Karen Muller's blog

Q. Today's been tough.  Kids are coming in with left-to-the-last-minute homework assignments for which they normally turn to Wikipedia.  We're getting them to print resources and our online databases, but do you have suggestions for teaching research skills? 

Q. What were the forces behind the founding conference of the American Library Association?

Q. Is there a reliable source for the suggested reading level of a novel?  I'm a teacher who requires independent reading, but the novels my students bring me sometimes look "too young" for the grade I teach.  I cannot always find information on what reading level the novel was intended to entertain.

The question came in with the subject line "Reference question that only ALA can answer" but it really is a question that only all of ALA, not just the ALA Librarian, can answer: Are there librarians who have been elected officials, or who have run for office?

Q. Recent thunderstorms have caused flash floods and some of our library regulars are asking about salvage of wet books.  What can I tell them?

A. I'm going to address your question from two perspectives.  First, what should an individual be doing, and second, what should a library be doing.

Q.  Does ALA have any guidelines or sample policies for labeling books for the shelves?

Q. Are there stand-alone libraries serving children (other than those in schools, that is)?

A. We know of eight administered by public libraries, one at an academic institution, and one at a university medical center.

Q. Can you direct me to one or two sites with sample library policies. I've just taken over our small public library and have convinced trustees we need to have policies newer than 25 years ago!

A. Certainly—but some framework first.

Q. We're reviewing our policies on overdue fines and are looking for resources to guide our investigations. What's out there?

“Area libraries increasing security to combat rising thefts” is the headline for the April 23, 2011, article posted by the Dayton Daily News. But the question that comes to the ALA Library is “what is a ‘typical’ loss rate?&