Librarians in the US from 1880-2009

"Librarians in the US from 1880-2009." OUPblog / Sydney Beveridge, Susan Weber & Andrew A. Beveridge.
Oxford: Oxford University Press Blog, June 20th 2011.

Oh, Charlie Brown

Public Libraries Fight to Stay Relevant in Digital Age

"Public Libraries Fight to Stay Relevant in Digital Age." Christian Science Monitor /
Boston: Christian Science Monitor Online, June 27th 2011.

"According to a recent ALA report issued by Mr. Inouye's office, it is vital that libraries adapt to the shift in how patrons seek resources.

"The purely physical library is no longer strategically realistic," the report reads, adding that while most public libraries are maintaining their physical branches, they are increasingly being drawn toward the "virtual endpoint."

In addition to making technological strides, librarians are stressing the many free resources available to patrons. With more adults out of work and money tight, the library is a place where people can conduct employment search efforts and even continue with leisurely endeavors."

Libraries Adapt to Meet Demands of Internet Age

"Libraries Adapt to Meet Demands of Internet Age." Reuters / Richard Chang.
London: Reuters Online, June 23rd 2011.

""The whole thing about the silent shushing librarian is no longer a reality," said Nader Qaimari, of Cengage Learning, which provides teaching and learning materials to educational institutions and libraries.

"The new librarian has been on Facebook or Twitter longer than you or I have. They're the most socially connected people I've ever met."

With so much information online, librarians have become free guides to learning and are often the first people job seekers turn to if they have no computer at home. During the recession libraries have become centers for career counseling, financial literacy and small business development. ...

A 2010 study by the nonprofit OCLC Online Computer Library Center found that Americans hit by the recession are 50 percent more likely to visit their library at least weekly and are nearly a third more likely to visit at least once a month.

"Eighty-one percent of economically impacted Americans have a library card compared to 68 percent of Americans who have not been impacted," the report said."

Sometimes, That Happens

Sometimes, This Happens

Why Library School?

Infographic: Anatomy of a Librarian

"Infographic: Anatomy of a Librarian." Marianne Lenox: Gadabout Library Trainer / Marianne Lenox.

Alabama: Marianne Lenox: Gadabout Library Trainer, May 11th 2011.

Good Advice

Approaches to Information Literacy

Libraries Under Threat -- It's Not Fine!

"Libraries Under Threat -- It's Not Fine!" Doorway / calneeagle.
Chippenham, Wiltshire: Doorway Online, January 29th 2011.

See Also:
Overdue! The Fight to Save our Libraries Begins

Affirmation Mantra

Friday At the Library

The Problem Is Not the Homeless

"The Problem Is Not the Homeless: People Living with Substandard Housing Are in Need of Innovative Library Service." Library Journal / John N. Berry.
New York: Library Journal Online, June 15th 2011.

"Hardly someone else’s problem, homelessness is prevalent and even more persistent owing to the recession. “We are continuing to see increased numbers of people experience homelessness due to the economy and the foreclosure crisis. Right now, there is an upward trend,” says Whitney Gent, development and communications director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Libraries, Gent contends, can do more. “Libraries are information spaces so they can serve a key role in helping people find resources to end their homelessness or to prevent it.” "

Library Succession Planning

Library Succession Planning: Findings & Recommendations / Library Succession Planning Group.
America: Department of Justice Libraries, c2007.

Communities Stand Behind Librarians Facing Layoffs

"Communities Stand Behind Librarians Facing Layoffs." The Huffington Post /
New York: The Huffington Post Online, June 13th 2011.

"As budget constraints continue to endanger school library programs, Assistant Commissioner [for the Colorado State Library Eugene] Hainer encourages communities not to give up the fight. "I think this is a critical issue for our country -- [libraries are] essential," he insists. "We can't lose this resource."

Job Satisfaction 2011 / Library Journal

"LJ 2011 Job Satisfaction Survey | Rocked By Recession, Buoyed By Service." Library Journal / Rebecca Miller.
New York: Library Journal Online, June 1st 2011.

"Those who are satisfied are sustained by doing public good and the relationships and human interactions involved in serving their constituencies. Across all library types, 49 percent of respondents agreed that their chief satisfaction is helping users and working with the public. “Each day I get to help people in a thousand different ways,” one public librarian noted. “By helping them, I learn and grow as a human being. It is as simple as that.”

