May 2013
Features
Gun Violence, Videogames, and Libraries
By Barbara JonesThe tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School this past December—and the courageous response of our school and...
Greetings from America’s National Park Libraries
By Maryann HightA Year in the Life of Librotraficante
By Phil MorehartLibrotraficante has had a rollercoaster year.
Departments
Another Story: The Applicant Pool
Joe Janes“Far too many people are floundering in our educational system and I believe libraries can change that....
In Practice: Spare Me the Hype Cycle
By Meredith Farkas“Every academic librarian worth her salt is embedded.” “3D printers are so hot right now....
Executive Director's Message: Defining “Transformation”
Keith Michael FielsLibraries of all types are currently undergoing changes that most agree are transformative in nature.
Newsmaker: An Interview with Caroline Kennedy
President's Message: Leadership in a Digital Age
By Maureen SullivanThe increasingly digital context brings challenges and opportunities for librarians, library staff, archivists, and...
Dispatches from the Field: Coming to TERMS
By Jill Emery and Graham StoneTwo decades after the advent of electronic journals and databases, librarians are still grappling with ways to best...
March/April 2013
Features
Cultivating a Special Collection
By Sue Lynn McDaniel and Nancy RicheyTo Protect and Preserve
By Jeanne DrewesThe voice on the phone sounded exhausted. “I have lost my life’s work,” the man said. He was an...
A Digital Library for Everyone
By Megan CottrellShe has little black boots on that come up to her knickers, a white scarf wrapped around her petite face, dark bangs...
Emerging Leaders: Class of 2013
By the EditorsThey’re the new people greeting you at the reference desk, shelving books in the stacks, and experimenting with...
Filtering and the First Amendment
By Deborah Caldwell-StoneIn the decade since the Supreme Court upheld the implementation of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA...
Investing at the Library
By Jordan BrandesThe demise of many manufacturing jobs during the recent recession and the continued downturn of Michigan’s...
Meet the Candidates for ALA President and Treasurer
Candidates for ALA President Barbara Immroth Visit blogs.ischool.utexas.edu/immroth
Departments
Editor's Letter: Something Old, Something New
By Laurie D. BormanSeven years ago, then–ALA President Leslie Burger helped launch the Emerging Leaders program with 117...
Outside/In: Follow Yourself
By David Lee King and Michael PorterDo you listen to what customers say online about your library? Oftentimes they’re asking questions or announcing...
Youth Matters: Managing the Managers
By Linda W. BraunSometimes relationships with those up the organizational chart are fantastic. Sometimes they are awful. Whether you...
Rousing Reads: Visiting Two Medicine Country
By Bill OttIn 1978, when I first read Ivan Doig’s This House of Sky, I was a librarian at Timberland Regional Library in...
Another Story: Making Friends with Research
By Joseph JanesDid you know that about 95% of incarcerated people eventually reenter the general population? Neither did I. Nor did I...
Librarian's Library: Leadership and Advocacy
By Karen MullerA thread through ALA President Maureen Sullivan’s mission has been “leadership.” Leadership takes...
Newsmaker: An Interview with Roger Rosen
Roger Rosen, CEO of the educational house Rosen Publishing, calls himself a publishing brat.
Will's World: Too Eager to Please
By Will ManleyPity the poor library director, whose job description includes ensuring the work gets done, the patrons are happy, the...
President's Message: Community Building
By Maureen SullivanAll around us, libraries of all types are discovering that as they look outward, they can make a dramatic difference in...
On My Mind: There Are No Free Libraries
By D. J. HoekOver the past few months, an image has been making its way around social media to underscore the value of libraries. It...
In Practice: Just-for-Me Training
By Meredith FarkasLibrarians in all types of libraries provide training and instruction. Whether it’s for staff or patrons, the...
