Advocacy

World Library and Information Congress 2014 Opens

By | August 19, 2014

Keynote speaker and French philosopher Bernard Stiegler encouraged the crowd of thousands of librarians with his view that libraries will never die. Though digitization and proliferation of ebooks caused some to predict the demise of libraries, Stiegler noted that libraries are more important than ever. Outside the convention center, Libraries Without Borders, in partnership with … Continue reading World Library and Information Congress 2014 Opens →

Reference librarian Zac Laugheed of Denver Public Library.

Custom Library Book Bikes Roll Out Across US

By | August 13, 2014

“We were lucky with the weather, really,” Eric Litschel, adult services associate at Cleveland Heights–University Heights Public Library (CHUHPL), tells American Libraries. “The worst day I rode was probably a little over 10 degrees.” Sam Lapides, special projects coordinator at CHUHPL, says the library’s Book Bike program, initiated in spring 2013, was supposed to run … Continue reading Custom Library Book Bikes Roll Out Across US →

Newsmaker: Azar Nafisi

By Beverly Goldberg | August 13, 2014

AMERICAN LIBRARIES: Your efforts to promote literacy and books of universal literary value are directed primarily toward young people and adults. AZAR NAFISI: Oh, definitely. They are directed toward readers in general. I think that readers have so much in common no matter what background they come from or what age they are. Where do … Continue reading Newsmaker: Azar Nafisi →

DCL Ebook Report for August 2014

By James LaRue | August 5, 2014

Read the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries Ebook Report as a PDF file. As my colleagues at Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries have called to my attention, the DCL report has thus far mostly illuminated the difference between what libraries and consumers pay for ebooks. Alas, as this report again makes clear, that staggering inequity continues. But now … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report for August 2014 →

Macmillan’s Full Catalog of Ebooks Now Available to Public Libraries

By Rob Maier | August 4, 2014

Macmillan announced last week that it is adding its frontlist titles to its backlist pilot for public libraries, making its complete ebook catalog available for the first time. All of their titles are available for a 2-year/52-loan period (whichever comes first). Macmillan ebooks are available to individual public libraries only, not to consortia. Pricing will … Continue reading Macmillan’s Full Catalog of Ebooks Now Available to Public Libraries →

ALA President Courtney L. Young

Feedback Wanted: Strategic Planning

By Courtney L. Young | July 29, 2014

Dear colleagues: I wanted to share some highlights related to our strategic planning activities at Annual Conference. The Executive Board held two working sessions related to strategic planning. At the first session, we discussed the proposed strategic planning process document that then–ALA President Barbara Stripling and I shared with you and other members in June. … Continue reading Feedback Wanted: Strategic Planning →

Amazon Calls Baloney

By James LaRue | July 10, 2014

Maybe it’s because I’ve been rereading classic Daniel Pinkwater novels (namely, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death and The Snarkout Boys and the Baconburg Horror) but Amazon’s latest stunner of a response to stalled negotiations with Hachette reads like a young-adult comedy. Here’s the setup. Amazon was pushing Hachette to cut prices on … Continue reading Amazon Calls Baloney →

DCL Ebook Report for July 2014

By James LaRue | July 7, 2014

Read the Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries Ebook Report as a PDF file. What interests me this month is that we have a book (Meredith Wild’s Hardline) that doesn’t seem to be available in any readily obtainable format to libraries. It’s part of a series (the Hacker series, number 3), and might be categorized as erotica. … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report for July 2014 →

The Second Phase of Technological Disruption

By James LaRue | July 3, 2014

I’ve been thinking about a book called Why Nations Fail, by Daron Acemoğlu and James Robinson. To (over)summarize, the coauthors say that nations fail because they resist, and try to stifle, the disruption that follows technological breakthroughs. Technological disruption challenges prevailing power. Naturally, those established institutions try to fight back. But they rarely win. Disruption … Continue reading The Second Phase of Technological Disruption →

Getting Out of the Box

By Mariam Pera | July 2, 2014

On Sunday afternoon, programming librarians shared their ideas for “out-of-the-box” book clubs. Janie Hermann, public programming librarian at Princeton (N.J.) Public Library (PPL), shared some of the success stories and troubles her library has had. She stressed the importance of getting to know your community and offering variety, because what’s boring to one person may … Continue reading Getting Out of the Box →