Utah Lambert (left) and Jonathan Manning use the new laptops available for checkout at Anythink Brighton in Colorado.

Geek Out

September 10, 2012

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation made $100,000 grants this past November to eight libraries and four museums to plan and design their own digital learning labs where teens can hang out, mess around, and geek out. In the process, these young patrons learn to … Continue reading Geek Out





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What’s New in LIS Schools

August 21, 2012

“Librarians of the future will be knowledge navigators. They will understand digital resources as well as printed books and other formats. Their services will not be restricted by physical location, either of the materials or of themselves.” That was what Deanna B. Marcum, then on the cusp of creating the Council on Library and Information … Continue reading What’s New in LIS Schools


How Public Libraries Are a Boon to Small Business

August 13, 2012

How important? “In the last 30 years, nearly all net new jobs were created by start-ups, and they will continue to play a critical role in America’s economic future,” noted the US Department of Commerce’s chief economist Mark Doms in a March 23, 2011, post to Commerce’s Economics and Statistics Administration blog about business startups. … Continue reading How Public Libraries Are a Boon to Small Business


An Interview with Karen Keninger

August 7, 2012

Karen Keninger became director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in March. She is the first person who is blind to direct the Braille and talking-book program. Keninger is former director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, a provider of … Continue reading An Interview with Karen Keninger


Practical Matters: Prepare, Protect, and Market Your Library

July 30, 2012

Most libraries in the US are small. For public libraries, this means that the population served is under 25,000 people. Similarly, two-thirds of academic libraries serve institutions with fewer than 3,000 students. When it comes to school libraries and many special libraries, staff numbers are typically small as well. What this means, practically speaking, is … Continue reading Practical Matters: Prepare, Protect, and Market Your Library


SLA in Chicago Enchants, Challenges Special Librarians

July 18, 2012

The Special Libraries Association, the international association of information professionals and special librarians in corporations, business, science, government, and academic institutions, met in Chicago July 15–18 for its annual conference and expo. The small group (final attendance hasn’t been tallied, but past conferences averaged 4,000–6,000), a fraction of the number who attended the 2012 ALA … Continue reading SLA in Chicago Enchants, Challenges Special Librarians


Maureen Sullivan

Rethinking ALA

July 5, 2012

A year ago, then–ALA President Molly Raphael called for “all of us to work together and build a better future for all library communities.” As president-elect I took these words to heart and made the commitment to continue the work of Molly’s presidency during my term. Our strategic plan, ALA 2015 (PDF file), is an … Continue reading Rethinking ALA


Spectrum Reaches $1 Million Goal

June 22, 2012

ALA’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative recently reached its goal of $1 million in donations and celebrated with a cake shortly after the exhibits opened June 22 at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. Spectrum, an initiative dedicated to diversity and recruitment in the library profession, is chaired by former ALA President Betty J. Turock. It supports … Continue reading Spectrum Reaches $1 Million Goal