Dispatches from the Field: The Tao of Tablets
By Rebecca K. Miller, Carolyn Meier, and Heather Moorefield-LangNews Stories
January/February 2013
Features
In Central America, Community-Minded Libraries Become Community Funded
By Carol A. Erickson10 Great Technology Initiatives for Your Library
By Ellyssa KroskiLibraries Help Homeowners Fight Foreclosure
By Deniz KorayWhen Susan Moore accepted a job at the San Diego County (Calif.) Library (SDCL) in 2008 after spending the previous 15...
Manufacturing Makerspaces
By the EditorsKids gather to make Lego robots; teens create digital music, movies, and games with computers and mixers; and students...
University’s App Provides Tour of Black History
By Megan CottrellWalking around her college campus, tablet in hand, Tova Williams may have looked like just another college...
Unlocking the Riches of HathiTrust
The constitutionality of digital fair use was upheld this past October, when US District Court Judge Harold Baer...
The Conversation Starts in Seattle
By Stephanie KuennOur profession stands at a crossroads: How do libraries meld traditional roles and responsibilities with the changing...
A Q&A with Midwinter Speaker Peter Block
By Jordan BrandesAuthor and consultant Peter Block says empowerment, stewardship, and accountability are at the heart of what makes...
Seattle: Food Heaven
By Connie AdamsSeattle offers an amazing food culture. In this guide, we’ve highlighted restaurants near the convention center...
Dine Around Seattle
By Lindsay RosalesLooking to hit the town and explore Seattle over a great dinner with old and new conference friends?
2012 Year in Review
By the editors of American LibrariesHathiTrust
Library Design Showcase Has Moved to September/October 2013
American Libraries is now accepting submissions for the 2013 Library Design Showcase, our annual feature celebrating...
2012 I Love My Librarian Award Winners Honored
By Sally ChapralisTen dedicated and passionate librarians were honored for their unwavering commitment to patrons, communities, and...
American Dental Association Library May Be Set to Close
By Maria R. TraskaSpecialized health care libraries have been taking it on the chin. The American Hospital Association library budget has...
Departments
Outside/In: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
By David Lee King and Michael PorterIn the many presentations we have given over the years, one of the most powerful and most common questions we receive...
In Practice: E-Discovery with QR Codes
By Meredith FarkasThe fully electronic collection is pretty far from being a reality at most libraries. Given the current limitations of...
Rousing Reads: Hot Country
By Bill OttI’m a sucker for novels starring war correspondents, especially those set in tropical climes.
Editor's Letter: Engaging Our Communities
By Laurie D. BormanWhere’s Johnny Depp? In 2013, you can find him in American Libraries, as part of our annual Year in Review. He...
Another Story: Why Do Publishers Hate Us?
By Joseph JanesOkay, now I’ve got this bright, shiny new column to play with. What will I do with it? Be provocative? Reassuring...
Youth Matters: Teacher Librarian Tips
By Michelle Luhtala and Dan AmbrosioNot everything you need to know about school librarianship is taught in graduate school. No matter how comprehensive...
Librarian's Library: Disaster Recovery, Going Green, Protecting Privacy: How We Do Librarianship
By Karen MullerRegardless of how large (or small) your library is, or whether you serve elementary school students, college professors...
Newsmaker: An Interview with Jenica Rogers
In 2012, Jenica Rogers, director of libraries for the State University of New York at Potsdam, drew attention in the...
Executive Director's Message: Reenvisioning ALA
By Keith Michael FielsOver the past few months, the ALA Executive Board has been involved in a range of discussions that reflect some of...
President's Message: What You Can Do about Ebooks and Libraries
By Maureen SullivanI wanted to share ideas about what you can do to help solve the problem of publishers who will not sell ebooks to...
Will's World: Digitized to Distraction
By Will ManleyDigital literacy is supposedly what will save the public library, and I don’t doubt that. While you hear stories...
On My Mind: Libraries as Safe Spaces
By Shawn VaillancourtNews Stories
November / December 2012
Features
Live at Your Library!
