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Facebook for Libraries

May 27, 2011

Today, I spent part of the day connecting with people. I complained about a silly election video, chatted with a college friend about a band, and put some finishing touches on plans for a conference taking place at the library. I did all this through Facebook. These days, it seems like everyone has a Facebook … Continue reading Facebook for Libraries


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The Best in Library Branding

May 27, 2011

The John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award (JCD) turned 65 years old this year and celebrated this milestone with the Midwinter announcement of the 2011 winners. Five vibrant libraries demonstrated innovative, outstanding marketing strategies in campaigns ending in 2010: Anythink Libraries of Adams County, Colorado; Edmonton (Alberta) Public Library; Loudoun County (Va.) Public Library; … Continue reading The Best in Library Branding



Keith Michael Fiels

The Digital Revolution and the Transformation of Libraries

May 25, 2011

Two major topics dominated discussions during the ALA Executive Board Spring Meeting April 22–24 at the Association’s Chicago headquarters. ALA’s new 2015 strategic plan now includes a Transforming Libraries goal that calls for the Association to “provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services in a dynamic and increasingly global digital library environment.” … Continue reading The Digital Revolution and the Transformation of Libraries


Google Ends Newspaper Digitization Project

May 24, 2011

Google emailed its newspaper partners May 19 to inform them that it would be discontinuing its effort to digitize the world’s newspaper archives and make them available online, the Search Engine Land blog reported. The project, which was started in 2008, has digitized material from about 2,000 newspapers. Existing content, about 60 million pages worth, … Continue reading Google Ends Newspaper Digitization Project


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Renewing Our Mission in New Orleans

May 16, 2011

Librarians, library support staff, vendors, and guests will once again bring their economic and muscle power to assist New Orleans’ public libraries, schools, and community rebuilding projects during the American Library Association’s 135th Annual Conference, June 23–28, taking place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, area hotels, and other venues. ALA held the first … Continue reading Renewing Our Mission in New Orleans



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Keeping Library Digitization Legal

May 2, 2011

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


Born Here, Died Here

April 26, 2011

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



Joseph Janes

A Numbers Game

April 20, 2011

26 is a peculiar number. Mathematically speaking, it’s not that interesting; the Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers tells us it’s the sum of the digits of its cube (26^3 = 17576). Yawn. Wikipedia offers the atomic number of iron, the number of Swiss cantons or Oscars won by Walt Disney, or, alarmingly, the … Continue reading A Numbers Game


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The Evolving Library: Supporting New Teaching, Learning Styles

April 11, 2011

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