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.

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.

Are You Happy?

Alex Koplin

"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!

Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2010-2011

Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2010-2011 / American Library Association.
Chicago: ALA, 2011.

Quiet, Please

Nuts & Jolts / Bill HOlman

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.

Becoming a Library Manager

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

Librarians Against Digital Rights Management

Sometimes, This Happens

Sometimes, That Happens

Reference is For Librarians

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."

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

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.

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.

Hipster Librarians

Finding Good Information on the Internet

"Finding Good Information on the Internet." Scientific American / Kevin McCluney.
New York: Scientific American Online, July 16th 2011

Naughty Librarian / Pearle Vision

Is That a Bad Thing?

"We have more libraries per person than any other city in the world.

I’ve got more libraries in my area than I have Tim Hortons."

~ Doug Ford

See:
Our Public Library: Project Rescue 

The Tao of Librarianship

"The Tao of Librarianship." Information Tyrannosaur / Andy Burkhardt.
Burlington, Vermont: Information Tyrannosaur, July 19th 2011.

"It is a philosophy which values balance, moderation, compassion and being pliant and adaptable. There is a wealth of wisdom from the Taoist philosophy that could be applied in librarianship. ...

Be Like Water (8) – “The best are like water, bringing help to all.” Water helps all people, that’s it’s nature. Just so, we should constantly be thinking about how we can best serve others. Water also is quite adaptable. It can fit easily into any sort of container and it naturally goes with the flow. Librarians too should be able to change themselves, their services, and their resources to meet their community’s needs. They should be able to adjust along with the changes that are constantly happening in the world both technologically and socially."

Make a Wish

Retiring Librarian Knows the Secret to Good Service

"Retiring Librarian Knows the Secret to Good Service." The Gleaner / Chuck Stinnett.
Henderson, Kentucky: The Gleaner Online, July 22nd 2011.

""People ask, 'What do you need a library for if you've got the Internet?' " [Donald Wathen] said. "Libraries aren't about books or tapes; libraries are about people. The library is here to serve people, to help people."

The key, he said, is embracing change and responding to what customers want.

The library today not only loans books and other materials, but provides access to technology, a variety of free classes, genealogical help and other services, and safely houses elements of Henderson's history: Old photos and documents; microfilm copies of The Gleaner, deeds, birth and death records, marriage records; old telephone books and city directories; old high school albums and more.

"People come here to find a good mystery or knowledge of how to get a job or access to a computer or ... (to attend) children's story hour," Wathen said. Some patrons visit three or four times a week; some come every day."

We Want Books!

Annual Report of Public Libraries 2010

Annual Report of Public Libraries 2010 / Federation of Ontario Public Libraries.
Ontario: Federation of Ontario Public Libraries, 2011.

From Numbers to Values: Challenges in Telling the Whole Story of the User Experience

"From Numbers to Values: Challenges in Telling the Whole Story of the User Experience." CLA Conference 2011 / Alvin M. Schrader.
Halifax: Canadian Library Association Conference, May 2011.

Breathe

Matt Willey

Critical Issues Facing the Government of Canada

Critical Issues Facing the Government of Canada / Canadian Library Association.
Ottawa: Canadian Library Association Political Task Force, 2004.

"Whether we are talking about the major library systems in a Canadian city, the small, beautiful rural library branch, the happy school library, the major research library at a university, the technical library of a college, the proud library on a reserve, the hospital library for patients and medical pros, or a fresh law library in Canada’s newest territory Nunavut, we can clearly recognize that libraries support nearly everything we care about in Canada:

* Learning and schools for our whole lives

* Preparing children for their futures

* Medical care and good health and nutrition

* Peace order and good government

* Healthy and effective communities

* Entertainment, the arts and culture

* A great democracy

* A wonderful country."

National Core Library Statistics Program Statistical Report, 1999: Cultural and Economic Impact of Libraries on Canada

National Core Library Statistics Program Statistical Report, 1999: Cultural and Economic Impact of Libraries on Canada / Alvin M. Schrader & Michael R. Brundin.
Ottawa: Library & Archives Canada, 2002.

