Contents

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Think Librarians Are Hot? Not So Fast

"Think Librarians Are Hot? Not So Fast". Technorati / William Murakami-Brundage.
America: Technorati.com, September 28th 2010.


"'Librarian' may not really deserve a place on the top 50 career choices of 2011. Our nation's geek love is driving people to love books and love libraries. It even coerces people to don glasses, wear buns, and become librarians."

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Who Cares About Libraries?

"Who Cares About Libraries?" Macleans / John Geddes.
Toronto" Macleans Online, August 29th 2011.


Canadians apparently. Far from being under siege (except in Toronto), they’re thriving—and experimenting.


"Beyond the sheer fiscal capacity of governments to keep paying for them, the case for libraries remains surprisingly solid in the online age. The Canadian Urban Libraries Council commissioned Lumos Research to analyze the trends. The report, released last spring, found that for every person in a given Canadian city, the public library on average loaned out 11.3 books and other items in 2008-2009, up from 9.7 in 2000-2001. Over the same nine-year period, the number of visits to the libraries’ websites jumped to five a year per capita from only one. More loans and Web hits refute the easy assumption that Google searches and cheap online book-selling must be rendering libraries obsolete. "
See Also:
An Analysis of Public Library Trends

Monday, August 29, 2011

I Like Clouds

Martin McCormack

Canadian Libraries Lead the Way

"Canadian Libraries Lead the Way." Vancouver Sun / Stephanie Law.
Vancouver: Vancouver Sun Online, August 29th 2011.


""The world looks to us for new services and ideas, and ways to engage the community," [Ingrid Parent]  said. "Public libraries in Canada really get out to the communities and serve them in ways beyond just lending books, like by being meeting places, welcoming sites for newcomers, and by teaching new skills.""

Friday, August 26, 2011

Friday At the Library


You Can Get That At The Library?

"You Can Get That At The Library?" Chicago Tribune / Gregory Karp.
Chicago: Chicago Tribune Online, August 26th 2011.

"Librarians. Perhaps the greatest resource of all is free access to an information expert, your local librarian, who, coincidentally, can turn you on to all the new offerings the library has."

Card Catalogue Drawer A-D


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Stuck on You / Failure

The Library — It’s Not Just About Books Anymore

"The Library — It’s Not Just About Books Anymore." San Lorenzo Patch / Toni Mann.
San Lorenzo, CA: The Patch Online, August 15th 2011.

"Unfortunately, many people today don't understand the power of their library card, and have forgotten about this valuable resource. 
Some folks believe that due to the popularity of e-book readers, online bookstores and the Internet, libraries are becoming obsolete. I don’t think those people have been to a public library lately.
The library has changed since the days of shushing librarians, musty books and 3x5 card catalogs. Libraries have become dynamic community gathering spots, and places to keep current with today’s new technology.
As the economy continues its downward spiral, public library usage has skyrocketed. The need for library services and resources has increased dramatically as people have discovered the benefits of a library card over the detriments of a credit card."

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Use a Bookmark!


Making Room for Readers

"Making Room for Readers." The Millions / Steve Himmer.
America: The Millions Online, August 18th 2011.

"One recent morning, my almost four year old daughter started crying out of the blue. I asked her what was wrong, and she wailed, “I don’t have a library card!” So with a proud paternal bibliophile’s heart swollen in my chest, I strapped her into her car seat and we set off for the library in search of a library card and — at her request — in search of Tintin books like those I’d told her were my favorite stories at the library when I was young."

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Library Is Not Just A Book Warehouse Anymore

"The Library Is Not Just A Book Warehouse Anymore." Globe & Mail / Frances Bula.
Toronto: Globe & Mail Online, August 21st 2011.

"“It’s becoming that third place,” says Ms. Barlow’s deputy, Melanie Houlden, talking about the idea popularized by American writer Ray Oldenburg. His 1989 book The Great Good Place argued that “third places” – cafés, barber shops and bookstores, where people gather and talk separate from where they live or where they work – are the foundations of civil society."

Monday, August 22, 2011

Study: College Students Rarely Use Librarians' Expertise

"Study: College Students Rarely Use Librarians' Expertise." USA Today / Steve Kolowich.
Chicago: USA Today Online, August 23rd 2011.

"[Lynda] Duke and [Andrew] Asher said they were surprised by "the extent to which students appeared to lack even some of the most basic information literacy skills that we assumed they would have mastered in high school." Even students who were high achievers in high school suffered from these deficiencies, Asher told Inside Higher Ed in an interview.

In other words: Today's college students might have grown up with the language of the information age, but they do not necessarily know the grammar."

See:
Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries Project

Friday, August 19, 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Future Libraries: Change, Options & How to Get There

Future Libraries: Change, Options & How to Get There / Museums, Libraries, & Archives.
United Kingdom: Culture, Tourism, & Sport, 2011.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Baffled at a Bookcase Alan Bennett Returns to the Library

"Baffled at a Bookcase Alan Bennett Returns to the Library." London Review of Books / Alan Bennett.
London: London Review of Books 33.15, July 28th 2011.

"I have always been happy in libraries, though without ever being entirely at ease there. A scene that seems to crop up regularly in plays that I have written has a character, often a young man, standing in front of a bookcase feeling baffled. He – and occasionally she – is overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that has been written and the ground to be covered."

