In the six years since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has begun the process of rebuilding, slowly yet persistently returning to life. The city's public libraries are no exception: Libraries in New Orleans served as one of the beacons of hope, but in the wake of Katrina many libraries were severely damaged and their collections ruined. … Continue reading Forging a Resilient Revitalization
After “10 Reasons Why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library,” a 2001 article in American Libraries, received some unwelcome attention two weeks ago, we sought your feedback to help create an updated version. Based on reader comments and staff discussions, we’ve drafted this list of reasons why libraries matter in a digital age. … Continue reading 10 Ways Libraries Matter in a Digital Age
The ability to digitize hard copies, the proliferation of born-digital content, and increased access to online distribution hold the promise of improved access to library materials. Despite these advances, the legal issues surrounding collections increasingly hinder libraries and archives in providing this access. This hurdle can be overcome by a mixture of good policy, careful … Continue reading Keeping Library Digitization Legal
When I hear the term “movers and shakers,” I think of Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton. These are the innovators, power brokers, and pioneers that move us to places where we haven’t been and don’t necessarily want to go. They are the catalysts who wake us from our slumbers and give … Continue reading My Professional Heroes
On July 29, 1900, Mary Ayres died of consumption in Cincinnati, Ohio. An Irish immigrant who labored as a cook, Mary was 51 years old and a widow. On her official death record, no home address is given. Presumably when the disease set in, she was removed to the city infirmary. We do not know … Continue reading Born Here, Died Here
Surely, readers old enough to remember Andrew Carnegie may stare in wonderment at this title: Revive the spirit of Andrew Carnegie? Isn’t that like saluting Gordon Gekko? I am neither prepared nor qualified to untangle the robber-baron fact and fiction regarding Mr. Carnegie, but that isn’t why I am invoking his name. Rather, I hope … Continue reading Reviving the Spirit of Andrew Carnegie
Over the last decade, a fundamental shift has occurred in how students perceive and utilize libraries. No longer seen as traditional book warehouses, libraries are now collaborative environments where individuals and groups converge to study, socialize, and gain access to resources. The library was once a place to find and check out books. But today, … Continue reading The Evolving Library: Supporting New Teaching, Learning Styles
Individual books can be picked up and moved at will. It’s easy to walk a book out to the porch swing, and library books are constantly rotating out and back into the collection. But when you contemplate moving an entire collection of thousands of books, manuals, audiovisual materials, and furnishings, you need to figure out … Continue reading Booking Passage to a New Home
In this struggling economy, the local library remains the community bedrock, even as libraries report that use of service is up while their budgets are shrinking. As a librarian in Pennsylvania, I’m proud to say that we are finding creative ways to do more with less. The “One Book, Every Young Child” program is foremost … Continue reading One Book for Every Young Child
In New on the Job (2006), Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg provided useful advice for school librarians just starting out in their careers. Now, in Being Indespensable: A School Librarian’s Guide to Becoming an Invaluable Leader, they provide a template for librarians trying to save their jobs. The idea is that by “Knowing Who … Continue reading New From ALA Editions
Because many libraries are staff-strapped as well as cash-strapped, do-it-yourself programming is a growing trend. Amanda Moss Struckmeyer and Svetha Hetzler base their book, DIY Programming and Book Displays: How to Stretch Your Programming without Stretching Your Budget and Staff , on ideas they came up with at Middleton (Wis.) Public Library. They set up and … Continue reading DIY Programming
Michael P. Sauers used his own experience as a blogger (at travelinlibrarian.info) to explain the technology an easy-to-understand way in the first edition of Blogging and RSS: A Librarian’s Guide, published in 2006. Since then, he has gone into Twitter in a big way (more than 14.000 tweets) and an important change in the new … Continue reading (Micro)blogging in the Library
