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Megan Cottrell writes: “Like any librarian, Dan Marcou (right) gets to know his patrons. He knows about their families, what they like to read, and where they’re from. He often puts aside special books he knows that they’ll enjoy. But unlike most librarians, he ultimately hopes he’ll never see them again. Marcou is a corrections librarian with Hennepin County (Minn.) Library, and his patrons are the residents of Hennepin County Jail.”...
American Libraries feature, Jan./Feb. |
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After more than 17 years leading ALA’s Washington Office, Emily Sheketoff (right) has announced her retirement effective May 15. During her tenure, Sheketoff has been at the forefront of issues involving libraries at the national level, such as advocating for new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act, lobbying for the Library Services and Technology Act, and fighting for privacy of library patrons. Sheketoff also worked on increasing participation in National Library Legislative Day....
ALA Washington Office, Jan. 12 |
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Sponsored Content
Recorded Books is primed to kick off its third year of The Literary Classics Online Book Club. Free to libraries, the club is for all those who enjoy talking about classic literature. Look for these beloved titles in 2017
2017 Book Club Picks
January/February: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
March/April: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
May/June: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
July/August: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
September/October: Dracula by Bram Stoker
November/December: Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge |
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Doralyn Rossmann (left) and Scott W. H. Young write: “Social media can be an effective tool for building and engaging community. By following the five principles of social media optimization, your library can become an active voice in a thriving community. Shareable web content is defined by two key characteristics: It’s published on the web at a unique URL, and it’s relevant to the community. Your library has probably already published many forms of share-ready content, including items from your digital collection.”...
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb. |
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Kaitlin Throgmorton writes: “If libraries are doors to knowledge, library cards are the keys. Once a mere slip of paper bearing a patron’s name, the library card is evolving into a technologically sophisticated tool that can help patrons access information more quickly and easily than ever before. At many libraries, digital ‘cards’—which usually consist simply of numbers that patrons use to access digital items—have become standard.”...
American Libraries Trend, Jan./Feb. |
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Michael Oden writes: “Most library internships allow for experience in one area. Choosing between a public library and an academic library meant I would learn practices and policies unique to that particular type of institution. Thankfully, I came across an opportunity for a dual-library internship, applied, and was selected. The internship, based in Douglas, Georgia, allowed me to split my time between the Satilla Regional Library System and the William S. Smith Library at South Georgia State College.”...
American Libraries column, Jan./Feb. |
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The ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section has received an $8,000 grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation to provide scholarships for first-time attendees to the 2017 RBMS Conference. The funding will provide full and partial scholarships for 12 individuals to attend the conference, to be held June 20–23 in Iowa City, Iowa. Themed “The Stories We Tell,” the conference will focus on storytelling as practice and metaphor in the mission and daily work of special collections....
ACRL, Jan. 12 |
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The largest grant in the history of Illinois State University’s Milner Library will ensure that a wealth of circus history will be preserved. The library and its partners at Circus World and the Ringling Museum of Art will receive $268,000 from the Council on Library and Information Resources to digitize 315 circus route books dating from 1842 to 1969. Only 400 circus route books are known to exist. Similar to yearbooks, route books contain information about people, positions, events, and the show’s season....
Illinois State University News, Jan. 10 |
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Musician Bruce Springsteen’s (right) archive will go to Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. As part of a partnership announced January 10, the university will establish the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, which will be the repository for Springsteen’s personal collection of written works, photographs, periodicals, and artifacts from his career. The new center will promote Springsteen’s legacy and other giants of American music, like Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson....
New York Times, Jan. 10
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Mattie Quinn writes: “According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, 73% of people who visit a public library go looking for answers about their health. But as well-read as they may be, librarians aren’t always equipped to offer serious health advice or care. Adding to this troublesome trend is the fact that most of the people seeking medical help at libraries are homeless or mentally ill and in need of more care than the average person. But public libraries in Philadelphia and elsewhere are bringing health services directly to their patrons.”...
Governing, Jan. 9; Pew Research Center, Sept. 15, 2015
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Will Greenwald writes: “There are many ways to watch online content on your TV. Your television itself might have apps, or you might have a Blu-ray player or game system connected with built-in streaming services. If neither case applies, or if your TV, Blu-ray player, or game system doesn’t have the exact media features you want, you can get a dedicated media streaming hub. Most media streamers allow you to set up your TV with any online or local media streaming services you need for well under $100.”...
PC Magazine, Jan. 9
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On September 16, students at Quindaro Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, boarded a RideKC bus for what they thought would be a simple storytime with the Kansas City (Kans.) Public Library and Newbery Medal–winner Matt de la Peña (right). But they were in for a big surprise as de la Peña reenacted the story of his Last Stop on Market Street....
Kansas City (Kans.) Public Library YouTube channel, Jan. 10
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Nestled along the tree-lined Upper Cassadaga Lake in western New York lies the Marion H. Skidmore Library, run by its sole librarian, Amanda “Mandi” Shepp (right). Operated by the Lily Dale Assembly, the library houses an extensive collection of periodicals and newspapers that provide valuable information for anyone researching the history of this Spiritualist community founded in 1879. Shepp was hired in 2014 as the facility’s first professional librarian and has been busily cataloging its more than 10,000 books....
American Libraries Bookend, Jan./Feb.
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