Most libraries currently feel stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to providing access to all the materials their patrons seek. Over the years, the prices of content have soared, often well beyond the rate of inflation. At the same time, library budgets have been slashed, which further degrades purchasing power. … Continue reading Libraries as Publishers
I am a firm believer in the value of libraries because I have always enthusiastically accepted the axiom that you can learn how to do anything from a book, even the most difficult of all human endeavors—how to swing a golf club. In the course of my life, I have competed, at some level, in … Continue reading Par for the Course
If you’re like me, you’ve completely lost track of the number of times you’ve clicked the little “I agree” button—on software, upgrades, website registrations, and the like. We know, as little attention as we pay to such things, that they probably mean something, sorta, and we have that microscopic pang of guilt—or more appropriately, misgiving—about … Continue reading Exiled by iTunes
Each year, ALA Annual Conference hovers like a beautiful and tempting hot air balloon, ready to take us off on an amazing ride, filled with excitement, ideas, and a chance to see old friends and meet new ones. I observed ALA Council sessions this year, met with advertisers, and perused new products in the Exhibit … Continue reading Moving Along
It’s the time of year when all of us connected to the publishing world begin speculating about the season’s big books. The major book shows—BookExpo America in May and ALA Annual Conference in June—have come and gone, leaving dozens of potential big books in their wakes. Now comes the predicting, the opinion swapping, and, one … Continue reading Marisha Pessl’s Night Film Leaves a Lasting Impression
We like to think we’re done when we graduate from library school, MLIS in hand. But then we meet the real world and a whole new set of questions and challenges: How, specifically, does your first employer’s library really approach customer service? How does it implement new technology? And a little further down the career … Continue reading Keeping Up with Continuing Education
Arizona House Bill 2165, which was enacted in April, adds digital books and electronic records to the state’s existing privacy law, stipulating that anyone who releases information about a user’s library activities will be charged with a misdemeanor. “Over the years we’ve dealt with internet privacy for many different reasons, including identity theft,” Arizona Rep. … Continue reading Expanding Privacy Legislation to Include Ebooks
Each year, I spend a good deal of time speaking to various groups about libraries and the Association. Often, I talk about library myths. One of the most widespread and persistent myths is that younger people are not joining the Association. Data, however, shows that this is just not true. In a 2009 study conducted … Continue reading Who We Are
At the beginning of every online business reference workshop that I teach, I ask students to submit a stumper: a business reference question that has them shaking their heads. (Or shaking in their boots!) This is a sampling of some of those tricky questions as experienced by real librarians and researchers. STUMPERS: Companies Q: I … Continue reading Making Sense of Business Reference
Recent lawsuits against libraries in Kentucky continue to reverberate across the state, ever since two separate circuit-court rulings were handed down in April 2013 that found Campbell County Public Library and Kenton County Public Library had improperly raised their millage rates since 1979 and 1967, respectively. The decisions stated that the libraries did not follow … Continue reading Tax Battle in the Bluegrass State
More than 260 librarians and almost 800 library technicians who work for the Department of Defense (DOD) are being furloughed 11 days, one day per week from July 8 to September 27, due to sequestration. While this is a personal financial hardship, we are also concerned about having to cut library services for our patrons: … Continue reading Under Sequester
School librarians across the country participate in an annual ritual to mark the end of the academic year. They diligently distribute summer reading lists and encourage students to participate in their public library’s summer reading programs.This ritual is not without scholarly support. A 2010 Dominican University study, Public Library Summer Reading Programs Close the Reading … Continue reading Ramping Up Summer Reading