Why I Need My High School Library

Librarians Necessary

"Librarians Necessary." The Intelligencer / Colin Mackay.
Belleville, Ontrio: The Intelligencer Online, June 2nd 2011.

"How to access information, evaluate its authenticity and then use it for research is a skill needed by all students. The teacher librarian has a huge role to play by teaching students how to acquire these necessary skills.

Teaching children that the Internet is a gateway to information is important but it is also essential students realize many Internet sites are inaccurate. Many Internet sites are not edited properly and do not have simple checks and balances that published books must have.

The teacher librarian can teach students to become proficiently selective. A teacher librarian will be particularly familiar with this and help kids move past the cut and paste of Wikipedia.

Teacher librarians are critical because, as many studies show, they enhance students' skills in research and the use of information technology, valuable skills in a today's society.

Studies have also shown that having a teacher librarian improves reading abilities and in turn achievement on standardized test scores.

So if everybody knows this helps students achieve proper skills and higher test scores why are teacher librarians numbers dwindling?"

Abandoned Detroit Public Library

Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre

Read

Serendipity is Not Quantifiable

"Serendipity is Not Quantifiable." Tinfoil Raccoon / Rochelle Hartman.
Bloomington, IL: Tinfoil Raccoon, June 7th 2011.

"I got a reference question from a young man yesterday, the likes of which is not on the sheet of tracked reference questions. It was so simple that I was able to answer it off the top of my head. And it was so amazing that it made my heart nearly burst with joy. This is the first week of summer vacation, so we've had a lot of young people in the library. He looked to be high school-aged, but could have been in college. His question?  "Do you have a poetry section?" Since he was student-aged and a boy, I assumed this was a forced march for him, so I asked him if he was looking for something in particular--maybe even a particular poem (which I would have tried to Google for him). "No, I just want to browse."  Just. Want. To. Browse...Poetry?  I kept my cool. I probably smiled a little too broadly, but calmly directed him to 811 and let him do what libraries have let patrons do for decades: provide him with the non-commercial experience of leisurely browsing and discovery."

A Last Hug For High School Librarian

"A Last Hug For High School Librarian." Windsor Star / Emily Tremblay.
Windsor, ON: The Windsor Star Online, June 8th 2011.

"Today was our librarian, Mrs. Delbello's, last day of school. She was laid off by the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board.

I go to F.J. Brennan high school. After Catholic Education Week, we the students learned that practically all of our librarians were going to be laid off. Many of us were devastated."

Millennial Librarians: Who They Are & How They Are Different from the Rest of Us

"Millennial Librarians: Who They Are & How They Are Different from the Rest of Us." ACRL / Jenny Emanuel.
Philadelphia: Association of College & Research Libraries, April 2011.

"Now that NextGen librarianship has matured, a new generation of Millennials is starting to become librarians, who are the Millennials. No scholarly studies in the library literature have yet to critically examine the traits of the Millennials, how to recruit and retain them to the profession, and the traits they are bringing to librarianship.

Academic librarians have discussed the Millennial generation as students for several years now. However, the same students are now choosing careers and some are choosing academic librarianship. Now is the time to stop looking at the Millennials as students and start seeing them as career entrants to librarianship. The library profession needs to start looking at how its culture can accept and grow new librarians who are members of the Millennial generation and stop looking at them only as students using library services and resources."

An Open Book

"An Open Book." The Guardian / Leo Benedictus.
London: The Guardian Online, March 7th 2009.

"Despite the pressures on her time, however, this traditional face-to-face work is still something she particularly enjoys. "It's that idea of librarianship being like a detective role," she explains, her eyes lighting up. "People come to you wanting to find information, and you are able - hopefully - to help them track it down in places, perhaps, that they wouldn't know to look. Or in ways that they wouldn't know how to look."

One slight regret I sense from her, however, is that there is so little understanding out there of what librarians do - or how useful they are. "I think most people think it's probably quite a nice job," she says. "I think they imagine you sit in a room full of really nice interesting books and you get to read them, and help the odd person. I don't think they realise quite how busy it gets, or how much pressure you feel under." "

Success

Sail / AWOLNATION

Wish I could embed Sail video by AWOLNATION.

Wicked track!

Library Logo NYC style

Radical Patron

Save Our Library

Stacked Stacks

Special Reference

But why is that poor girl being held hostage?