Voters showed their library love at the polls November 6 by supporting a series of millages and bond issues for operations and construction around the nation, although there were also some notable disappointments. What follows is a quick snapshot of library-related election results. Colorado: Thanks to the passage of Measure 2A in Denver, which enables … Continue reading Libraries Fare Well Overall at the Ballot Box
It was a sunny June afternoon, perfect for playing baseball, taking a dip in the local pool—or having a virtual chat with a favorite author over Skype about what you’ve been reading. That was the message the New Albany–Floyd County (Ind.) Public Library set out to impart this summer through our first “Guys Read” program … Continue reading Connect Guys with Authors
How many passwords do you have? Michael has 221; David has 210. Some are for social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter, while others are for services used occasionally, such as SoundCloud (a place to store and share audio files) or Tripit (a travel app). The rest are for services and tools we have tried … Continue reading Unforgettable Passwords
Times are tough for libraries, and when times get tough, managers—whether college administrators, a principal, a board of trustees, or even voters—start asking about the viability of programs and the measurable benefits of those programs. That’s why understanding how to measure your library’s activities—and therefore proving their value—is critical in today’s economic environment. In Using … Continue reading Making Sure Libraries “Measure Up”
A few weeks ago, American Libraries sent you a survey. And despite all the other surveys and polls and requests that likely came to you this election season, more than 4,000 of you responded. Thank you for taking time to provide feedback. We want to know what you think about the magazine, and indeed, all … Continue reading Gauging Your Interest
Mailed to registered attendees plus more than 43,000 opt-in readers You can showcase your products, promote special offers, and tell attendees where to find your booth on the exhibit floor Read more… Next Steps Download the 2015 American Libraries media kit (PDF) See an example of Special Exhibitor Offers (Web page) Contact Us For printed information … Continue reading Special Exhibitor Offers
News coverage and reports from state libraries offered little information about damage to public and academic libraries in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the Atlantic Coast five miles southwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey, on the evening of October 29. Many public libraries, including the New York Public Library, remained closed on October … Continue reading Reports still coming in on library flooding from Hurricane Sandy
It frustrates me profoundly to have someone in the library profession approach me at a conference to challenge my credibility as a speaker—usually in view of the fact that I’m retired, out of touch, and behind the times. In other words, I’m no longer actively involved in library matters. My defense is immediate. I explain … Continue reading Trust in Your Trustees
I’m hooked on Westerns. Not the genre-blends that are popular today—the cowboy romances and the zombie Westerns—but the real thing: novels set in the Old West, featuring hard-drinking, rugged individualists who are good at doing the things that must be done and doing them with grace under pressure. Except for the setting, that definition also … Continue reading The Wild and Poetic Life of Westerns
BiblioTaptap, Haiti’s first bookmobile service, launched this past summer thanks to Libraries Without Borders (LWB) and its partners (National Library of Haiti, the Haitian National Bureau for Books, and the Foundation for Knowledge and Freedom). LWB plan to launch two more before January 2013. Named after Haiti’s “Tap taps” (“quick, quick”)—colorfully painted buses or pick-up … Continue reading Library On Wheels
I recently learned that another national library association has adopted the slogan “I am (my national library association)” as a means to engage its members. My immediate reaction was to think of ALA and how, if we were to follow suit, I would want our slogan to be “We are ALA.” We, the members of … Continue reading We Are ALA
Librarians at Seattle Public Library are serving as an official fact-checking tool for the state’s Living Voters Guide (LVG), a free nonpartisan service that enables people in Washington State to discuss, research, and ask questions about any of the state’s eight ballot measures for 2012. Created in 2010 by the University of Washington, LVG works … Continue reading Seattle Librarians Elected to Fact-Check the Living Voters Guide
