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See You at Next Library 2019!

Greetings! If you are attending Next Library 2019 in Aarhus, Denmark next week, please consider this interactive session. I am thrilled to be joining colleagues from the US and Australia to present “The Power of Stories.” Storytelling – an ancient, community-building, revered, and always-relevant “technology” – is a powerful connector. Stories can bring people together. Stories resonate with everyone and we can use them to better understand our communities and ourselves. This interactive session introduces three unique ways to extend and enhance the power of stories in your institution. We will explore how to gather and utilize our community’s stories […]

GCPL & SJSU School of Information Announce Winner of the 2019 Innovative Librarians Award

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA, March 7, 2019 — Gwinnett County Public Library and the San José State University School of Information have selected Stephanie Rawlins, Pike County Library from a group of five finalists as the winner of the 2019 Innovative Librarians Award. The award recognizes library science graduate students who put forward new ideas that improve libraries and library services. Rawlins, Library Director at Pike County Library in Indiana, will receive a $1,000 cash prize for her work on implementing Virtual Healthcare at local libraries. Virtual healthcare has the potential to create better health care awareness, minimize hospital admissions, and better […]

Designing Dream Libraries in the Hyperlinked School Library

A TTW Guest Post by Sarah Jo Zaharako My fifth grade library students just designed their dream libraries. Every Friday for a month, during library class, students collaborated to create slideshow presentations representing exactly what they wanted in a public library. Inspired by innovative library spaces, services, and programs worldwide, students considered possibilities that went far beyond their current perceptions of libraries. Brainstorming was outlandish, collaboration was messy, and students enthusiastically poured their hearts into this project.  They found images online, built idea boards using Google docs, designed spaces on MineCraft, and created totally unique models and drawings. Students who […]

Explore & Contribute: Don’t Miss New Site Library Planet

Hey all – Don’t miss this new site LIBRARY PLANET from Christian Lauersen of Roskilde Libraries and Marie Engberg Eiriksson of Gladsaxe Libraries, Denmark. Library Planet is like a crowdsourced Lonely Planet for libraries of the world meant to inspire library travelers to open the awesome book that is our world of libraries, cities and countries. We want to give you a guide to the world of libraries. Everybody can contribute to Library Planet. See how here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ AND do not miss checking in with Christian’s work: Twitter: @clauersen Instragram: @librarylovestories  The Library Lab Blog This post is amazing: Let’s Dance.

The Heart of Librarianship ALA Webinar with Loida Garcia Febo

Thanks to Loida, ALA staff, and everyone who attended today’s webinar. Watch the recording here. Here’s the press release: Join Garcia-Febo and Dr. Michael Stephens for an exploration of the importance of accessible, welcoming and responsive library environments that invite open and equitable participation, as well as an examination of which factors are preventing many libraries from ramping up community engagement and user-focused services. The heart of librarianship is learning. It is 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 […]

Thanks Sirsi Dynix Connections Summit! The Hyperlinked Campus Slides & Download

Glad to do a short session for the Sirsi Dynix Connections Summit today. Thanks to everyone who was watching – apologies for the slide issue! You can download the slides here.  Useful Links: Selected Library Journal “Office Hours” columns cited: Adopt or Adapt Libraries in Balance   Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship. Chicago: American Library Association Editions.

Critical Thinking is Emotional Thinking: Reflections on a Post Truth Society by TTW Contributor Troy Swanson

Over the past two years I have conducted interviews on fake news and misinformation with librarians, psychologist, journalist, and others for the Circulating Ideas podcast. I have done some writing related to our so-called “post truth” world as it relates to information literacy. To give myself some focus and to continue the conversations, I am sharing this post highlighting some of the things I have read and heard. Reason and reasoning are not intended to find capital “T” truth. For several decades, psychology and behavioral economics have shown us how our minds use shortcuts (heuristics) to make decisions. Psychologists such […]

Thanks UPLRC! Slides & Links

Thanks to all who attended my keynote today at the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation “Tech Knowledge Transforms” Annual Meeting. Download the keynote session “The Library as Classroom” slides here. Download the breakout session “Formula for Success” slides here. Useful Links: Selected Library Journal “Office Hours” columns cited: Adopt or Adapt Making a Name Flash Briefing Libraries in Balance Librarian Superpowers What’s Next Formula for Success Hygge State of Mind Talk About Compassion Dream. Explore. Experiment. Color Me Curious Speak of the Devil LibraryEmoji The Right Questions Telling Stories Gifts of this Hour Open to Change

Australia Visit: Slides, Links and Thanks

Greetings everyone. I returned from Australia on August 12 and school started the following week. I am working to catch up. I wanted to extend a warm THANK YOU to everyone who helped bring me back to Australia for an amazing month-long visit. Special thanks to everyone at ALIA and to Helen Partridge, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) and  Kate Davis at USQ, and everyone else for putting this amazing trip together. And special thanks to the incredible folks at the National Library of Australia who invited me to do a talk, and my good friend Warren Cheetham for inviting me to speak to the […]

Returning to Australia: Keynote, USQ, National Library

Greetings all! I am thrilled that I will soon be departing for a month long adventure in Australia. It’s been a decade since the first trip, touring “The Hyperlinked Library” in five cites, and nine years since I was CAVAL Visiting Scholar and spoke at ASLA and QPLA. I am honored to be returning to do the closing keynote for the Asia-Pacific Library & Information Conference and to spend two weeks at the University of Southern Queensland as part of the Eminent Visiting Scholar Scheme program. Special thanks to everyone at ALIA and to Helen Partridge, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) and  Kate Davis at USQ, and […]