One telling image embodies the ridicule he endured. In it, his face and that of his wife Mildred are superimposed on a drawing of two monkeys’ bodies. Movie stills and ephemera from the making of Inherit the Wind (1960) document the celebrity status achieved by his attorney, Clarence Darrow (fictionalized as the thinly veiled Darrow … Continue reading Cultivating a Special Collection
The voice on the phone sounded exhausted. “I have lost my life’s work,” the man said. He was an artist who had his paintings stored in a basement somewhere in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was November 2, 2012, four days after Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey coast, and the call came … Continue reading To Protect and Preserve
Two Italian kids, planting their feet in America for the first time on Ellis Island in 1913. What had they left behind? And what lay ahead for them? It’s this photo—and others like it—that got Maura Marx into a bit of trouble. Marx is director of the effort to launch the Digital Public Library of … Continue reading A Digital Library for Everyone
Seven years ago, then–ALA President Leslie Burger helped launch the Emerging Leaders program with 117 participants and 23 projects. This year’s class of 55 Emerging Leaders met at Midwinter in Seattle, and will present their projects at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Open to librarians and support staff who are new to the profession, … Continue reading Something Old, Something New
They’re the new people greeting you at the reference desk, shelving books in the stacks, and experimenting with fresh ideas behind the scenes. These are the new library rising stars, the generation that will move, shape, and influence the present and future of the ALA and the library profession. These are the American Library Association’s … Continue reading Emerging Leaders: Class of 2013
Recent court filings, news reports, and online posts, however, have begun to shine a spotlight on libraries’ filtering policies and practices. According to legal complaints, some libraries are denying users access to websites that discuss Wicca and Native American spirituality; blacklisting websites that affirm the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities while whitelisting sites … Continue reading Filtering and the First Amendment
The demise of many manufacturing jobs during the recent recession and the continued downturn of Michigan’s economy left Jackson County suffering. Estimates showed that one in four children in the county lived below the poverty line. It was clear something needed to be done and the staff of Jackson (Mich.) District Library felt it could … Continue reading Investing at the Library
Do you listen to what customers say online about your library? Oftentimes they’re asking questions or announcing that they’re inside the building. Other times they’re sharing their experiences, both good and bad. But almost all of the time they’re using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to hold these online conversations. As library professionals, … Continue reading Follow Yourself
Sometimes relationships with those up the organizational chart are fantastic. Sometimes they are awful. Whether you work for an angel or a demon, you need to manage the relationship. Since what is required to accomplish that feat is not always obvious, I’ve put together 10 tips for success. Build relationships. Whenever I talk with library … Continue reading Managing the Managers
Pity the poor library director, whose job description includes ensuring the work gets done, the patrons are happy, the powers that be (trustees, city managers, regents, deans, principals, school board members, city council members, county commissioners, etc.) are also happy, and library employees are happy. Oh, I forgot one thing: Do all this with a … Continue reading Too Eager to Please
All around us, libraries of all types are discovering that as they look outward, they can make a dramatic difference in their communities. Long recognized as trusted educational and cultural institutions, libraries that more actively engage with their communities discover innovative services, increase their relevance, and build deeper community support. Last September, ALA announced the … Continue reading Community Building
Over the past few months, an image has been making its way around social media to underscore the value of libraries. It’s a checkout receipt from “your local library” that lists various borrowed items—three DVDs, five books, one ebook, six CDs—and the cost to the borrower for each, all of which are $0. Below the … Continue reading There Are No Free Libraries
