August 29, 2010, marked the 40th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles, and it brought back many memories. I was part of a library contingent marching in 1970 in protest of the disproportionate number of Mexican Americans dying in the Vietnam War; some 30,000 other Chicanos were marching too. After the police … Continue reading Chicano Librarianship
The library world, in general, has done a poor job of keeping up with new technologies over the past decade, and that has hurt us in many ways. Many libraries and librarians are working hard to catch up, but the broader library culture is still sluggish. The world of information exchange is in constant flux, … Continue reading Why Must a Card Be a Card?
As libraries face the departure of staff with well-honed reference skills, years of experience in the community, and deep knowledge of the collection and traditional resources, how can we identify and retain their departing expertise—the gold in the library’s intellectual vault? How can we ensure that newly minted employees with e-knowledge skills have access to … Continue reading Wait! You Can’t Retire Without Sharing That with Us
Although it seems that the question of whether librarianship is a profession might have been settled when Melvil Dewey declared it to be one back in 1876 (the same year the American Library Association was formed), the debate goes on. In The MLS Project: An Assessment after Sixty Years, Boyd Keith Swigger enters the conversation, … Continue reading The MLS Project
Hardly a month goes by without a story in the newspapers or elsewhere in the media about a scholar who has “discovered” a lost or hitherto unknown manuscript of a text or musical work by a famous author or composer. Typically, following a headline such as “Twain’s Lost Story Discovered by Professor” or “Scholar Asks: … Continue reading The Unknown Cataloger
Authors Toni Morrison and Eula Biss were honored by the Chicago Public Library Foundation and Chicago Public Library October 20 during the Carl Sandburg Literary Awards Dinner at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum. Morrison, who received the coveted Sandburg Award honoring a significant work or body of work that has enhanced the public's awareness of … Continue reading Toni Morrison, Eula Biss Receive Carl Sandburg Literary Awards
The most exciting things have happened at the Houston Public Library’s Central Library since it reopened in May of 2008 after a two-year renovation: families are playing together and enjoying each other’s company; brothers, sisters, strangers, and friends are playing and learning together. Teen boys who now think the library is the best place to … Continue reading Gaming 2.0
The message of the American Library Association can best be summarized in one word, a word we all understand, a word that holds us together as librarians. That word is “Read.” “Why do we need libraries when all the information in the world is on the internet?” It’s a tiresome question that American librarians are … Continue reading Libraries Now More Than Ever
The libraries at Stanford University have been a juggernaut of innovation over the last 20 years. They have reenvisioned scholarly communications with the launch of HighWire Press, initiated digital preservation and archiving tools LOCKSS and CLOCKSS, become a founding member of the open-source course management software Sakai, and developed numerous enhancements to Blacklight, the open-source … Continue reading The Stanford Innovation Juggernaut
When Boardwalk Empire, the new series about Prohibition-era Atlantic City, debuted September 19, it had plenty of factors in its favor: an acclaimed director (Martin Scorsese), writer (Terence Winter), and network (HBO). But it also had a powerhouse researcher in its corner: Atlantic City Free Public Library’s Heather Halpin Perez. “I was one of the … Continue reading Boardwalk Empire’s Librarian
In what looks very much like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández paid a visit to 50 East Huron Street today, accompanied by First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, to talk with American Library Association staff about libraries. Joined by an entourage that included Dominican Consul General Giselle Castillo-Veremis and … Continue reading Dominican Republic President Consults with ALA on Library Development
On July 26, 2010, thousands of people applauded the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which mandated that disabled individuals be accorded the same rights as persons without disabilities. The celebration stimulated reflection and debate on the effectiveness of the law. No consensus about success has been reached, but … Continue reading Twenty Years of Assistive Technologies
