Parent Co-Reading Survey

Parent Co-Reading Survey / Joan Ganz Cooney Center.
New York: Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Summer 2012.

Librarian Shortage

Megan Berkheiser

Libraries & the Demographic Shift

"Libraries & the Demographic Shift." Huffington Post / Haipeng Li & Janice M. Rice.
America: Huffington Post Online, September 14th 2012.

"Libraries are necessary to support these dreams, since they are the public institutions that new Americans and diverse groups rely on the most to support continued education, and English language and technology skills needed to thrive and compete in today's competitive global market."

Book Ends

Libraries: A Digital Bridge

Angry Librarian

Ask a Librarian, & Then Listen

"Ask a Librarian, & Then Listen." The Reader / J.R. Jones.
Chicago: The Reader Online, September 12th 2012.

"As they say in the south, you can't get there from here—you have to find a car, drive out to the research facility, pull on some white cotton gloves, and page through the stuff yourself. No matter how detailed the library's finding aid (a document that lists everything in a particular collection), you may need to leaf through page after page to find whatever you're after. But make sure you're sitting down, because when you find it, the rush can take your head off."

How Libraries are Reinventing Themselves for the Future

"How Libraries are Reinventing Themselves for the Future." Time / Allison Berry.
New York: Time Online, June 25th 2012.

The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World

"The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World." Flavorwire / Emily Temple.

New York: Flavorwire Online, July 4th 2012.

Is Your Library Ready for a UX Librarian? The User Experience

"Is Your Library Ready for a UX Librarian? The User Experience." Library Journal Online / Aaron Schmidt.
Harlan: Iowa: Library Journal Online, November 1st 2011.

"Your library might be ready for a UX Librarian if:
• it holds regular cross-departmental meetings that people find productive
• people in the organization put ideas before their egos
• the library is ready to research its community
• change isn't a dirty word
• there's a widespread genuine desire to improve the library"

Friday At the Library

Professional Competencies for Reference & User Services Librarians

Professional Competencies for Reference & User Services Librarians / Reference & User Services Association.
Chicago: RUSA for American Library Association, 2003.

See Also:

Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference & InformationService Providers

Always good to brush up on!

Libraries Need Leaders At Every Level

"Libraries Need Leaders At Every Level." Library Journal / Lois Langer Thompson.
Iowa: Library Journal Online, August 30th 2012.

"Earlier this year, as part of an environmental scan for a patron use and open hours study, we asked groups of Hennepin County Library staff to participate in a Trend Wave exercise. Over 500 staff completed the exercise, identifying public library trends that are on the horizon, emerging, established, and disappearing. Staff gave thoughtful responses and valuable insights that, paired with other data and similar surveys, continue to inform Library work and decision-making."

Nice work, Hennepin! 

Squatters Reopen Friern Barnet Library After Council Closes Service

"Squatters reopen Friern Barnet Library After Council Closes Service." Guardian / Diane Taylor.

UK: The Guardian Online, Tuesday September 11th 2012.

"The occupation has the blessing of many local residents who are delighted to see the locked doors of the library flung open once again. It's the first time that squatters have morphed into "community librarians" by occupying and reopening a public lending resource in this way. Book loans will be manually recorded and stamped.

Council officials have been trying for months to persuade locals enraged by the library closure to become volunteer librarians in a room in a nearby council building instead. The proposal has not been well received: residents want to see their much-loved local library reopened and stalemate has prevailed.

All that changed when the squatters moved in and embarked on unprecedented negotiations with senior council officials about the future of the library.

To everyone's surprise, instead of starting eviction proceedings immediately the council agreed to a series of meetings with the squatters to discuss ways to provide a new volunteer-run library. Senior council officials including the assistant chief executive Julie Taylor were invited to the squatted library on Monday for a meeting with the new occupants who treated them to tea and cakes. Another meeting has been scheduled for next week."

Stampin' it to the Man! 

Information Architecture

1937 Rules for Reading

Aw Shucks, Thanks Mr Gaiman!