It’s always an occasion for celebration when a funding authority sees fit to provide additional support to libraries. These days, it’s also a rare occasion. That’s why it was particularly heartening to receive press releases announcing budget increases for the Calcasieu Parish Public Library in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the San Antonio (Tex.) Public Library, … Continue reading Advocacy Gets a Payday
In Stevens County, Washington, public libraries are a fairly new concept. Residents voted to form a library district in 1996, transforming a hodgepodge of donation-based collections run by volunteers into a modern system. Over the past decade library staff have worked hard—not only at providing service but also on shaping perceptions of what exactly a … Continue reading Transforming a Hodgepodge
I’ve spoken to library staff from libraries all over North America and have heard countless stories about innovative new services that failed. I always ask people why they think the initiative didn’t work at their library and the answer has always been about the culture—whether it was because of controlling IT staff, managers who wouldn’t … Continue reading Nurturing Innovation
Have you noticed that we seem to have entered an era of heightened competitiveness? Lots of wagon-circling and turf-protecting. Libraryland as one big happy family aside, shrinking funds are bringing out the tiger in us. For example, the decades-long competition between OCLC and rival library vendors came to a head July 28, when for-profit SkyRiver … Continue reading The Competition Intensifies
Welcome to a showcase of the dynamic doers—a snapshot of those who have dedicated themselves to the profession, who have gone above and beyond, and whose contributions have been so significant and so varied. These individuals and institutions have been recognized by their colleagues and friends for jobs well done. From Joseph W. Lippincott recipient Thomas C. … Continue reading Dynamic Doers
Grant seeking is a marketing process. Simply stated, you define your library’s need and sell it to one who can fund your project. Librarians are their own best grant-proposal writers. No outsider can write a proposal as effectively as a “library insider” who fully understands the institution’s mission and priorities as well as the needs … Continue reading Winning Grants: A Game Planse
Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School professor and founder of Harvard Law’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, serves as one of several celebrity honorary co-chairs of the American Library Association’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative, an effort to raise $1 million in scholarships for minority students pursuing a master’s degreee in library and information science. … Continue reading Charles Ogletree on Race, Reading, and the Presumption of Guilt
Two different library stories in Texas crossed my desk in the past week that gave me pause. The first was the discouraging news from far southeast Jefferson County that county commissioners seeking to close a several-million-dollar deficit have zeroed out the $297,236 budget for the 80-year-old county library, which serves 33,000 residents in unincorporated and … Continue reading Facts, with a Generous Helping of Heart
SkyRiver Technology Solutions has filed suit (PDF file) in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco against OCLC, alleging that the "purported nonprofit with a membership of 72,000 libraries worldwide, is unlawfully monopolizing the markets for cataloging services, interlibrary lending, and bibliographic data, and attempting to monopolize the market for integrated library systems, by anticompetitive … Continue reading SkyRiver Files Antitrust Suit Against OCLC
Librarians and their supporters spoke loudly and clearly about the value of libraries during the American Library Association’s 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24–29. On Library Advocacy Day, June 29, some 2,000 librarians and library supporters registered for a rally at Upper Senate Park, according to Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA’s Washington … Continue reading Librarians Head for the Hill to Rally for Reading
The FY2010 roller-coaster ride is just about over, and many a library advocate is undoubtedly glad to see the back of it. There’s a curious symmetry about the timing: Thousands of tenacious front-line library supporters are taking stock of their finalized local budgets even as a swarm of library boosters descended on Capitol Hill June … Continue reading Libraries Reach FY2011 – Some Relieved, All Wary
"As we experience the worst recession in 80 years, we need to deal with the immediate challenges of downsizing and getting through tough times," outgoing American Library Association Treasurer Rod Hersberger told the the Association's governing Council. "Through prudent management of our resources, we can leverage the Association's financial strength (to support new business development) and … Continue reading ALA Treasurer Says New Business Still Key for Association’s Financial Strength
