"'Literacy' sucks. Not the concept, mind you. I mean the word 'literacy'. We have digital literacy, visual literacy, transliteracy, critical literacy, information literacy, scientific literacy, health literacy, computer literacy, digital literacy, media literacy....the list goes on and on. Of course, nobody colors within the lines, so there's a lot of confusion out there. This sucks."
"Rather than disappear, it seems more likely that if they’re really needed public libraries will devolve into various pre-20th century forms, probably some variety of subscription library. Subscription libraries were 18th and 19th century predecessors to public libraries where citizens who wanted to read would pay a fee to a library or buy shares in order to access their books and magazines."
"...undergraduates at the University of Arizona loved going to the law library because they could actually get some peace and quite there and actually get some work done. While the main libraries on campus were bustling with activity, social meetings, coffee shops and other activities, the law library seems to be what we think of when we think of a traditional library… a place you are expected to be quiet."
"A strong set of your own personal and professional values : Again, this one is applicable to anyone, but especially important if you are going to be working in an environment in which you might be the only professional. Articulating your values will help you when your boundaries are challenged at work, and also help you set the standard in your workplace (hopefully), and exhibit true leadership."
" Libraries are weird, weird places. No one ever believes me when I say that, but they really are. They are not quiet or serene. They are holding tanks of human energy teetering on the brink of glorious collapse. One of the reasons I love this racket is the sheer anarchy of them, the precarious balance of so many different people with so many different agendas crammed into one poorly-ventilated, fluorescent-lit space. It's kind of like working inside an episode of Candid Camera, where I have the limited authority to kick someone out if they pee on something. "
"To me, public libraries — the availability of free education for all — represent the collective commitment of a community to their future. They symbolize what is most important, a commitment to educating the next generation. The role of a public library should also adapt over time, and that time is finally here. It’s time to plan how we’re going to build the future and what place public libraries have, should have, or won’t have. The goal of this article is to get everyone talking about one of our great resources, the public library, and its future."
"Public libraries are considered to be perfectly situated for developing and promoting information literacy as well as for encouraging lifelong learning on a community-wide, state-wide, nation-wide and international level. (Bundy 1999; Harding 2008; Leininger 2005) Not only are they a living source of information, they provide a means by which economic barriers to learning and literacy can be overcome and through which information networks can be established and maintained. They, unlike private and academic libraries, can become an integral part in the life of each and every member of society because membership or patronage is unrestricted. Subsequently, they are the organizations best placed to bring information literacy - awareness and implementation - to the general public."
"...But if the library disappears, then we're really in trouble. A library is much more than a collection of books; it is a sanctuary, a symbol and both a model for community and its encouragement. ... A library is not just a place where many have lost themselves (as it's hard to do in the increasing clamor of a bookstore); it's where countless souls — and surely a good percentage of students — slowly find themselves."
Chicago: AALL Spectrum Online, November 2008."Set goals through strategic planning or a similar staff development program. Planning allows an organization to adapt, evolve, and successfully take on new challenges, thus preventing stagnation and apathy. Change is constant; continuing to do something simply because you have always done it that way can often lead your customers to turn elsewhere for information. Consider using a library e-newsletter, blog, or intranet as a current awareness tool to keep clientele abreast and reflect a proactive stance."
"The Library’s strategy for 2011-2015 contains five strategic priorities, based on the 2020 Vision’s themes:1. Guarantee access for future generations2. Enable access for everyone who wants to do research3. Support research communities in key areas for social and economic benefit4. Enrich the cultural life of the nation5. Lead and collaborate in growing the world’s knowledge base."
"If we're not diligent, the speed of change will inhibit if not paralyze attempts to make sense of what's happening in libraries and intervene for the good of our constituencies. Admittedly, change sometimes occurs so quickly that by the time a research project is designed and implemented, and the results analyzed, the results are no longer applicable because the situation has changed. [7] We know that we cannot plan effectively for the future by projecting increased access to current technologies, but we dare not be discouraged. The future of [all] libraries is at stake. We must begin now to understand how and why libraries and library use are changing if we want libraries to be positioned effectively in higher education a decade from now."
"“Maintaining personal interactions with the public to encourage library use while libraries become increasingly impersonal and digital will be the biggest challenge,” says a specialist with a California-based public library. “Our libraries must plan to focus on being community centers as well as community information centers or we will become obsolete. This will be a huge challenge as budgets decrease and a larger portion of our budgets will need to be spent on new digital applications.”"
