Advocacy

Pew Charts the Motivations of Library Lovers and Distant Admirers

By Beverly Goldberg | March 13, 2014

In a new report issued March 13, the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project has explored the motivations behind the relationships that American adults have with their public libraries. “Rather than describe the basic library usage of various groups, as we’ve done in the past,” Kathryn Zickuhr, the report, titled “From Distant Admirers … Continue reading Pew Charts the Motivations of Library Lovers and Distant Admirers →

DCL Ebook Report for March 2014

By James LaRue | March 6, 2014

Dear Librarians, Here is the DCL Ebook Report for March 2014 from Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries. Click here. This month I pose the following challenges: Can you locate the book on the New York Times bestseller list that is not available to libraries in any format? We’ve seen before the inability to buy an ebook (seen again here … Continue reading DCL Ebook Report for March 2014 →

Ebooks in Connecticut on the Move

By Alan S. Inouye | March 6, 2014

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in a statewide eBook symposium hosted by the Connecticut State Library and held at the University of Hartford. You will recall that the state of Connecticut passed a law last year mandating a study on library ebook lending. This report (PDF file) was issued on January 30, … Continue reading Ebooks in Connecticut on the Move →

Underfunded School Libraries Fight Back

By Beverly Goldberg | March 5, 2014

Advocating for school library services is a year-round necessity that becomes particularly pressing as spring approaches. That’s the season when school-district officials make their budget projections for the upcoming academic year, recently resulting in many school library workers receiving a provisional pink slip, issued just in case administrators need to follow through. The FY2015 cycle … Continue reading Underfunded School Libraries Fight Back →

Emerging Leaders Poised for Action

By Laurie D. Borman | March 3, 2014

What’s it like to be selected an Emerging Leader? Find out about this year’s class of 56 up-and-coming librarians in our cover story. Once again this year we’re featuring each Emerging Leader on trading cards, which will be available at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas. Not only are these leaders … Continue reading Emerging Leaders Poised for Action →

Sharing Ebooks on the Razor’s Edge

By James LaRue | February 25, 2014

Academic libraries have a big hairy problem: Over the past decade or so, their budgets have shifted from buying materials to leasing them. Journals are the main budget killers, with some subscriptions—so vital to the scholarly life—costing $30,000 annually per title. Even the wealthiest university libraries can’t buy everything. In truth, they buy less and … Continue reading Sharing Ebooks on the Razor’s Edge →

Who Do You Trust?

By James LaRue | February 19, 2014

The Connecticut library community has engaged its legislators in the ebook-availability debate. The “Report to the General Assembly’s General Law Committee pursuant to Special Act 13-10, “An Act Concerning a Study Regarding the Availability of Electronic Books to Users of Public Libraries” is the result. The report has three parts: “Whether and How Electronic Books … Continue reading Who Do You Trust? →

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Contagious Marketing

By Peggy Barber | February 10, 2014

We live in a world of communication clutter. From the internet to endless TV commercials, newspapers, magazines, signage, the inside and outside of buses—ads are everywhere. But consider: What makes you decide to try a new restaurant, read a certain book, or see a particular movie? Is it because you saw an ad, or because … Continue reading Contagious Marketing →

Exploring Gender Issues in Tech Librarianship

By Mariam Pera | February 3, 2014

Do issues of gender and race matter in a predominantly white, female profession like librarianship? According to a panel at the LITA-sponsored “Challenges of Gender Issues in Technology Librarianship” on Sunday, the short answer is “Yes, they impact everyone.” Since technology is traditionally a male-dominated arena and librarianship is more female, the panel of tech … Continue reading Exploring Gender Issues in Tech Librarianship →

Bringing TEDx to the Library

By | January 25, 2014

Unlike TED (technology, entertainment, design) talks, TEDx is planned and coordinated at the local level and is meant to give communities, organizations, and individuals the ability to independently host TED-like events. Presenter Teri Skillman, outreach coordinator at the Hamilton Library of the University of Hawaii Manoa, has organized two such events—one in 2012 and the … Continue reading Bringing TEDx to the Library →

Legacy Publishing, School Libraries, and the Fight for E-Content

By James LaRue | January 16, 2014

The world of e-content has so far focused on academic librarians, who were first to immerse their institutions in digital repositories and open access, and public librarians, who struggled to fold the new e-content market into their already crowded offerings. But Chris Harris (my predecessor as the E-Content blogger and director of the School Library … Continue reading Legacy Publishing, School Libraries, and the Fight for E-Content →

Troubling Decision Nixes Net Neutrality Rules

By Beverly Goldberg | January 14, 2014

Earlier today, a federal district court struck down net neutrality, the nondiscrimination rules of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) governing how internet service providers deliver online information. ALA President Barbara K. Stripling swiftly responded to the decision in Verizon v. FCC (PDF file) by expressing the Association’s disappointment at this blow to a principle ALA has long advocated: … Continue reading Troubling Decision Nixes Net Neutrality Rules →