"It also becomes evident that libraries as physical, and increasingly virtual places, play multiple roles in the lives of their users; and, moreover, that Canadians place a high value on libraries as places for the construction of community—whether the communities are those of the general public, post-secondary students and faculty, school students and their teachers, or employees in government, industry, and the not for-profit sector. 

In the quest for quantitative descriptions and generators of economic activity, we should remember that each library transaction—whether it is a reference question, onsite consultation of material, borrowing for off-site use, or remote access—represents a “moment of truth” in the lives of Canadian library users.   

Each interaction is an opportunity for librarians and their staff to contribute to the personal and professional satisfaction of clients of every age and walk of life every day of the year in every corner of the nation.  Every outcome of library service is an individual’s story."

Doctors Prescribe Regular Library Visits

"Doctors Prescribe Regular Library Visits." Kitsap Sun / Katie Scaff.
Kitsap County, WA: Kitsap Sun Online, July 13th 2011.

"Kitsap Regional Library is working with health clinics and the nonprofit organization Reach Out and Read to promote early literacy this summer through a program called Libraries Are Doctor-Recommended."

The Long Lost Library: Living On A Budget

"The Long Lost Library: Living On A Budget." Cullman Sense / Meghan Nelson.
Cullman, AL: CullmanSense, July 14th 2011.

"At this point, you may be wondering what, exactly, the Cullman Public Library has to do with living on a budget. The answer is quite simple: it provides free book (and I was surprised to learn, movie) rentals, as well as internet and computer access.

I use 'free' in a loose manner, since the public library is funded by the government, which is, in turn, funded by us, the taxpayers. So, rather than 'free', the public library is actually more like something you are required to fund regardless of whether or not you plan to use it. When viewed in this fashion, it seems ridiculous not to take advantage of something for which you have already paid."

The Dark Ages Began with Closing A Library

What Skills Does a Digital Archivist or Librarian Need?

"What Skills Does a Digital Archivist or Librarian Need?" The Signal / Bell LeFurgy.
Washington: Library of Congress The Signal Online, July 13th 2011.

Keeping the Antennae Up: How Listening In The Library Improves The UX

"Keeping the Antennae Up: How Listening In The Library Improves The UX." Designing Better Libraries / StevenB.
Philadelphia: Designing Better Libraries, July 13th 2011.

"The best thing about listening to the user community is that it is something any library worker can do. No special training is needed. There are no listening workshops. The more staff members we can enlist to think of themselves as individual listening posts the better positioned the library is to both discover what’s broken and quickly fix and detect ideas for new services. When an undergraduate walks up to the reference desk and asks the librarian on duty why it’s not possible to send a text message from the library catalog, the antennae should start buzzing and the ideas should start flowing. If we do a good job of picking up the signals, there is no end to the ways in which we can enhance the library experience for our community members."

Follow Your Bliss

Lost in the Card Catalogue

In Lean Times, Schools Squeeze Out Librarians

"In Lean Times, Schools Squeeze Out Librarians." The New York Times / Fernanda Santos.
New York: New York Times Online,

Friday At the Library

Hiram College

Save Our Libraries, Fire the Librarians

"Save Our Libraries, Fire the Librarians." News Leader / Mike Thompson & Amelia Island.
Fernandina Beach, Florida: News Leader Online, June 27th 2011.

"Nonetheless, as so often is the nature of government, our local stewards are ignoring the real problem: It is not the perfectly good Fernandina Beach downtown library building that needs to be replaced, but the self-styled "Radical Militant" Fernandina Beach librarians who must go. Pronto.

Because commissioners collectively have failed to perform the one simple and basic function of government (to use "due diligence" before spending taxpayers' money), documented here are a few powerful and shocking reasons to root out of our library system those brazen, self-proclaimed Radical Militants who posture as mild-mannered, shushing librarians:

Reason 1: Our library is corrupted by the far-left ALA"

Uhhh, yikes. 

The Revolution is Coming

Amy Buckland

Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?

"Is a Bookless Library Still a Library?" Time / Tim Newcomb.
New York: Time Online, July 11th 2011.


The short answer, yes, but books still largely advised by this Bookpusher.

