropriate for 7th graders and should be removed from classrooms. Byrd-Bennett’s reversal comes amid criticisms and complaints from parents, teachers, students, and … Continue reading Persepolis Stays in Chicago Public Schools, But Out of Classrooms