By Matthew Moyer and Andrew CoulonToughing It Out in a Tight Job Market
By Janice ArenofskyYou’re all alone—with thousands of other information professionals—pursuing a library job in a down...
Writing for Civilians
By Laurie L. PutnamTerror Has Not Withdrawn: Daily Life for Librarians in Iraq
By Leonard Kniffel“We forgot a long time ago what situation constitutes normal and what situation does not,” said Saad...
New Americans and the Digital Literacy Gap
While major urban centers like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles have always drawn new immigrants, there are many...
Library 2.012 Conference Explores the Future of Libraries
By Laurie D. BormanMarketing Your Library
By Ned PotterTerry Kendrick is the guru of strategic marketing in libraries. His book Developing Strategic Marketing Plans That...
Personal Branding for Librarians
By Karen G. SchneiderThe trend of establishing and maintaining a personal brand has been a hot topic for some time with the public at large...
Barbecue? Flamenco Dancing? Learning Gets Interactive in Louisville
By Judy RosenfieldOn a sunny spring Saturday at the Louisville (Ky.) Free Public Library (LFPL), hundreds of people with schedules in...
Departments
Another Story: The Wheel Turns Again
By Joseph JanesAnd here we are, at my 100th column. Readers with long memories (or nothing better to do) may recall that for my 50th...
Dispatches from the Field: Social Media?
By David Lee KingAre efforts to use social media worth it? Indeed, they are. I see many reasons for libraries—or practically any...
On My Mind: Creating a New Tradition
By Daria D’ArienzoHalf a dozen tweens are crowded around several large tables stacked with odds and ends in the windows of the Meekins...
Youth Matters: Connect Guys with Authors
By Abby JohnsonIt was a sunny June afternoon, perfect for playing baseball, taking a dip in the local pool—or having a virtual...
Outside/In: Unforgettable Passwords
By David Lee King and Michael PorterLibrarian's Library: Making Sure Libraries “Measure Up”
By Karen MullerTimes are tough for libraries, and when times get tough, managers—whether college administrators, a principal, a...
Editor's Letter: Gauging Your Interest
By Laurie D. BormanA few weeks ago, American Libraries sent you a survey. And despite all the other surveys and polls and requests...
Will's World: Trust in Your Trustees
By Will ManleyIt frustrates me profoundly to have someone in the library profession approach me at a conference to challenge my...
Rousing Reads: The Wild and Poetic Life of Westerns
By Bill OttI’m hooked on Westerns. Not the genre-blends that are popular today—the cowboy romances and the zombie...
President's Message: We Are ALA
By Maureen SullivanI recently learned that another national library association has adopted the slogan “I am (my national library...
In Practice: The DIY Patron
By Meredith FarkasLike many librarians, I was a frequent user of libraries as a child. Yet I have always avoided asking for help. I...
Background on Our Budget
By James NealThe past year has been challenging for ALA, reflecting both the difficult economic conditions affecting libraries...
Newsmaker: An Interview with John Chrastka
John Chrastka, ALA’s director of membership development from 2003 to 2011, didn’t leave library advocacy...
News Stories
September/October 2012
Features
Rocking the Joint
By Laurie D. BormanA joint library sprouts in Chicago. When a series of floods forced the 2011 closure of a Chicago Public Library (CPL)...
Joint Libraries: Models That Work
By Claire B. Gunnels, Susan E. Green, and Patricia M. ButlerIn the past, academic and public libraries had very different missions and operation. Academic libraries were created...
Forbes Folly
By John Carlo Bertot, Paul T. Jaeger, and Lindsay C. SarinWhen Forbes.com published an article in June declaring that a master’s degree in library and information science...
2012 ALA Award Winners
By Stephanie KuennThis year, the American Library Association bestowed its highest honors and awards on a variety of individuals and...
Geek Out
By Greg LandgrafTeenagers are natural and voracious media consumers. But new research suggests that teens can learn more effectively in...
