Library Trading Card #1: Keith, originally uploaded by scampion. Steve Campion writes: ROCK ON! This is the first in what I expect to be a series of library staff trading cards. I hope to post more trading cards gradually over the next many months, each spotlighting a different person on our staff in some unique way. For this one, I want to thank Keith for his enthusiastic willingness to participate. This set grew out of two different photo project ideas I’ve had in mind for the library’s StaffWeb and my Flickr page for a long time. And the idea of […]
Yearly Archives: 2010
237 posts
Let me say this: change is extremely difficult. It’s also not a quick fix, but a process that may go on for many years. Change also has many hills and valleys and sometimes you can’t see the destination. In the end, however, change is totally worth all the ups and downs that come with it. Over the past few months, I’ve experienced a lot of change in my career as a librarian. I started off the year as the Teen Librarian at the Cape May County Library in Southern, NJ. In February, I accepted a position as the new Teen […]
Glimpses of the future of libraries in Finland: http://www.walkingpaper.org/2790 My colleague Aaron Schmidt reports from his time spent in helsinki working with the Gates Foundation at the 2010 Global Libraries Peer Learning Meeting. Take a look at this: “The libraries I saw have overcome their addiction to circulating content. Now they’re all about doing, making, publishing, working, and experiences revolving around content. People are still getting print books and CDs for the library, sure, but other stuff seems more important. Here’s a little report…” Later: “It is impossible for library patrons and staff to sit on opposite side of a […]
sign_nofooddrink2, originally uploaded by bowmanlibrary. Remember this post from July 2006: Ten Signs I Hope I Never See in Libraries Again Take a look at this: (via Liz Danforth on Twitter) Passive Aggressive Library Signs Some are obviously created by students (graduate students?? says one commenter) but some of them are real. It baffles my mind how we still tape up these angry, mean-spirited signs in places that should be as welcoming as possible.
From Michael – This is a reprint of a column originally published last year in Digitale Biblioteek. It was very nice to finally meet Jan in person at UGUL10. Jan: Hi Michael, I’ve read your long and rich Ten ways to encourage the tribe blogpost from the 17th of May. I think every librarian should read your story about how libraries and librarians can engage in and connect tribes or communities of shared interest. In this post you mention several important sources of inspiration, such as Peter Block, Howard Rheingold and Seth Godin. You also named the book The Cluetrain […]
WCPL computer class, originally uploaded by Wells County Public Library. Community relations manager Deb Perry teaching an adult computer class at the Wells County Public Library. Free basic computer classes are offered several times throughout the year and are always popular with seniors.
Jeff Trzeciak writes about the recent Ithaka Report: http://ulatmac.blog.lib.mcmaster.ca/2010/04/09/ithaka-report/ My biggest take away from the report is this quote “if the library shapes its roles and activities based on what is currently most highly appreciated by faculty, it may lose a valuable opportunity to innovate and position itself as relevant in the future” In order for this to actually take place we have to have librarians with skills and characteristics that lend themselves to marketing/promotion, creativity/innovation, vision and risk. How are these characteristics playing out in our libraries given that we tend to be a profession that values tradition over […]
Here Come the iPads!, originally uploaded by Mary Carmen6676. Mary Carmen Chimato writes: The NCSU Libraries has long been a technology incubator for the university, lending out the latest to make sure that budgets based around Ramen Noodles don’t keep NC State students from having the competitive advantage that comes from access to the latest computing platforms, ebooks, multimedia gear, and the like. Some months back, the Libraries pre-ordered a group of iPads for the tech lending program. They became available to students on April 8, 2010 at 5:30 pm.