Readers’ advisory (RA) continues to grow in complexity and scope. It’s no longer just a question of connecting a patron to a mystery or romance author similar to one they’ve enjoyed in the past. Today, RA encompasses more of a library’s book collection and also, as laid out in Integrated Advisory Service: Breaking through the … Continue reading Advisory Beyond Books
Connecting users with the information they seek is one of the central pillars of our profession. Web-scale discovery services for libraries are those services capable of searching quickly and seamlessly across a vast range of local and remote preharvested and indexed content, providing relevancy-ranked results in an intuitive interface expected by today’s information seekers. First … Continue reading Web-Scale Discovery
“I am writing this letter to tell you that I am personally very, very satisfied with your services at the Adult Corrections Facility. I am also grateful that I could get books ordered for me to help me take my medical board certification even while I am serving my time. I cannot stop thanking every … Continue reading When There Is No Frigate But a Book
As a forward-looking library faces the future, one of the most vital steps it can take is to determine where it stands right now. You might have a destination in mind, but without knowing your current location the journey ahead will be difficult. We all have opinions on how well we are performing and the … Continue reading Forward Compared to What?
Everyone needs to eat, and San Diego offers plenty of terrific options. Highlighted here are mostly restaurants in and near the Gaslamp Quarter, convenient to the San Diego Convention Center and most ALA hotels, with a few farther-flung possibilities. The Gaslamp Quarter, bounded by 4th and 6th Avenues, Broadway, and Harbor Drive, is a historic … Continue reading Where to Eat at Midwinter
Business meetings, celebrity authors—including Ted Danson, Kathy Reichs, Andre Dubus III, and Neil Gaiman—visits with vendors, and an abundance of discussion opportunities will highlight the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, January 7-11, at the San Diego Convention Center and area hotels. The eyes of the publishing world will turn to California’s second … Continue reading Ted Danson, Neil Gaiman Headline Midwinter
Reaction continues to pour in from all over the world since the Library of Congress confirmed December 3 that it was blocking access from all LC computers to the WikiLeaks website in order to prevent unauthorized downloading of classified records as ordered by the Office of Management and Budget. LC’s action raised red flags in … Continue reading Federal Ban of WikiLeaks Website Embroils Librarians
I had a splendid time at the Internet Librarian conference last fall (and not just because I made it into a birthday-celebration weekend in Monterey, though that and the yummy meals didn’t hurt matters any). It’s a crisply conducted conference and draws a varied and eager crowd. This year, I was particularly attracted to an … Continue reading No Relax
It seems only fitting that a blueprint for putting strong school library programs back on the to-do lists of education leaders should emerge from California, which hasn’t significantly increased its fiscal support for school libraries in at least two decades. In fact, former ALA President Patricia Glass-Schuman characterized the state as the “worst of the … Continue reading Californians Model How to Be Standards-Bearers for Strong School Libraries
Libraries are and will remain critical partners in ensuring sustainable local development, according to a new research report by the Urban Libraries Council. The purpose of Partners for the Future: Public Libraries and Local Governments Creating Sustainable Communities “is to qualify the public library as a vehicle for sustainability and to communicate the actions local governments … Continue reading ULC Report: Libraries Are Sustainability Partners
In 2007, the 9,214 public libraries in the United States served 97% of the total population, a figure that has remained steady for more than a decade. But while large public libraries may serve the majority of Americans—nearly 75%—small public libraries offer the most outlets. The majority of public libraries (88%) are located in small … Continue reading When Small Is All
In the office to my left, a colleague works with two oversized monitors and a driving simulator attached to his computer. From my right comes a steady bass thump as another colleague keyboards while listening to rap. In the midst of such 21st-century, tech-centric activity, an old-fashioned book-lover could feel decidedly dinosaur-like. Enter the book … Continue reading Screening Your Reads
