Graham peppered his talk with anecdotes as he described how to create and maintain safer libraries. He should know. He’s a frequent presenter on security at ALA and the author of the 2006 classic Black Belt Librarians: Every Librarian’s Real World Guide to a Safer Workplace (now published as The Black Belt Librarian: Real-World Safety and … Continue reading To Catch a Library Thief: Black Belt Security
Born in Manchester in 1959 but raised in the bleak working-class north England industrial town of Accrington, Winterson and her adoptive family had no phones, no cars, no indoor toilets, and lived in a community where few if any had job security. Her mother was an evangelical Pentecostal who was “apocalyptic by nature” and kept … Continue reading An Interview with Jeanette Winterson
Protesters, who included the local chapter of the NAACP, held a news conference at the main library on January 13 to voice their opposition, stating that the increasing shift toward digital media will leave behind traditional users and those without money or access to new technology. Members of the community-based initiative Save Our Library (SOL) … Continue reading Emphasis on Ebooks Stirs Community Outcry in Illinois
Like many catalogers, I have been dragged to RDA. But, the other day, I had an epiphany. My mind drew a connection between RDA—at least in the way I code the beast (|erda)—and goat cheese. Just bear with me while I explain. I first tasted goat cheese in the ’90s, while I was the guest … Continue reading RDA: Food for a Cataloger’s Soul
Here I sit, minding my own business (OK, working a crossword puzzle and catching my breath after an exhilarating class session with our new graduate students about the future of the book and how libraries will respond to whatever is happening) when an email pings with a request to write an “extra” column for American … Continue reading Steve Jobs, 1955 – –
A library-museum partnership has resulted in a 60% jump in summer-reading participation at the Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library’s infoZone branch, which is located inside the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. “All of our library locations were buzzing with activity, but the Children’s Museum exceeded our expectations,” IMCPL Director of Programming and Project Development Chris Cairo said … Continue reading Summer Reading Stats Skyrocket in Indianapolis infoZone
Ten years ago, American Libraries wrote: In New York City, Washington, D.C., and across the nation, neighborhood public libraries are helping a population traumatized, saddened, and angered by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to cope and return to the comforting routines of daily life. First Lady Laura … Continue reading September 11, 2001: Traumatized by Terrorism
In the summer of 1973, I attended my first conference of the International Federation of Library Associations (held in Grenoble, France) after becoming executive director of the American Library Association. The conference buzz was speculation about me (“Who is this Bob Wedgeworth?”), since I had just succeeded David Clift. Leo M. Weins, president of the … Continue reading A Tribute to H. W. Wilson
I admit that the title is a bit of an exaggeration. For one thing, most of the books were not actually overdue. Also, some people claim there were other causes for the Civil War: slavery, states’ rights, and stuff like that. Nonetheless, the fact remains that 150 years ago, when this country was debating whether … Continue reading How Overdue Books Caused the Civil War
On July 29, 1900, Mary Ayres died of consumption in Cincinnati, Ohio. An Irish immigrant who labored as a cook, Mary was 51 years old and a widow. On her official death record, no home address is given. Presumably when the disease set in, she was removed to the city infirmary. We do not know … Continue reading Born Here, Died Here
I’ll admit it: I’ve always thought unions were a little passé. I just couldn’t shake the image of a typical union dude as a hard-bitten, grimy-fingered steelworker swigging black coffee spiked with gin. So despite the fact that as a public librarian I’m a dues-paying member myself, I’ve never mustered the enthusiasm to attend a … Continue reading I’m Not Your Scapegoat
One of the key problems of our time is lack of government transparency, and therefore restricted public access to U.S. government information. The ongoing WikiLeaks disclosures highlight the need to protest these policies and get them changed. Several of the American Library Association’s core values are directly relevant to this discussion; “access,” “democracy,” “the public … Continue reading Midwinter’s WikiLeaks Letdown