Departments
Editor's Letter: Our Roller-Coaster Summer
By Laurie D. BormanIf I were to write “What American Libraries Did This Summer,” it would be more roller-coaster ride than mai...
Outside/In: Community Connections
By David Lee King and Michael PorterHas your library ever thought about using technology and communitywide projects to connect with customers? It’s...
Rousing Reads: Gregorian Chants Meet Thelonious Monk
By Bill OttSomewhere, I told myself, amid shelves of long-ignored LPs, I had a recording of Gregorian chants. But where? After...
Dispatches from the Field: The RFID Opportunity
By Lori Bowen AyreIn March, the National Information Standards Organization adopted RFID in US Libraries (RP-6-2012), establishing ISO...
In Practice: Let’s #makeithappen
By Meredith FarkasHave you ever seen something in your work that you wanted to change but did nothing about it? What stopped you? Maybe...
Another Story: The March of Time
By Joe JanesCan it really be 10 years since I began writing this column? It doesn’t seem possible, yet there I am, horrible...
President's Message: The Year Ahead
By Maureen SullivanI look forward to this year in which I have the privilege of serving as ALA president. To prepare for this important...
Youth Matters: Space: The New Frontier
By Linda W. BraunAbout 10 years ago I had an experience with a small group of teen girls that taught me a lot about the impact of a...
Will's World: Is God Really a Librarian?
By Will ManleyThis old Irish joke is as old as the sod: “It’s always puzzled me,” said the Irishman, looking up...
Librarian's Library: The Library Is the Real School
By Karen MullerOn My Mind: An Old Friend in the Library
By Jennifer Burek PierceAs summer days grew longer and the heat increased, so did my trips to the public library. This summer, I had a...
News Stories
July/August 2012
Features
Working Part-Time After Retirement
By Rita MarsalesArt and books have been two big passions in my life, but I was not able to combine them professionally until after I...
What’s New in LIS Schools
By Beverly Goldberg“Librarians of the future will be knowledge navigators. They will understand digital resources as well as printed...
How Public Libraries Are a Boon to Small Business
By Bradley CollinsFirst Winners of Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, Nonfiction
By Donna Seaman and Brad HooperVendors Showcase Their Wares in Anaheim
By Marshall BreedingInterested buyers found tech products that press beyond established boundaries as well as those that enable bread-and-...
Summer Reading Goes to School
By Malavika Shrikhande and Ellen SpeirsThe lazy days of summer are here—a time to relax, vacation, and sun by the pool. It’s also a time to catch...
Departments
Outside/In: Essential Bookmarks
By David Lee King and Michael PorterRousing Reads: An Homage to Film Noir
By Bill OttNewsmaker: An Interview with Karen Keninger
By the EditorsKaren Keninger became director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) at the...
Youth Matters: A Tale of Two Students
By Michelle Luhtala and Deb SvecWill's World: Your Mileage May Vary
Will ManleyIt’s a question every used car buyer has to answer: “Is it the years or the miles?” Am I better off...
Librarian's Library: Practical Matters: Prepare, Protect, and Market Your Library
By Karen MullerMost libraries in the US are small. For public libraries, this means that the population served is under 25,000...
In Practice: Tools for Optimal Flow
By Meredith FarkasIt’s amazing how quickly things change in the world of technology. When I wrote a book in 2005, I printed out all...
Another Story: Amped-Up Ebook Apps
By Joseph JanesI wrote here a few months ago about reading—its power and ubiquity and transcendence of format: “The...
Dispatches from the Field: A New World of Data
By Karen CoyleThe world today is clearly not that of our library predecessors, of Melvil Dewey and Charles Ammi Cutter, not even of...
President's Message: Rethinking ALA
Maureen SullivanNews Stories
May/June 2012
Features
Haiti Rising from the Rubble
By Leonard KniffelMore than two years after the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, vast numbers of Haitians are still...