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

US Public Libraries: We Lose Them at Our Peril

"US Public Libraries: We Lose Them at Our Peril." Los Angeles Times / Marilyn Johnson.
Los Angeles: LA Times Online, July 6th 2010.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Leadership for New Librarians

"Leadership for New Librarians." LIS Careers / Susan Sloan.
America: LIS Careers Online,  August 2005.

"Lead with love

Love is not a word that is often used in the workplace, but love is what you need to be a leader. As librarians, we have the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of others. Love your job, love your career, and love your profession. Love your co-workers, supervisors and clients/patrons. Be inspired by leaders who help you to recognize the value of your contributions to society and be humbled by the opportunity to make a difference in the world. Have you ever met someone who truly loves her work? Her love remains constant even when faced with tedious tasks, boring meetings and difficult colleagues. The basis for her love is the fact that she knows that the work she does makes a difference. Figure out how you can make a difference in your job and career and you will lead with love."

Public Libraries: Community-Based Health Clubs For the Brain & Mind?

"Public Libraries: Community-Based Health Clubs For the Brain & Mind?" Aging Today / Alvaro Fernandez.
San Francisco: Aging Today 30.3 14-17, 2009.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Friday, August 12, 2011


"Some Cardinal Principles of Librarians' Work." Public Libraries / Sam Walter Foss.
Chicago, IL: Public Libraries 14 77-81, 1909.
  
“Don't stay in the library all the time yourself and stagnate in the musty atmosphere of your dead books. Be a public and not a private man. Get out and feel the dynamic thrill that comes from contact with live men. The club, the exchange, the street, the philanthropic and economic organizations that are feeling out for the betterment of mankind are the places where the librarian should be found frequently. He should be the best known man or woman in the city.”

Oooh, Saucy Language for a Librarian!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Your Third Place or Mine? Public Libraries & Local Communities

"Your Third Place or Mine? Public Libraries & Local Communities." Public Library Journal / Kevin Harris.
UK: Public Library Journal Online 18.2 26-29, 2003.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Becoming a Library Manager

"Chapter One: Becoming  A Library Manager." The Accidental Library Manager / Rachel Singer Gordon.
Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2004.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Librarians Know How to Check It Out

Are Public Libraries an Essential Service?

"Are Public Libraries an Essential Service? Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Says 'No' -- But He's Wrong." Macleans / Emma Teitel.
Toronto: Macleans Online, August 4th 2011.
"Over the next 24 hours more than a hundred civilian deputations would be made, directed mainly at the mayor, who swiveled in his chair, downed the occasional Red Bull, and made not-so-comfortable eye contact with angry disputants. “Save the libraries” and “Shame” were among the more popular epithets slung at Ford, whose fiscal mission—to distinguish Toronto’s “need to haves” from its “nice to haves”— has clearly put neighbourhood libraries in the latter category. His Worship’s older brother Doug—also a city counselor—helpfully poured gasoline on the library fire, making an unlikely opponent of Canadian author and T.O. resident Margaret Atwood by asserting that a) there are more libraries than Tim Hortons outlets in his neighbourhood (there aren’t), and b) he doesn’t care what Atwood has to say about his erroneous assertions because he doesn’t really know who she is."

What’s Going On With Toronto Libraries?

"What’s Going On With Toronto Libraries?" National Post / Natalie Alcoba.
Toronto: The National Post Online, July 28th 2011.

"In its most recent annual report, Toronto Public Library boasts it is the “busiest public library system in the world.” More than 18 million people visit the 99 branches, taking out more than 32-million different items. Circulation has been on the rise, increasing by 3.4% in 2010 over the previous year. Borrowing e-titles jumped an impressive 70%, but still only represents 0.8% of overall circulation. The circulation of print materials was stable, while audio books and DVDs increased. Since 2006, visits to the libraries website have increased by 26%. A survey shows that 73% of Torontonians use the library, said KPMG, a consulting firm that provided councillors with several reports on what services the city might consider cutting for budget reasons. The Toronto Public Library offers more than 27,000 programs, most of them for children, that support early literacy and book clubs."

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Whither the Library

"Whither the Library." CBC Radio One / The Current.
Ottawa: CBC Radio One Online, August 2nd 2011.

"And as city council looks for places to cut, councilor Doug Ford, the brother of Mayor Rob Ford, started counting library branches and Tim Hortons outlets. Now, his math was off. There are actually about three Tim Hortons for every one library branch in his neighbourhood.

But his comments have unleashed a fierce debate over the value and the future of libraries ... a debate that is already being fueled by questions about the role libraries play in the internet era, when so much information is readily available from just about anywhere."

See Also:
The Great Library Debate:  Are Public Libraries in the Digital Age

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Satisfaction Levels Related to Management Issues Among LIS Professionals

"Satisfaction Levels Related to Management Issues Among LIS Professionals." Annals of Library & Information Studies / Purushothama Gowda M.
Mangalore: Annals of Library & Information Studies 56 227-235, December 2009.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Job Satisfaction of Canadian University Librarians: A National Survey

"Job Satisfaction of Canadian University Librarians: A National Survey." College & Research Libraries / Gloria J. Leckie & Jim Brett.
America: ACRL pages 31-47, July 1997.