Over the past few months, the ALA Executive Board has been involved in a range of discussions that reflect some of the more urgent issues facing libraries, and the Association’s strategic priorities. Because the Association, like libraries, must change and evolve to best serve our communities, a series of brainstorming meetings this fall asked both … Continue reading Reenvisioning ALA
I wanted to share ideas about what you can do to help solve the problem of publishers who will not sell ebooks to libraries. Stay informed. The ALA Transforming Libraries website and the American Libraries E-Content blog provide breaking news, as well as information about various studies, and reports. These include recent ebook research, information … Continue reading What You Can Do about Ebooks and Libraries
Our profession stands at a crossroads: How do libraries meld traditional roles and responsibilities with the changing expectations and needs of the communities they’re in? Joining the many different kinds of conversations at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 25–29, in Seattle, Washington, will help attendees address these and other urgent transformational issues facing libraries. ALA … Continue reading The Conversation Starts in Seattle
[leadAuthor and consultant Peter Block says empowerment, stewardship, and accountability are at the heart of what makes libraries function. As a bestselling author of Flawless Consulting, The Empowered Manager, and Community, Block writes books that deal with providing an alternative to mainstream cultural beliefs. He says connected communities can change the world, and libraries are … Continue reading A Q&A with Midwinter Speaker Peter Block
Ed. note: After examining the data from Douglas County (Colo.) Libraries’ January 2013 ebook price comparison report, two members of ALA’s Digital Content and Libraries Working Group offered their insights. JAMIE LARUE writes: Happy New Year! But it’s not so happy for libraries and ebooks. As the first pricing comparison of 2013 shows, fully half … Continue reading Libraries Can’t Buy Many of Amazon’s Ebook Hits: January 2013 Ebook Report from DCL
Since ALA President Maureen Sullivan led a delegation to New York in late September, ALA leadership and the Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) have continued to spread the word about ebooks and libraries. The reasons for these communication activities are multiple: educating librarians, providing awareness to the general public; and informing and influencing … Continue reading On the Road for Ebooks: How ALA Advocated This Fall
As content and patron interactions go online, there are a whole slew of new regulations to consider. There are the usual Section 508 compliance requirements to make resources accessible to people with disabilities, but other privacy requirements have been cropping up around the country. As of now, libraries are mostly exempt from these laws, but … Continue reading Patron Privacy in a Digital World
Ten dedicated and passionate librarians were honored for their unwavering commitment to patrons, communities, and libraries when they received the I Love My Librarian 2012 Award, presented in New York City on December 18. Patrons nominate candidates for the award, which recognizes public, school, and academic librarians. Sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York and … Continue reading 2012 I Love My Librarian Award Winners Honored
After years of being on the receiving end of unfair ebook prices and library lending restrictions from some of the world’s largest book publishers, leadership at the State Library of Kansas has had enough. To bring the public’s attention to libraries’ ongoing ebook conflict with some publishers, the state library created a Facebook page that … Continue reading How Kansans Made Ebook Inequity Go Viral on Facebook
I had the honor of delivering the opening general session address at the Iowa Library Association conference in October, and I was certainly impressed by the persistent power of Iowa librarians (as well as the beauty of Dubuque). The state library still provides strong support despite budget cuts, and the Area Education Agencies (K–12 educational … Continue reading Simon & Schuster Ebooks Can’t Resist Persistent Iowans
“Today, an unimaginable event occurred at an elementary school in Connecticut,” Susan Ballard emailed the afternoon of December 14 to the aaslforum (American Association of School Librarians) discussion list. She was writing, of course, about the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, which resulted in the violent deaths of 28 people, 20 … Continue reading Finding Words in the Wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre
I love living and working in rural Western New York, but the schools and libraries in my geographic area are facing daunting challenges in the shift to digital content. E-content is often priced on a site-based basis, and that means our small school libraries end up paying an inequitably high price. The 22 school districts … Continue reading Right-Pricing Digital Content
