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Catherine B. Soehner and Ann Darling write: “At some point in our work life, we all must confront that most dreaded situation: the difficult conversation. There are numerous examples from all rungs of the organizational ladder. We might find people who are not fulfilling the requirements of their positions, who are regularly negative, who bully people, or who are frequently late for their shift. As a leader, you must have difficult conversations with these people to address, and hopefully remedy, these behaviors.”...
American Libraries feature, Mar./Apr. |
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Valuable atlases, maps, and large-plate books have been stolen from the rare books room of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The theft of 314 items was discovered last April when an appraisal for insurance purposes began of the rare materials in the Oliver Room. Among the missing books is a first edition of Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) and a first edition of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1776). The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is investigating....
Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette, Mar. 19 |
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On March 19, the University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council adopted a resolution objecting to the further removal of books, journals, and other materials from the Fine Arts Library. In an unusually packed meeting, faculty and students lined up to oppose previous decisions to remove the materials and to describe how their research or ability to complete assignments has been stymied by the move. They claim UT officials have essentially dismantled the fine arts library and expressed concern that the remaining collection is in jeopardy....
Austin (Tex.) American-Statesman, Mar. 19; The Daily Texan, Mar. 19 |
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Libraries across Canada have long served as valuable spaces for homeless persons, offering respite from the outdoors, books and internet access, and a space to rest or socialize. As overdose deaths began to soar several years ago, fueled by the arrival of illicit fentanyl, many libraries responded by introducing new overdose policies such as voluntary naloxone training. But at Vancouver (B.C.) Public Library, workers are prohibited from administering the drug, even if they have sought out training on their own....
Toronto Globe and Mail, Mar. 16 |
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Will Oremus writes: “A scientist-turned-political operative reportedly hoodwinked Facebook users into giving up personal data on both themselves and all their friends for research purposes, then used it to develop psychographic profiles on tens of millions of voters—which in turn may have helped the Trump campaign manipulate its way to a historic victory. But there was no data breach and Facebook’s security wasn’t compromised, then why isn’t it just Cambridge Analytica that’s in the barrel this week? It’s partly because the stakes in this particular data scandal are so high.”...
Slate, Mar. 20; The Guardian (UK), Mar. 17; New York Times, Mar. 17 |
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Rachel Metz writes: “Billions of us count on social networks to help us keep in touch with friends and family, to get the latest news, and to share silly memes. But as we’re increasingly learning, this connectivity comes at a price. So what can you do if you feel that Facebook and Twitter are taking advantage of you? Fight back, of course. Here are some ways to do that right now.”...
MIT Technology Review, Mar. 20 |
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OCLC has introduced Wise, a community engagement system for US public libraries. A proven solution used by more than 75% of public libraries in the Netherlands, Wise integrates tools for increasing community engagement with the functions of library management. A marketing component simplifies the creation and distribution of more personalized and targeted communications—helping improve current customer relationships and build new connections with the wider community....
OCLC, Mar. 19
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Angela Rathmel writes: “A day in the life of a librarian involves a lot of meetings, am I right? Particularly, as the type-casting goes, academic librarians. We all complain about this. We all wish we had more time and fewer meetings. So why haven’t we solved this? What would we measure in order to do so? An article about what Google has learned from its research on effective teams came across my feed recently. It showed that psychological safety is the quality most indicative of effective teams.”...
ACRLog, Mar. 19; Business Insider, Feb. 3; Re:Work |
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IFLA’s Global Vision Report Summary launched March 19 at the IFLA President’s Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, providing insights into the views of over 31,000 participants from 213 countries across all seven continents. The top 10 highlights and opportunities that now shape the second phase of the IFLA Global Vision discussion include the findings that libraries are deeply committed to core roles in supporting literacy, learning, and reading; and are eager to work more collaboratively in developing strong partnerships....
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Mar. 19 |
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Adults need some basic financial skills in order to thrive in the world, but a study (Word file) conducted by Cambridge University and University College London found that many lack this knowledge. The situation is so bad, in fact, that the study authors are calling for policy intervention to improve financial literacy. The study analyzed data from a test that was administered in 2011 to more than 100,000 participants across 31 countries. The top performers were residents of Estonia, Finland, Japan, Singapore, and Austria. Least successful were adults in Turkey, Chile, Israel, Italy, Spain, and England....
TreeHugger, Mar. 19; Money Smart Week |
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Robert Brammer writes: “One of the questions we are frequently asked is how to locate a bill or amendment that a member of Congress has sponsored or cosponsored. There are a few ways to do this on Congress.gov. First, locate a member you are interested in and open their member profile page. Next, you can use the filters on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow down your results. You can also use the House and Senate Sponsors and Cosponsors Browse Page.”...
In Custodia Legis, Mar. 19 |
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Margaret Kingsbury writes: “I love both historical fiction and fantasy, so books that combine both are like honey. While it seems like these genres should be quite different—since one is based in fact and the other completely fictional—I actually find them to be quite similar in feel. Both require a massive amount of world building, both have immersive settings that become as much a character as the protagonists, and both require a lot of research. Here are 10 of my favorites by women authors.”...
Book Riot, Mar. 20 |
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