September/October 2016

Features & Trends

2016 Library Design Showcase

By Phil Morehart

Welcome to the 2016 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. New construction dominated this year’s submissions, but renovated and repurposed spaces were a close second, showing how today’s libraries are both … Continue reading 2016 Library Design Showcase →

ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards

By Phil Morehart

The following libraries are winners of the 2016 Library Interior Design Awards, sponsored by ALA and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The biennial competition honors international library interior design. Winners demonstrate excellence in aesthetics, design, creativity, function, and satisfaction of the client’s objectives. The competition is managed by the Library Leadership and Management Association … Continue reading ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards →

2016 ALA Award Winners

By Amy Carlton

Kelvin Watson ERNEST A. DIMATTIA JR. AWARD FOR INNOVATION AND SERVICE TO COMMUNITY AND PROFESSION of $5,000 recognizes a public librarian who demonstrates leadership in anticipating emerging trends in services, products, and technologies that will enhance the library’s position in its community. Donor: The DiMattia Family Watson, chief innovation and technology officer of Queens (N.Y.) … Continue reading 2016 ALA Award Winners →

Columnists

Latest Library Links

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Radu Tyrsina writes: “In recent years, Google has made significant changes that have particularly impacted publishers and other content creators. At the same time, we’ve witnessed the rise of alternative search engines. Although Google continues to dominate the market, there are many reasons you might consider exploring other options. We’ve compiled and tested a list of alternatives in our environment.”

Search Engine Watch, Aug. 9
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Savannah Long writes: “Regardless of your individual experience with animals coming into your library, all libraries—law libraries included—should have an animal policy. For some libraries, that may simply be a policy explicitly stating that only service animals are permitted, in accordance with federal law; however, I believe that a more in-depth policy is beneficial, and this post will discuss various elements to consider when drafting your own policy. To further assist in this process, I have written a sample animal policy for law libraries to use as a template.”

RIPS Law Librarian Blog, Aug. 5
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Michael Cairns writes: “For more than a decade, trade publishers pushed a consistent narrative: Library patrons are freeloading on ebooks, and unrestricted digital lending has/can/will cannibalize consumer sales. It’s a tidy disaster scenario, but not supported by data. Consumer ebook revenue has been declining for structural reasons that have nothing to do with library circulation since 2014. Meanwhile, the prevailing digital licensing architecture effectively taxes library patrons for accessing a public service and pushes library budgets past the breaking point.”

Personanondata, Aug. 4
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“The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI) has published the PALCI Guide to Interoperability and System Selection, a resource to help academic and research libraries evaluate whether new systems will support open standards and effective collaboration before contracts are signed. The guide walks readers through what interoperability means in practice; why it matters for cost, flexibility, and long-term access; and what open standards, as opposed to closed proprietary interfaces, allow libraries to do that closed systems don’t.”

Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation, Aug. 4
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“It’s one of the realities of the profession. On any given day, we wear all kinds of hats. We often move from one role to the next without even thinking about it. Wearing different hats is one of the reasons that many of us love library work. Every day brings something different, new challenges, and opportunities to make a difference in our communities. Finding balance isn’t only about discovering the work that brings you joy. It’s also about recognizing that you don’t have to carry everything by yourself.”

Compassionate Librarian, Aug. 7
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Courtney Pentland writes: “Every school in the country should be equipped with a specially trained, built-in literacy partner. If you do not have the benefit of a certified school librarian, the following information may inspire you to advocate on behalf of your school community to include this indispensable educator as part of your teaching faculty. If you are lucky enough to have a school librarian just down the hall from you, then these ideas may help them help you support the literacy goals for your learners.”

Knowledge Quest, Aug. 11
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M Roberts writes: “August 4 marked one year in my role at Vanderbilt. The time has flown by! One of my goals for the summer was to reflect on my first year as a librarian and to plan for the second year based on what I’d learned. Although I haven’t had as much time for that reflection as I’d hoped, for my final post as a First-Year Academic Librarian blogger, I wanted to share a few lessons learned that I’m planning to build on during the upcoming year.”

ACRLog, Aug. 10

View more Latest Library Links

September/October 2016

Features & Trends

2016 Library Design Showcase

ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards

2016 ALA Award Winners

A Place of Their Own

Libraries on Lockdown

Recommended Reading

Newsmaker: Jamie Lee Curtis

By the Numbers: Library Architecture and Design

Community Ties

Bookend: I Can Has Meme Job?

Columnists

Accessibility Matters

Advocacy School Is in Session

Ready to Code

Lead with the Value of You

Creating Successful Spaces

Community Knowledge Bases

All in the Family

Knowledge for the Win

Reading Remotely