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For Episode Four of the Dewey Decibel podcast, host Phil Morehart wanted to bring you the best possible recap of the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando. He wanted to bring those celebrity interviews, staff and member conversations, and exhibit hall sounds to life for those librarians who attended, those who could not, and any listeners who may have wondered what kinds of programming and people you’ll find at Annual. The episode features interviews with Peter Coyl and Michael Eric Dyson....
AL: The Scoop, July 25 |
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John J. Huber and Steven V. Potter write: “Some would argue that the library is a nonprofit organization and is not competing with anyone. We beg to differ. Every customer has a choice and chooses whether to go to the library website or Google’s search bar, to either engage the library or order materials from Amazon. Amazon would much rather have its customers buy a book than borrow, and Google would much rather have information seekers search its website than seek out a reference librarian.”...
American Libraries feature, July/Aug. |
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Sarah Houghton writes: “Earlier this year I organized a training for library staff throughout our county from the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and a stellar local senior nonprofit named Senior Access that is dedicated to serving residents with memory-loss issues. I’m going to do my best to sum up what I learned at the training as well as what we’ve seen here in our library serving older adults with memory issues. I hope some of this can help you at your library too.”...
Librarian in Black, July 25 |
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Adrienne Green writes: “Many librarians have forgone bookkeeping and cataloging for specializing in multimedia and taking on research- and technology-oriented projects, such as digitizing archives. Theresa Quill, a research librarian at Indiana University, Bloomington, specializes in the relationship between geography and cultural behavior, and digital mapping. I spoke with Quill about what it’s like to be a modern-day librarian, and how the job has changed since the days of dial-up internet.”...
The Atlantic, July 25 |
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Troy Lambert writes: “Libraries focus on certain metrics. Much like the declining Big Five of the publishing industry, they have based their future planning on the wrong data. This has caused them to shift their priorities away from the purpose of the library. It’s not just the number of patrons who walk through the doors or the number of books borrowed that matters. The library is about cultivating a love for reading, encouraging new readers, and converting nonreaders into readers. How is that done?”...
Public Libraries Online, July 25 |
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Carl Straumsheim writes: “Open educational resources (OER) are showing signs of taking root in introductory courses, yet overall awareness of alternatives to traditional textbooks continues to lag, a new study finds. More than half of the faculty members surveyed for Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in US Higher Education, 2015–16, a report released July 26 by the Babson Survey Research Group, said they were not aware of OER or how instructors can use free or inexpensive alternatives to traditional textbooks.”...
Inside Higher Ed, July 26; American Libraries feature, June |
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Julie Satow writes: “The Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan is known for its grand public spaces, such as its two-tiered ballroom and vast lobby. But upstairs, in a windowless corner of the hotel’s administrative offices, Deidre Dinnigan toils in a cramped room not much larger than a closet. Dinnigan, the hotel’s archivist, is responsible for cataloging and researching more than 4,000 objects, from filigreed brass room numbers to yellowing advertisements from the 1950s.”...
New York Times, July 22 |
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Myat Sann Nyein writes: “I have been a librarian in Myanmar since 1985. It is a great honor to share the challenges and success of the e-Library Myanmar Project. During the darkest years until 2011, when all information was cut off, I remained a librarian because I believe in its power to improve and transform society. Now Myanmar has a new democratic government and is emerging from decades of isolation. One its most important tasks is the reform of higher education.”...
OUPblog, July 23; Electronic Information for Libraries |
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Marlon Hernandez writes: “Digital displays can be an effective way to communicate key events and information to our patrons. However, running displays has usually required either expensive hardware (installing new cables) or software (Movie Maker)—sometimes both. We had the displays ready but needed cost-effective solutions for hosting and creating the content. Enter Raspberry Pi and a movie creator that can be found in any Microsoft Office Suite purchased since 2010: Microsoft PowerPoint.”...
LITA Blog, July 25 |
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Patrick Allan writes: “In an effort to make Google Maps cleaner and easier to read, Google is removing all visual elements that aren’t absolutely necessary. That means you won’t see any more road outlines, text will stand out and be more readable, and Google is working with a new color scheme. The new colors should also make it easier to differentiate between man-made and natural features, as well as quickly identify important structures like hospitals and schools.”...
Lifehacker, July 25; Google Maps, July 25
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The 28th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were presented July 22 during a ceremony held in conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con International. Trophies went to Paper Girls, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, for Best New Series; Southern Bastards, by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, for Best Continuing Series; Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, for Best Digital Webcomic; and March: Book Two, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, for Best Reality-Based Work....
Comic Book Resources, July 23 |
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Sharon Rawlins writes: “I’ve noticed an increase recently in the number of YA books being published featuring characters who are selectively mute (at least four published this year). They can speak, but choose not to—as opposed to characters that are involuntarily mute who cannot speak because of injury, illness, or magic. I can’t explain this trend except to say that maybe current events have made authors focus more on mental health issues. Most of the recent books mentioned here are realistic fiction.”...
YALSA The Hub, July 26 |
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