Copyright for Librarians and Teachers, in a Nutshell
By Carrie RussellYou may have wondered whether you hold the copyright to work you’ve put many hours into creating on the job. Who...
Cataloging Then, Now, and Tomorrow
By Elise (Yi-Ling) WongIf you think it is hard to explain to nonlibrary users what a librarian does, try explaining the job of a cataloger....
Annual Conference Preview: Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves
By the EditorsAttendees say ALA’s Annual Conference is the “best gathering for professional development opportunities,...
Community Reference: Making Libraries Indispensable in a New Way
By Colbe Galston, Elizabeth Kelsen Huber, Katherine Johnson, and Amy LongLibraries are constantly evolving to adapt to the needs and desires of our users. Most of these changes have occurred...
Transforming Libraries . . . Continued
By the EditorsWhen Maureen Sullivan becomes ALA president on June 26, one thing that is certain to continue from Molly Raphael’...
New ADA Signage Standards Take Effect
By Liz HumrickhouseOn March 15, 2012, updates to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) went into effect. The new standards...
An Academic Spring? [UPDATED]
By Barbara FisterTime to Dine in Anaheim
By Laura DailyEven a decade ago, the area immediately surrounding the Anaheim Convention Center was more culinary wasteland than...
PLA 2012: Powerful Advice, Practical Solutions
By Laurie D. BormanAdmit it: You snag free books and party at receptions. But who would come to PLA2012 if there weren’t also...
Departments
Dispatches from the Field: Apple Product News: The Spin for Libraries
By Jason GriffeyIn March, Apple announced the latest product in the evolution of what it calls the post-PC computing world, and called...
Will's World: The Matter of the Master’s
By Will ManleyDon’t get me wrong, I loved library school and I think programs that comprise a master’s degree in...
President's Message: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
By Molly RaphaelEditor's Letter: Transformations
By Laurie D. BormanTransforming sounds like such a magical process. In a glittery whirlwind, Cinderella is transformed from rag-covered...
Executive Director's Message: On a Screen Near You
By Keith Michael FielsTwo items discussed during the ALA Executive Board Spring Meeting, held April 20–22 at the Association’s...
Librarian's Library: Building the Shelfless Library
By Karen MullerYouth Matters: Make Room for Homeschoolers
By Abby JohnsonDid you know there are an estimated 2 million home-educated children in the United States? According to a report from...
On My Mind: My Year of RDA
By Patricia FradeI’ve been a librarian for 30 years and have seen a lot of changes during that time. I’ve welcomed them as...
Another Story: Data, Data Everywhere
By Joseph JanesThe Michigan Theater is at 603 East Liberty St. in Ann Arbor. Athletes Tom Brady and Cal Ripken have the same body mass...
Outside/In: Spring Libraryland Tour
By David Lee King and Michael PorterOur mission with Outside/In has been to take useful ideas from the larger world of trends (outside) to see how they...
In Practice: The Guide on the Side
By Meredith FarkasMany librarians have embraced the use of active learning in their teaching. Moving away from lectures and toward...
Rousing Reads: Translit: New Genre Collapses Time and Space
By Bill OttAt the recent Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia, my friend and Booklist columnist David Wright,...
News Stories
March/April 2012
Features
QR Codes Extend Library Programming
By Tim BlevinsYou receive a postcard in the mail from Colorado Springs. It says, “Wish you were here.” You look at it...
Directions to Library Wayfinding
By Donald A. Barclay and Eric D. ScottThe word “wayfinding” has multiple meanings, but the one that really matters to librarians comes from the...
Library Design Showcase 2012
By Greg LandgrafThe Once and Future Library
By Charles G. MuellerTo some librarians it must seem like a perfect storm: Budgets are being slashed, ebooks suddenly are outselling their...
Library History and Women’s History: An Ongoing Convergence
By Sarah M. PritchardThe convergence of women’s history and library history at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition heralded...
