January/February 2012

Features

Building Displays That Move “the Merchandise”

By Alan Jacobson
Displays are hit or miss. So often we throw together a bunch of books on a theme. In our flurry to pull just the right...

Preserving Black Academic Library History

By Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum

O Sister Library, Where Art Thou?

By April Ritchie
“Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.” —Carol...

The Conversation Starts in Dallas . . .

By Pamela A. Goodes

Reflecting Our Communities

By Kate Angell, Beth Evans, and Barnaby Nicolas
Few would disagree that a diverse work force makes us better stewards of the communities we serve. It enhances our...

Dining in Dallas

By Greg Landgraf
The informal parts of Midwinter—those personal meetings that take place outside of the official sessions, often...

This Political Library Gets Everyone’s Vote

By Janice Arenofsky
Reference librarians frequently get scholarly questions that challenge their library’s resources. Take, for...

Departments

Librarian's Library: Great Lists of Great Reads

By Karen Muller
Each January, librarians, publishers, parents … and, well, anyone who has an interest in books and reading...

In Practice: Providing the Tools

By Meredith Farkas
In the 1990s, libraries were pioneers in providing access to the internet in their communities. Even today, libraries...

Dispatches from the Field: Bridging the Digital Divide with Mobile Services

By Andromeda Yelton
This piece is excerpted from the January 2012 issue of Library Technology Reports. You can purchase the full issue on...

Editor's Letter: Treasure Hunt

By Laurie D. Borman
All of you who’ve weeded a collection know the challenges I face. Former American Libraries Editor Leonard...

President's Message: No Longer Business as Usual

By Molly Raphael
My first American Library Association Midwinter Meeting was in 1976. After stimulating learning experiences at two...

Youth Matters: Making Progress by Fives

By Dorcas Hand
At the Australian School Library Association conference in October 2011, Executive Director Karen Bonanno offered...

Rousing Reads: It’s That Time of Year

By Bill Ott

Outside/In: Add to Your (Library) Cart

By David Lee King and Michael Porter
Welcome to the first Outside/In, our new column for American Libraries. Some readers may remember us from Public...