Tue, 05/31/2016 Contact: Rob Christopher Marketing Coordinator ALA Publishing American Library Association 312-280-5052 rchristopher@ala.org CHICAGO— 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. Stephens’ new book “The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change,” published by ALA Editions, is a collection of essays from his “Office […]
Contributors Michael Stephens
Thanks to all the folks at RILA and the conference attendees. I have had a great time! Download my conference keynote slides. Image Providence Public Library: http://portals.provlib.org/2016/05/05/portals-candles-now-available-limited-edition/
Thanks to all the good folks at the Fort Bend County Libraries in Texas. I had a wonderful morning talking and sharing ideas. We even had a super brief power outage during the talk. The featured image is one of the tables during my talk – staff members we’re coloring! Download the slides Selected “Office Hours” Columns cited: Talk About Compassion Hygge State of Mind Speak of the Devil
Greetings! First a shout out to the incredible group of students who worked with me to revamp Tame the Web this semester. You will see their work here visually with a new theme and structurally via improved categories, tags and site structure. It’s been a great semester. Thanks also to all the good library folk that emailed and sent pics of their canine companions in response to my column “Talk About Compassion” in Library Journal. The boys are doing well. I have two more presentations this month and I hope to say hi to Tame the Web readers in Texas […]
For me, the heart of librarianship is learning. It’s a cyclical process of support, engagement, and discovery with deep roots in the concepts of service, access, and freedom to pursue interests of all kinds. No matter what type of institution, someone is gaining knowledge, finding information, or creating something new based on our facilitation. And in my opinion, the role of facilitator and guide is best delivered with humanity and heart. (Fom the Preface) ALA Editions has gathered and published five plus years of my “Office Hours” columns from Library Journal as a book entitled The Heart of Librarianship. The […]
Jan Holmquist details an interesting way libraries have helped keep services open in the face of funding cuts: An “open library” is a library with a combination of hours staffed with professional librarians and hours with self-service. That combination has proved itself successful because the result is more loans and lots of more visits to the library. In Denmark we have a lot of happy library fans using open libraries. Some are people who now use their local library instead of the main library. We know a lot of people commuting to jobs now have a better opportunity to use the […]
A shout out to all the good folks who came to my talk the last day of the Public Library Association Conference 2016 & all the librarians who stopped me to ask “How is Dozer?” Denver was such a welcoming city – and I so enjoyed talking with public librarians from all over. Download the slides (large download). Office Hours columns cited: A Genius Idea In the Moment Library as Classroom Holding Us Back Infinite Learning Learning to Learn Mobile at the Library Reflective Practice Always Doesn’t Live Here Anymore Agents of Change Stacking the Deck Power of Quiet Color […]
Join me at the next Library 2.016 online mini-conference in June: Library as Classroom June 15th, 2016 12:00 – 3:00pm US-Pacific Time In A New Culture of Learning, authors Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown write, “Where imaginations play, learning happens.” This could and should define our services for now and in the future. The library as creative classroom means we approach the learning opportunities we create with thought, user-directed planning, and insights from research. This classroom may include physical spaces for instruction and discovery as well as online, multiscale platforms aimed at social learning and participation. Libraries of all kinds […]
As long as libraries have had reference desks to staff, public librarians and library personnel have pursued learning opportunities for professional development (PD). Library personnel access PD through various channels, such as in-service learning days, conferences, face-to-face and recorded workshops and lectures, and auditing LIS classes. Now, 21st Century library personnel– whether full-time librarians or part-time paraprofessionals– can access PD via online courses, webinars, blogs, and social networking tools. We are seeking public library professionals or paraprofessionals across the U.S. to participate in a survey regarding the availability, perceptions, and effectiveness of your professional development (PD) experiences. This study will contribute to a […]