Women in the White City
By Susan E. SearingNext year will be the 120th anniversary of the World’s Columbian Exposition, more commonly known as the Chicago...
Departments
President's Message: Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities
Molly RaphaelIn Practice: Click Here to Engage
By Meredith FarkasLibrarian's Library: The Librarian’s History of the Library
By Karen MullerWhen I think of history, two quotations come to mind. One, by Marcus Cicero, says history illuminates the present; the...
Editor's Letter: Of Design, Danes, and Daffodils
By Laurie D. BormanWhat is your favorite library space? Perhaps a school library reading nook, or the august reading room from your...
Youth Matters: It’s Always Time for CE-TV
By Linda W. BraunHave you heard of Khan Academy? Sal Khan started the organization in the belief that people could learn by watching...
Another Story: A Hazy Shade of (Mid)winter
By Joseph JanesYou know that feeling you get when you come home from a conference, and it’s all kind of a blur? That’s...
Will's World: The Coolness Factor
By Will ManleyAge among librarians used to be fairly easy to determine, but no longer in our era of nips, tucks, Botox, and hair...
Newsmaker: Newsmaker: Jamal Joseph
Rousing Reads: Science for the Nonscientist
By Bill OttI was never any good at science, whether it was dissecting a frog or—God help me—completing a science-fair...
Outside/In: Create a Library “Tech Shop”
By David Lee King and Michael PorterWe librarians are experts at collecting. Our jobs, our departments, our very buildings have been designed to acquire...
On My Mind: Returning the Love
By Sarah PrielippCan’t you just see a group of librarians gathering around the proverbial water cooler each morning to profess...
News Stories
January/February 2012
Features
Building Displays That Move “the Merchandise”
By Alan JacobsonDisplays 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-TatumO 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...
Top 10 Library Stories of 2011
These are the top library stories of 2011, as selected by American Libraries editors. Share your top 10 in the comments.
The Conversation Starts in Dallas . . .
By Pamela A. GoodesReflecting Our Communities
By Kate Angell, Beth Evans, and Barnaby NicolasFew would disagree that a diverse work force makes us better stewards of the communities we serve. It enhances our...
Dining in Dallas
By Greg LandgrafThe 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 ArenofskyReference librarians frequently get scholarly questions that challenge their library’s resources. Take, for...
Departments
Librarian's Library: Great Lists of Great Reads
By Karen MullerEach January, librarians, publishers, parents … and, well, anyone who has an interest in books and reading...
In Practice: Providing the Tools
By Meredith FarkasIn 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 YeltonThis 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. BormanAll 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 RaphaelMy first American Library Association Midwinter Meeting was in 1976. After stimulating learning experiences at two...
Youth Matters: Making Progress by Fives
By Dorcas HandAt the Australian School Library Association conference in October 2011, Executive Director Karen Bonanno offered...
Rousing Reads: It’s That Time of Year
By Bill OttOutside/In: Add to Your (Library) Cart
By David Lee King and Michael PorterWelcome to the first Outside/In, our new column for American Libraries. Some readers may remember us from Public...
Will's World: Taking Care of Business
By Will ManleyPublic librarians have come up with all kinds of reasons why their communities should support them. Some of these...
Another Story: What’s in a Name?
By Joseph JanesIf you haven’t googled the word “Santorum,” now would be a good time—otherwise most of what...
News Stories
January/February 2012 Ebooks supplement
Features
Ebooks and School Libraries
By Christopher HarrisA Publisher’s Perspective on Ebooks
By Andrea Fleck-NisbetIt was a rainy afternoon just before Thanksgiving in 2007 when I stood on a New York City sidewalk clutching my first e...
Threats to Digital Lending
By Carrie RussellWhen the Kansas Digital Library Consortium’s contract with digital-content distributor OverDrive was up for...
The Revolution Isn’t Just Digital
By Alan S. InouyeThe digital revolution in libraries is not exactly a secret. Every day we read about some upheaval in the ebook...
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