By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens Sometimes, it’s simply not easy. When life throws us $4-a-gallon gasoline, rising unemployment, a housing credit crunch, and tight local, state, and federal budgets, libraries feel the pinch. It’s natural for work morale to suffer. Boards and administrators feel pressure to make cuts and increase staff efficiency. Front-line staffers get hit from both sides–supervisors who expect more (and sometimes give less) and users who expect the same services they’re used to, plus a smiling face. During times like this, the natural inclination is to “get serious,” push your staff harder, and make every dollar […]
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APL staff as pirates in 2007, originally uploaded by Alexandrian Public Library. Always good to see library staff dressed as pirates!
http://sweetwaterlibraries.com/sclsblogs/readeronthesamepage/?p=794 Congratulations to the YA Summer Reading Group who read 59,000 pages -plus- this summer and more than met their challenge. In celebration SWL librarians dressed as requested by the YA Readers! We are going to Rock and Roll all night!
Laptop locks, originally uploaded by Musebrarian. Musebrarian writes: Laptops are always being stolen from students at the Grainger Engineering Library. This has to be one of the more brilliant solutions to the problem that I’ve seen. I used to have a lock, but didn’t always carry it with me. Posted for Michael Stephens, who apparently collects library signage.
Yesterday was a great day at Columbus Metropolitan Library. I did two sessions of a customized version of the Hyperlinked Library to help launch the Learn & Play program. The staff seemed very excited to begin and some had already ramped up their blogs. I talked to some good folks over the wonderful vegetarian-friendly lunch, including Nick, who shared the following from my morning talk at his blog he’ll be using for the program. I like the fact that he’s capturing ideas, actions and things to ponder further and putting it out there. http://cycholibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/cml-goes-20/ Anytime I go to one of […]
Cadeaupas, originally uploaded by DOK Delft. Nice!
Welcome to Columbus!!! Thanks!, originally uploaded by mstephens7. What a welcome at the airport. 🙂 And a great vegetarian lunch followed.
READ mini poster, originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian.
Make your own READ poster!, originally uploaded by webchicken. Okay…I will have to resist the urge to “Blog This” when more READ posters pop up… I really enjoy seeing the faces of the profession. 🙂
Not For Children, originally uploaded by herzogbr. Brian Herzog writes: These are the signs next to the button that automatically opens the Library’s front doors, to provide easy entrance to people who have trouble opening the door. As the comment mentioned, it of course is a great play thing for children. I don’t know how effective our signs are, but I have a feeling that the big arrow is probably irresistible to kids – even those who can’t read. But I think signs, in general, are band-aids, and a real solution (or the real problem) lies in the very design. […]