Robert Rohlf, 89, director of Hennepin County (Minn.) Library for 25 years, died June 6. During his time as director from 1969 until his 1994 retirement, 15 new libraries were built and circulation grew sixfold. He started his career in 1955 at Minneapolis Public Library, where he was project manager for planning the new Minneapolis … Continue reading Rohlf, Robert
Pauline Ditala Manaka, 67, research librarian for anthropology, sociology, gender and sexuality studies, and demographic and social analysis at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), died June 18. Manaka was invited to study in the United States by President Jimmy Carter after graduating from the University of Fort Hare in Alice, South Africa, and received … Continue reading Manaka, Pauline
Julie Reese, continuing education program officer for the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, left ALA July 21.
Lori Wagner retired in June after 26 years as children’s librarian at Mitchell (S.Dak.) Public Library.
In May Steve Standefer retired after 23 years as city librarian of Mansfield, Texas.
Welcome to the 2017 Library Design Showcase, American Libraries’ annual celebration of new and renovated libraries. These are shining examples of innovative architectural feats that address user needs in unique, interesting, and effective ways. Renovations and expansions dominated this year, showing that libraries are holding on to and breathing new life into spaces already cherished … Continue reading 2017 Library Design Showcase
The following libraries are winners of the 2017 Library Building Awards, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association’s Library Leadership and Management Association. The biennial award recognizes the best in library architecture and design and is open to any architect licensed in the United States. Projects may be located anywhere … Continue reading AIA/ALA Library Building Awards
SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARDS Jen Bryant and Boris Kulikov Six Dots, written by Bryant and illustrated by Kulikov, won the award for young readers. Louis Braille, who became blind by age 5, didn’t allow his disability to prevent him from learning about the world around him. Unsatisfied with the options available, Braille tinkered with French … Continue reading 2017 ALA Award Winners
Concepts such as “cheap,” “grassroots,” and “local” are relative and open to interpretation. It costs almost nothing to scatter wildflower seeds into abandoned lots while walking or biking around your neighborhood. But it might cost upward of $5,000 to install a “parkmobile” consisting of a custom dumpster filled with tree ferns and yucca plants. You … Continue reading Tactical Urbanism
“She told me she got it for her birthday and it was a lot of fun, but one day, it just stopped working,” says Seltzer, an MIT-trained engineer and the U-Fix-It Clinic coordinator. “We took it apart together, and we were able to fix it. Pretty soon she was zipping around the parking lot on … Continue reading Libraries and the Art of Everything Maintenance
A natural fit “Librarians, by nature, curate resources,” says Jennifer Scotten, library media specialist at South Middle School in Lawrence, Kansas. Those curation abilities make librarians invaluable for implementing OERs, which can be overwhelming for first-time users browsing a seemingly endless catalog of online resources. For Kelly Hart, a 7th-grade English and language arts teacher … Continue reading Open Educational Resources
“Besides the entertainment value, we also wanted to impart some history—it’s not fake news; it’s reliable news,” says Anita Doering, archives manager at LCPL. LCPL—which also offers the by-demand Footsteps of La Crosse historic walking tour—is not the only library to recognize that sightseeing ventures are the perfect vehicle to get employees outside the building and … Continue reading Walking History