Poster Cabaret

Shake a Leg / Invisible Creature

Poster Cabaret is the online poster shop for Sebastien Foster, an indie art Business in Texas.

















Mmmm, I like dis!

5 Conversations [About Libraries] I Don't Want To Have Anymore

"5 Conversations [About Libraries] I Don't Want To Have Anymore." The Adventures of Library Girl / Jennifer LaGarde.
North Carolina: The Adventures of Library Girl, June 28th 2011.

Open Wonderful New Worlds

The Sound of Libraries Suffocating

"The Sound of Libraries Suffocating." Santa Maria Times / Editorial.
California: Santa Maria Times Online, July 5th 2011.

Are You a Level-Six Leader?

"Are You a Level-Six Leader?" HBS Working Knowledge / Mitch Maidique.
Cambridge: Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, July 6th 2011.

Without Libraries, We're Powerless

"Without Libraries, We're Powerless." Windsor Times / Shawna Sharp.
Windsor, Ontario: Windsor Times Online, July 5th 2011.

"These are centres of learning, not only for kids or teens. The library is a centre of learning for everyone, regardless of age, gender, race or the amount of income they have."

Strength

Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st-Century Public Library

Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st-Century Public Library / ALA Office for Information Technology Policy.
America: ALA, June 2011.

"••People—People are the library’s greatest advantage.  The library’s staff of professionals are available to provide unbiased service to individuals at no charge and often with little or no delay. They have no commercial or political incentives affecting their advice, adhere to a professional code of ethics, and generally are experts in one or more segments of the library’s collections. They play an active role in creating the collections; in arranging for speakers, convening events, and organizing exhibits; in selecting technology to meet user needs and offering training in its use; in organizing services to meet user needs; and in general, in fashioning the library to serve its patrons and its community. These professionals will serve as the library’s driving force for adaptive change.

•• Place—Most libraries offer the advantage of place— physical facilities that are quiet, private, and  comfortable for reading and reflection, as well as meeting places for small or large groups. These facilities exist today in many libraries throughout the country, representing a valuable physical infrastructure.

•• Price—Virtually all public libraries provide services to their patrons at no charge, a price that it is difficult for their commercial competitors to meet, except with the help of advertisements."

The Talk I Meant to Give

"The Talk I Meant to Give." In Forming Thoughts / Amy Buckland.
Montreal: In Forming Thoughts, June 26th 2011.

"...but when i think of librarians as thought leaders, i think of…revolutionaries.

believing in access to information as a human right means fighting for our communities. fighting to make sure the digital divide continues to shrink. fighting for privacy for our users. fighting against the entire concept of censorship. and lately, fighting for libraries.

so this is my call to arms. librarians are revolutionaries, and society needs us. and no i don’t mean killing all the things with fire.

true thought leaders, true revolutionaries, are willing to overthrow the system, or join it, if that’s what works best for their community."

Libraries: Information & Knowledge Spaces

"Libraries: Information & Knowledge Spaces." Huffington Post / Carla Leitao.
New York: Huffington Post Online, June 23rd 2011.

Street Librarian

"Meet Portland's Street Librarian." The Portland Mercury / Allison Hallett.
Portland, Oregon: The Portland Mercury Online, June 22nd 2011.

"When I went down to investigate, I met Laura Moulton, who handed me a business card reading "Street Librarian," and explained that she recently received a RACC grant to fund a project called Street Books, a mobile library that provides books for the homeless. (Or "people living outside," to use the website's wording.) The bike-powered library has a small trailer full of 40-odd books—an impressively diverse collection skewing slightly toward regional authors (Jim Lynch, Benjamin Parzybok, Kevin Sampsell, Tom Robbins)."

Open Cover Letters -- Anonymous Cover Letters from Hired Librarians & Archivists

Open Cover Letters -- Anonymous Cover Letters from Hired Librarians & Archivists / Steve.

Neat Librarian Career Resource.  Props, Steve!

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?

Why Libraries Still Matter

"Why Libraries Still Matter." Salon / Laura Miller.
San Francisco: Salon Online, May 11th 2011.

