Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from an article in the January/February 2015 issue of American Libraries. The rise of seed exchanges—now numbering more than 300 across the US—has been accompanied by plenty of enthusiasm from librarians and patrons. But Cumberland County (Pa.) Library System’s Simpson Seed Library attracted a whirlwind of controversy and misinformation … Continue reading Seed Libraries and State Laws
When I travel, the first thing I typically seek out in any new city is its public library. It gives me immense pleasure to see a thriving library, full of patrons taking advantage of all the materials and services each unique place has to offer. But I know I am not alone. Any bibliophile, library … Continue reading The Price of Patronage
And now, word has reached me that the Internet Public Library (IPL), which I wrote about in the last issue, will no longer be supported at the end of this year. The news means that IPL will just miss making its 20th birthday next March 17 (the happy coincidence of my Irish heritage and a … Continue reading RIP, IPL
Technology has been changing libraries for as long as baby boomers have been in the workforce, or longer, if you consider that typewriters supplanted “library hand.” The internet increased the complexity and diversity of this change, enabling librarians—or anyone, really—to access information in more formats and in more ways. Effective use of these new means … Continue reading New Technology; New Skills
"Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor," a new exhibition at the Library of Congress (LC) in Washington, D.C., celebrates the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the influential document that limited the powers of Britain’s King John, upheld individual rights, and later came to serve as the cornerstone of constitutional law. On loan from the Lincoln … Continue reading The Magna Carta Comes to America
UPDATE: The results are in; read how these ballot initiatives fared here. In the midst of the numerous congressional seats, gubernatorial spots, and ballot measures that will be decided this Election Day 2014, today’s vote will also be pivotal to the future of some local library systems. Here is a snapshot of … Continue reading Election Day: 6 Referenda to Watch
We’ve all done that a thousand times. On the surface, “just curious” is one of those phrases that doesn’t really mean anything and gets tossed in just to signal that a question isn’t urgent or immediate or that it doesn’t connect to any larger matter. Which is fine on its face and is, in most … Continue reading Just Curious
When I talk to librarians about 3D printing, the most common question I hear—after the question about printing a gun—is “Why provide this service?” Of the many answers, the most straightforward is “We’ve always done this sort of thing.” The library is, at its core, an engine for the democratization of knowledge and information. Conceptually, … Continue reading The Case for 3D Printing
The first few months of my tenure as president of ALA have been amazingly full and rewarding. At once exhilarating, educational, and sometimes exhausting, this time has reinforced one of my own longest and deeply held convictions: Libraries are powerful. They shape minds, bolster economies, and anchor communities of every size in every corner of … Continue reading Advocate. Today.
After more than a year of development and research, the ReadersFirst Guide to Library Ebook Vendors (PDF file), which compiles information on ebook vendors and their products and then rates them on ease of use and efficiency, is available to the public. And it’s working. The guide is the brainchild of the Readersfirst Working Group, which … Continue reading ReadersFirst Eases the Ebook Experience
AMERICAN LIBRARIES: Your efforts to promote literacy and books of universal literary value are directed primarily toward young people and adults. AZAR NAFISI: Oh, definitely. They are directed toward readers in general. I think that readers have so much in common no matter what background they come from or what age they are. Where do … Continue reading Newsmaker: Azar Nafisi
ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition can be quite a production, especially in Las Vegas. For the American Libraries team, this past conference involved four editors reporting, blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook, with five freelance librarian writers reporting. Two editors hung back in the Chicago office to accept our on-the-spot work, editing for style, resizing … Continue reading How We “Do” Annual Conference
