Women, Mobility, and Libraries

Posted: Mar. 27, 2013.

Going mobile wasn’t always dependent on bandwidth

A Pack Horse Librarian in rural Kentucky. Photo courtesy of the New Deal Network

Long before there were such devices as smartphones and tablets—or personal computing, for that matter—women in librarianship were bringing reading material to people beyond the four walls of a physical library.

Does Piracy Impact Sales? Not How You Might Think!

Posted: Mar. 21, 2013.

Those dirty thieves pirating digital music are killing the whole music industry—or at least that is the reality that the music industry would have you believe. But can the music industry actually back up those claims with evidence?

ALA’s Electronic Polls Open for 2013 Election

Posted: Mar. 19, 2013.
Vote in the ALA Election between March 19 and April 26

Polls opened today for the 2013 ALA election, and the Association has made an election guide available for the convenience of voters.

Making Connections with History

Posted: Mar. 16, 2013.
Facing History and Ourselves Panel, #dml2013

Facing History and Ourselves was founded in 1976 by Margot Stern Strom and William S. Parsons, public school teachers in Brookline, Massachusetts, who designed a program to teach the Holocaust in such a way that students could make personal connections between the historical event and their own lives.

Teaching News Literacy

Posted: Mar. 15, 2013.
The Digital Media and Learning Conference, Chicago, March 14-16, 2013

In many localities, youth groups and community organizations are creating alternatives to mainstream journalism using the rich resources of digital media.

The New Civics

Posted: Mar. 14, 2013.
Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT

The Digital Media and Learning Conference is an annual event sponsored by the Humanities Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine. Its topics range widely from the use of digital media as a form of participatory culture to how youth activism benefits society and the ways in which social media expands the political voice of individuals and groups.

Librarians and Happenstance Voyagers, SXSW 2013, Day Four and Five Wrap-up

Posted: Mar. 14, 2013.
Neil Gaiman, treasuring library tattoos. Photo by Meghan Sitar

Happiness is contagious.” This missive, which is one of the many kernels of wisdom I jotted down at SXSW, stands out as I pour through my notes and reflect on the powerful, transformative experience I just had in Austin. The quote was about workplace happiness, but I saw it play out all around me and felt it myself at this mega-conference.

Make-to-Learn Symposium

Posted: Mar. 13, 2013.
The makerspace for the Make-to-Learn Symposium. Photo by Laurie D. Borman

From creating working paper audio speakers to crafting Arduino-lit textiles and rewiring Frankentoys, the free Make-to-Learn Symposium in Chicago today offered loads of ideas for makerspaces. ”Making

Safety and Security in Libraries

Posted: Mar. 13, 2013.
Security Guard

Safety in public spaces, including libraries, has always been a concern, but may be more keenly felt in light of certain recent events. A productive and effective library is one in which its staff and patrons feel secure.

Librarians and Happenstance Voyagers, SXSW 2013–Day 2 and 3 Recap

Posted: Mar. 11, 2013.
Library Box at SXSW. Photo by Aspen Walker

Wowza! SXSW is dazzling. I got to see one my favorite authors, Douglas Rushkoff, on Saturday. Rushkoff’s advice is to treat interactions with devices and online life as periodic dips into a rushing stream, with no need to capture or cling to all that’s happening. That advice applies beautifully to South By Southwest.