In his keynote speech, “Steal Like an Artist,” author Austin Kleon referenced Brian Eno's concept that creative ideas are birthed in a network, an ecology of talent known as a scenius. The scenius runs contrary to the myth of the lone genius. Rather than subscribing to the notion that people are born with creativity in … Continue reading I Came, I Saw, I Was Part of the Scenius at SXSW
Maggie Farrell maggiefarrell.com As I neared completion of my library science degree, a professor of mine, Ed Miller, encouraged my class to join the American Library Association. He spoke about the importance of ALA in advancing our professional values of intellectual freedom, privacy, and inclusion. As a member, I have benefited from ALA’s strong advocacy … Continue reading Meet the 2014 Candidates for ALA President
The Big Ideas lecture series at PLA 2014 continued March 14 with short talks by a trio of authors who offered unique perspectives on the upside of failure, the ways in which we outsmart ourselves, and the evolution of communication technologies. Failure Megan McArdle, correspondent for Newsweek and The Daily Beast and author of The … Continue reading PLA: Big Ideas from Three Big Minds
In 2013, 5.2 million people were diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, as many as 13.8 million people may be affected. As these numbers increase, libraries are faced with the challenge of providing resources to both those with the disease and their caregivers. "Five Million and Counting: Serving Patrons with Alzheimer’s and Dementia," … Continue reading Five Million and Counting
The Big Ideas series, a new morning lecture program debuting at PLA 2014, kicked off on Thursday, March 13, with a talk by writer and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek. The author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and Leaders Eat Last and a popular presenter on TEDx, Sinek drew … Continue reading Simon Sinek Opens with Big Ideas
The Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was packed Wednesday, March 12, for the first day of the 2014 Public Library Association National Conference. Following the Opening Session talk by Bryan Stevenson, founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, attendees migrated to the exhibits opening reception, where nearly 400 companies showed off their products and … Continue reading Talk and Tunes at PLA 2014 Opening Day
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
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
ALA is in the process of reimagining itself. We have engaged in conversations with members, Council, the Executive Board, and division leadership to understand what we, as a profession, want from our Association. In a nutshell, we have found that we want a welcoming, inclusive, engaged, and supportive organization. Taken at face value, these attributes do not … Continue reading Creating a Participatory ALA
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
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) aggregates resources that can be made freely available on the web from libraries, historical associations, and other cultural institutions; applies metadata; provides a platform for discovery; and makes the resources available in one central place on the web for researchers and other interested parties. Executive Director Dan Cohen … Continue reading A Midwinter Update on the Digital Public Library of America
Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, led an energetic, insightful, and often humorous discussion of the project's latest research on the role of libraries in their communities and in the lives of their patrons on Sunday at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting and Exhibits in Philadelphia. Rainie used … Continue reading Pew Research Update
