Library needs change as service populations shift, technology marches on, and ideas for new services blossom. These changes can happen over years, but they can also happen day-to-day as patrons seek a venue to serve their needs of the moment. The following buildings have built-in flexibility to adapt to what their patrons require. Angelo State … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2012: Service Flexibility
It’s not always feasible to update an existing building for use as a library rather than constructing new, but when it is possible it has the potential to save money, reduce environmental impact, and preserve pieces of local history. The following libraries have all successfully transformed existing spaces—some libraries, some not—to suit current and coming … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2012: Reuse and Restoration
Librarians know that technology is as much a part of the modern library as books are. The following facilities have incorporated technology into their construction projects in innovative ways. University of Akron, Ohio, Bierce Library Technology Enabled: Bierce Library’s renovation is intended to create a contemporary learning commons that facilitates interaction between students and staff … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2012: Technology Enabled
A library’s building is important, but its exterior can be as well. Many libraries have found ways to integrate the outdoors into their regular services. The following libraries have all found ways to give their patrons the opportunity to enjoy the library and the fresh air at the same time. North Carolina State University, D. … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2012: The Outdoor Library
Kids are one of the core audiences for many libraries. Spaces serving them are wildly diverse, both in form and in function—a pre-kindergartner has very different needs from a teenager. Following are several outstanding spaces for young patrons. Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, Vancouver (Wash.) Community Library Youth Spaces: The Early Learning Center at the … Continue reading Library Design Showcase 2012: Youth Spaces
Educators in the Houston metro area are readying a “book trafficker” caravan that would travel March 12–18 from Houston, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona, to donate books about the Mexican-American experience to four volunteer libraries. The donations are meant to counter the January removal of at least seven titles from Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) … Continue reading “Book Traffickers” Meet Tucson Ban on Mexican-American Studies
Age among librarians used to be fairly easy to determine, but no longer in our era of nips, tucks, Botox, and hair coloring. You can’t just come out and ask someone his or her age. We all know that in today’s world such a question is not only impolite but possibly even discriminatory. My suggestion … Continue reading The Coolness Factor
AMERICAN LIBRARIES: Your book offers so many lessons, especially for today’s youth. Is that why you decided to tell your story? JAMAL JOSEPH: It actually is. I work with young people in New York and travel the country speaking to high school and college students. The book is written through the curious eyes and passionate … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jamal Joseph
I was never any good at science, whether it was dissecting a frog or—God help me—completing a science-fair project. My personal nadir came on a chemistry exam in high school. I like to think my score of eight points out of a possible 100 remains, these many decades later, the worst officially posted number in … Continue reading Science for the Nonscientist
The second national Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, “Gathering at the Waters: Celebrating Stories, Embracing Communities,” takes place September 19–23 in Kansas City, Missouri, a joint effort of ALA’s five ethnic caucuses—the American Indian Library Association; the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association; the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; the Chinese American Librarians Association; and the … Continue reading Views from the JCLC Fundraiser in Dallas
We librarians are experts at collecting. Our jobs, our departments, our very buildings have been designed to acquire content. There is, however, another side to content that many libraries haven’t yet fully explored, and that is content creation. Yes, we have books about how to create a graphic novel, how to learn a musical instrument, … Continue reading Create a Library “Tech Shop”
Can’t you just see a group of librarians gathering around the proverbial water cooler each morning to profess their love for their patrons? “We love our patrons. Yes, we do. We love our patrons. How about you?” Okay, maybe not, but the sentiment remains. Librarians love their patrons; it’s why we do everything we do. … Continue reading Returning the Love
