At several points in my life I have had the opportunity to work closely with activists. I have seen political, social, and union activists up close and in action. The true activist is a special breed who is in touch with a different reality that is just outside the reach of the present. They have been touched by a holy spirit of change that drives them forward. Librarians can learn a great deal from activists. Activists do not just have energy and passion. They are absolutely goal focused. Ego is left behind. Partnerships are a necessity because resources are always […]
Categories Advocacy
84 posts
We librarians are in a war for survival but we keep getting caught up in battles. The battle with Overdrive, the battle with Harper Collins, Penguin, other publishers, the battle with database providers, the battle with Apple, Facebook, and everybody else trying to limit choices/privacy, etc. and we are losing them and losing them badly. It is time to remember the War. I don’t know about you, but I am fighting the War to make the Library vital to my community and make the community I serve the best in the world. I don’t care about eBooks, I am not […]
Please, TTW Readers, follow this link and sign the petition: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/ensure-every-child-america-has-access-effective-school-library-program/tmlbRqfF?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the […]
Folks – Please follow these links and read about the grass roots effort to help our colleagues and friends at “This Week in Libraries.” http://www.facebook.com/helptwil http://helptwil.tumblr.com/post/15878761386/help-twil-it-is-time-to-lend-a-hand This Week In Libraries has done so much for developing libraries worldwide. The show shares the stories of library innovations and best practices from all over the world. Now it’s our chance to help out. Our favorite hosts Erik and Jaap need our help. We want to do some crowd-funding for them. We are committed to raising enough money to keep TWIL on the air for its third season in 2012. Our goal is […]
I was honored to participate in the group devoted to building the skills of librarians and museum professionals. Lead by Dr. David Lankes, the group worked hard over two days at the Seminar. Above is the mission statement the group used to frame an example of future curriculum for educating in LIS and museums. The curricular topics include: Management for Participation Asset Management Cultural Skills Knowledge/Learning/Innovation Technology Transformative Social Engagement Under the heading of technology, this statement speaks well to my ideas about teaching and how LIS students should learn to learn: “ability to engage and evolve with technology” This […]
Remember this from way back in 2006? I think it still holds true. Someone reminded of it at my talk in Saginaw and asked for a new copy. Download the PDF here: StephensWarning
Here’s Andromeda Yelton‘s TEDx talk from this past June at Princeton Public Library in New Jersey. In 6 minutes and 31 seconds, Andromeda talks about how her and a gang of librarians (see below) earned enough money to build a library in India and then raise enough for 100 extra books, a newspaper subscription, and then, to top it all off, 4 bo0kmobiles in Africa. All of this, might I add, was done through Twitter/Blogging/Social Media. I was lucky enough to be part of the gang of librarians I mentioned above. Much love to the work of Andromeda, Ned Potter, and […]
Recently, ALA retweeted a tweet that originally came from @FSG_Books. It was a library haiku that read: A library card / is a 100% off / coupon for great books. This is a misconception throughout libraries everywhere. A library card isn’t a 100% off coupon. A library card is a tool that allows users to take advantage of the services and materials that have already been purchased for them. People who use the library and borrow those books have already paid for them. They’re not free books when the people borrowing them have already paid for them. Many users believe […]
I wanted to point to this great post about ILEAD U from Alicia Hammond, the Corporate and Small Business Liaison Librarian at the Schaumburg Township Library, IL. I have been given an incredible opportunity as a librarian. Earlier this year, I was accepted in the ILEAD U (Illinois Libraries Explore, Apply and Discover: The 21st Century Technology Tools Institute). This program is operated by the Illinois State Library and funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. And it is really cool! Basically there are two things going on with this program. They bring a bunch […]
Note from Michael – I’m deep in two projects today and tomorrow and haven’t had much time to catch up on the hubub with Harper Collins and ebooks. I can say that I agree with Justin’s take on the potential and promise of promoting content creation, access to technology and building the community memory (whatever community it might be – civic, academic, education) as a big part of our future in libraries. I appreciate Justin’s hard work and insights. The news about HarperCollins placing loaning caps on ebooks in the Overdrive catalog—known as #hcod on Twitter—gobbled up my Twitter […]