"Some would also say that it's a superfluous part. Public libraries across the nation and the globe now face drastic funding cuts from politicians and administrators who often claim that they're obsolete. For months, Britain has been rumbling with protests against plans to close as many as 400 local branches. Earlier this year, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he was cutting all state funding to California's libraries, leaving cities to pick up the slack. Defenders of such cutbacks typically ask why, in the age of Google and e-reader devices, anybody needs libraries.

Let's set aside the obvious rejoinder that many citizens can't afford e-readers and, furthermore, can only access Google via a library computer. The anniversary of the NYPL's main building is an occasion to talk about why the library needs to be a place as well as an ethereal mass of data residing somewhere in "the cloud." Not everything we need or want to know about the world can be transmitted via a screen, and not every experience can be digitized."

The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******

"The Society for Librarians Who Say Mother******." The Hour Community / Anne Lagacé Dowson.
Montreal: Hour.ca, May 19th 2011.

"Last week I was invited to address a congress of librarians. I discovered all over again why they are some of my favourite people.

There is something subversive about librarians and libraries. The library remains a place where information isn’t bought and sold. Even if you think of them as being fussy and discreet, what librarians do radically empowers ordinary people, enabling them to use information outside the control of elites. ...

In an age of information glut, no algorithm can replace intelligence and analysis. ...

In Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Italy and Finland, there are big national programs to improve school libraries, not close them, as we are doing."

Librarian Ninja

The Networked Librarian

We're Not Dragons in Pearls, Say Librarians, We're Just Misunderstood

"We're Not Dragons in Pearls, Say Librarians, We're Just Misunderstood." Sydney Morning Herald / Dan Harrison & Kim Arlington.
Sydney: SMH Online, May 24th 2011.

"SCHOOL librarians have poured their hearts out to a parliamentary committee, telling how they are stereotyped as dragons in cardigans, derided by colleagues who think they do little more than check books in and out, and are starved of the resources to do their jobs properly.

A report by the House of Representatives education and employment committee yesterday backed the librarians, declaring it ''indisputable that the value of teacher librarians' work has been eroded over the years and undervalued by many in the community.'' ...

The report found librarians felt undervalued, unrecognised and professionally isolated, under constant pressure to justify their existence as administrators hunted for savings. NSW is the only state in Australia that mandates each school to have a teacher librarian."

Dragons in pearls, I kinda like that.

Edinburgh Free Public Library

Shutting Libraries is Child Abuse

"Shutting Libraries is Child Abuse: Alan Bennett Speaks Out as Cuts Put 4,000 at Risk of Closure." Daily Mail / Tim Shipman.
London: Daily Mail Online, May 25th 2011.

Mr Bennett's exact words:

""A child can learn to read at home as I did 70 years ago. But my only access to books, which changed my life, was at the local library. Deprive a child of that and you hinder its development and damage it for life. Closing libraries is child abuse." "

Hear, Hear!

Don’t Discard the Librarians

"Don’t Discard the Librarians." The Globe & Mail / Ian Brown.
Toronto: Globe & Mail Online, May 20th 2011.

"Even a Globe and Mail editorial called for the death of libraries as “book-centred and quiet places” and their resurrection as “noisy digital hubs” – all to save money, because no one uses libraries any more. “Libraries should not be content to live in the 20th century,” the Globe declaimed, “as it were.”

That might be an interesting point if it were accurate. A couple of hours at local libraries in Toronto proves otherwise. Physical libraries and actual flesh-and-blood librarians seem to be more necessary than ever."

The Future of the Library

"The Future of the Library." Seth Godin's Blog / Seth Godin.
New York: Seth Godin's Blog, May 16th 2011.

"The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user."

Kindness is Never Wasted

I ❤ Books by Colour

Mind on Fire

*sigh* so aesthetically pleasing

Save the Librarians: Cutting Our Way to the Future Won’t Work

"Save the Librarians: Cutting Our Way to the Future Won’t Work." Weekly Alibi / Stuart Heady.
Albuquerque, NM: Alibi.com 20.19, May 12th-18th 2011.

"Their profession has instilled in them core values of free access to information, confidentiality and privacy, democracy, diversity, education and lifelong learning, intellectual freedom, preservation, the public good, professionalism, service, and social responsibility."