Greetings! An IRDL colleague at the University of Colorado Boulder, Adam H. Lisbon, is conducting research on scholars and students who use non-English sources of information, but write their actual research papers and articles in English. It would be great if you could take a moment to participate in his survey: Take the Survey: https://cuboulder.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4TxeCSmaqZWkJk9 A bit about the survey: This survey investigates how multilingual scholars manage their sources for research, specifically: Keeping track of non-English sources of information, such as their titles, publishers, and other information often found in citations and bibliographies. As well as… Keeping track of the vernacular, […]
Contributors Michael Stephens
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I am thoroughly enjoying Rick Anderson’s new book, a collection of his essays and writings from the last few years. Don’t miss this one, especially if you are involved in leadership, the shifting nature of collections, and managing change within organizations of learning. More Info is here: CHICAGO — A creative thinker on topics related to library collections and scholarly publishing, Rick Anderson does not back away from controversy. “Whenever we, as members of an organization like a library, are forced to choose between good things, we may start by trying to figure out some way to have both things,” he writes […]
A big thank you and shout out to the good folks at Poplar Creek Public Library District. I had a blast speaking at their Staff Development Day yesterday. Download my slides. The featured image is a little riff we did on storytelling with emoji. Can you tell what epic story it might be? Selected References Creative Classroom Model Model Programme for Public Libraries Selected “Office Hours” Columns cited: Talk About Compassion Dream. Explore. Experiment. Hygge State of Mind Speak of the Devil Color Me Curious Library as Classroom Live Long Day Library Emoji Also of Interest: The Heart of Librarianship – New […]
Cheers to Martin! Martin Garnar, dean, Kraemer Family Library, was recently elected 2016-17 president of the Freedom to Read Foundation. “The foundation does important work supporting the First Amendment in libraries and the larger society, and I’m humbled for this opportunity to advance its mission,” Garnar said. The Freedom to Read Foundation, based in Chicago and founded in 1969, is affiliated with the American Library Association. The foundation protects and defends the First Amendment and supports the right of libraries to collect information, according the foundation’s web site. This is Garnar’s second term on the foundation’s board, having previously served […]
The conference programme is out for Internet Librarian International 2016! This is one of my favorite conferences – please take a look. At ILI, we’re all about responding to challenge through innovation. ILI is a great forum for sharing ideas, learning new skills, hearing about new tools and technology, making unexpected connections, discovering practical solutions, and exploring new and interesting approaches – all with the aim of helping you make a difference to your organisation, clients and communities. Take a look at this year’s programme and plan now to meet up with us in London this October.
My new column is up at Library Journal. The true title is the string of characters above. 
Imagine if users could add emoji to the catalog, expressing their feelings about a book or movie with a range of emotion ideograms. Or having people rate their experience at a library program by sending attendees a link to the program after they attended, with emoji to represent their reactions. Talk about making feedback more fun! I saw this live at Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) new library last year. On my way out of the Allendale, MI, building after a talk, a […]
When I tell people about my studies in the LIS field, I often hear a few similar responses: “Oh, do they still need librarians with Google and ebooks around?” (Short answer: “Yes, of course!” Longer answer: “Library and information science is about more than searching Google and checking out books!” Longest answer: Well, perhaps you should just email me.) “What can you do with that?” (Answer: “What can’t I do with that?”) “Let me guess: you want to be a librarian because you like books, right?” To be honest, that last question really needs a longer answer, so here we go. […]
Greetings all! In just under two hours we convene the Library 2.016: Library as Classroom online conference. Registrants can join the sessions live or watch recordings after. I am thrilled with the keynotes and speakers we have lined up.
Link to Event More about The Heart of Librarianship Saturday, June 25 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM ALA Store The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change Adaptation to change that’s based on thoughtful planning and grounded in the mission of libraries: it’s a model that respected LIS thinker and educator Michael Stephens terms “hyperlinked librarianship.” And the result, for librarians in leadership positions as well as those working on the front lines, is flexible librarianship that’s able to stay closely aligned with the needs and wants of library users. In this collection of essays from his “Office Hours” […]