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Timothy Inklebarger writes: “As libraries nationwide rapidly incorporate new technology into their collections, a seemingly smaller tech upgrade in a few library systems is going a long way toward bringing in new student patrons. Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library is among the latest to link public school students’ identification numbers to the public library system, allowing students to use their school IDs in place of library cards to check out books and access online databases of downloadable content.”...
American Libraries, Jan./Feb. |
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The latest Solutions and Services column highlights apps and resources for making music in your library, including the MusicFirst music education app, Cantata Learning’s books that pair stories with music for kids, and a case study on WhisperRoom’s sound isolation and recording booths....
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb. |
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 Jill Westen writes: “‘Bugs!’ the 1st-grader at St. Paul’s Lutheran School shouted enthusiastically. No, we weren’t in the middle of an entomology lesson. I was giving a demonstration on the didgeridoo, using the actual instrument from the Vogel Library World Music Instrument Collection at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. The circulating collection grew out of a desire to serve two kinds of students: those studying ethnomusicology and those studying for a music therapy degree.”...
American Libraries feature, Jan. 27 |
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In the first post of a new series, Wayne A. Wiegand writes about the founding of the American Library Association and the first “congress of librarians,” as part of ALA’s 140th anniversary: “At the conference, participants examined copies of the Special Report on Public Libraries and prospecti for the American Library Journal, and heard papers on practical problems in librarianship, fiction in public libraries, and Dewey’s new Decimal Classification scheme.”...
American Libraries feature, Jan. 29 |
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Michael Ridley writes: “On January 27, the members of the Canadian Library Association voted overwhelmingly to disband the organization. I’m a member of the Executive Committee that presented the motion to do this. In many ways it’s a sad day. CLA has been a voice for libraries since 1946 and for many it has been a tremendous source of professional engagement (I’ve been a member since 1976). But CLA has declined in relevance and value.”...
Exploring the Information Ecology, Jan. 27 |
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An Eau Claire, Wisconsin, man did not have a constitutional right to view pornography on a university library computer, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled January 26. The case began in December 2014, when two students doing their homework in the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire library noticed a man watching pornography on a nearby computer. Police told the man that his conduct was causing a disturbance and gave him a $295 disorderly conduct citation. He appealed....
Associated Press, Jan. 26 |
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Carolyn Anthony, 2013 president of the Public Library Association (PLA), gives an update on PLA’s blog about Project Outcome, a standardized tool that measures the impact of public libraries: “Over 200 public libraries are currently using the Project Outcome survey tools to measure the outcomes of at least one program or service, and nearly 5,000 surveys have been aggregated into the Project Outcome Data Dashboards.”...
Public Libraries Online, Jan. 20 |
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Robert C. Maier writes: “According to a panel of experts assembled by the American Library Association’s Digital Content Working Group at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, the ebook glass is half full. Libraries have reasons to be optimistic about the ebook future, though this optimism is tempered by warnings to keep the pressure on publishers, vendors, and ourselves to produce a coherent user experience. It’s no secret that we’re not there yet.”...
AL: E-Content, Jan. 29 |
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Karen Muller writes: “Here in Chicago, middle and high school students are working on their Chicago History Fair projects, with the typical final product being a poster and a research paper. On college campuses, students working on their own projects may realize they need more assistance from, well, someone—and of course we hope it will be a librarian skilled in research, or better yet, skilled in teaching how to do research. Here’s a roundup of a few tools that might be of help this season.”...
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb.
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Almost 80% of middle and high schools in Harlem, New York, are violating state regulations by not having a certified librarian on staff, a local group charges. The Harlem Council of Elders, a local nonprofit that promotes educational initiatives in the neighborhood, used publicly available information to find out that 27 out of 35 schools between 110th and 155th streets don’t employ certified librarians. The city credits the low number to lack of funding and low applicant pool to fill librarian positions....
DNAinfo New York, Jan. 26 |
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The Wisconsin Senate’s Elections and Local Government Committee unanimously approved a bill January 26 that would create exceptions to privacy laws protecting library users’ identities so libraries can report delinquent borrowers to collection agencies and police. The committee vote clears the way for a full vote on the Senate floor. Wisconsin Library Association lobbyist Steven Conway said the bill would help establish uniform procedures for recovering overdue materials....
Associated Press, Jan. 26 |
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Miriam Wallen writes: “Whether you’re hoping to provide encouragement to a future NASA engineer, or entertainment for a teen who just saw the footage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 explosion and wants to know more, there are many space-related nonfiction resources out there that can compliment their specific interests. Two great options for those who are looking for a friendly introduction to space exploration are Space: Information Graphics by Simon Rogers and Rocket Science for the Rest of Us by Ben Gilliland.”...
YALSA The Hub, Jan. 27 |
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