Where in a library can families share their stories? Where can teens create music videos and upload them online? Where can a veteran revisit his Army buddies? The answer is in the library’s own digital media lab (DML). A DML consists of equipment for either creating original digital content or converting older media to digital … Continue reading Digital Media Labs
I recently attended the Library Assessment Conference in Seattle, which is a fantastic event for anyone who wants to keep up with trends in library assessment. At this year’s conference, one thing was abundantly clear: Data is king. All three keynote speakers spoke about the use of data in libraries to improve services, better … Continue reading Drawing the Line on Data
In May, then-President Barbara Stripling brought together a hundred individuals—and about half from outside the library community—at the Library of Congress to discuss the future of libraries. In the process, these individuals also helped launch a new ALA Center for the Future of Libraries. Later that month, Miguel Figueroa was named director of the … Continue reading Who Will Shape the Future?
Staying up to date Experts will give the latest updates on policy, research, statistics, technology, and more in the News You Can Use sessions. Sponsors include ALA divisions and offices, the ALA Digital Content and Libraries Working Group, and high-profile external organizations. Hear your colleagues describe the latest in-house innovations at the ALA Masters Series. … Continue reading Making the Most of Midwinter
“I started pitching it at the school, and my principal was absolutely against it,” Weibling tells American Libraries. The former 3rd-grade teacher, who was then working toward her master’s degree in library science, was eager to find new ways to get students excited about reading and comprehension. “Reading therapy dog programs weren’t common knowledge to … Continue reading Dog Therapy 101
Three-dimensional printers, apps, social networks. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of responding to the newest technology or educational stratagem when planning your program of service for youth and their families. Instead, start by thinking about the impact you want to have on children and teens and develop services that support those. For … Continue reading Outcomes-Based Futures
Rare book collections are not just limited to well-known libraries—they may be present in any size or type of library local history collection, or special collection surrounding an event of importance to the larger community. Sidney E. Berger’s Rare Books and Special Collections is a handbook to help an administrator understand the special aspects of … Continue reading The Convergence of LAMs
The question startled librarian Dan Marcou. He had been sitting quietly at a small town library outside of the system where he works, waiting for his wife to finish some grad school research. When he looked up, he didn’t recognize the face immediately, a man holding the hand of a young boy. “Do you remember … Continue reading Reading on the Inside
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
Admittedly, that last event may not be a traditional academic library service. But at Briggs, we’ve supplemented those traditional services by staying open until late in the evening one Friday every month to offer students the chance to unwind at Game Night @ Briggs Library. During Game Night, students can set aside their papers and … Continue reading Rolling the Dice in an Academic Library
In interviews, you’ve talked about your dismay with the direction of corporate publishing. Is that what led to your involvement with ALA’s “Authors for Library Ebooks” campaign? I think it was because I had blogged about the position of libraries in the new publishing world and worked with our library here in Portland. The whole … Continue reading Newsmaker: Ursula K. Le Guin
“First in, last to leave the library,” says Jane, describing herself and her homeless community. “It’s our routine.” Jane, who prefers not to give her last name, says she’s classified as chronically homeless. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a chronically homeless person as an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who … Continue reading A Home to the Homeless
