CHICAGO — Of his earlier book, Against the Grain raved, “Reading this book brings a sense of hope, inspiration, and excitement for what the future holds for the new generation of hyperlinked librarians entering our profession.” Now Michael Stephens is back with a newly curated collection of succinct writings that will refresh your view of the profession and invigorate your work: “Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration, and Balance,” published by ALA Editions. Associate Professor at San Jose State University, Stephens encourages curiosity and creativity in his students and all library workers by connecting trends from outside the profession to its […]
Categories News & Life Updates
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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 […]
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 […]
Greetings to all members of the American Library Association. I received my ballot and I am happy to cast a vote for Peter Hepburn for ALA President. I have known Peter for over ten years. His work with libraries and participation in our association is strong. His experience within ALA over the years on council, the Executive Board, and various divisions is a solid foundation for the role of president. Sustainability is the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, something members of ALA cannot ignore. His platform includes: A Model for Sustainability Organizational Stability Continued Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion For more […]
Greetings all – I realized I never posted about this. In Fall 2016, I applied for a sabbatical with the university to work on a research project contingent on my tenure and promotion decision. I received tenure and promotion in may 2017 and the sabbatical was awarded to me for Spring Semester 2018. Because of this, I do not have teaching responsibilities this semester. Here’s a bit about the project: The aim of the project is to pursue scholarship related to the professional learning experiences of public librarians in Australia via a research partnership with the University of Southern Queensland […]
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA, October 10, 2017 — Gwinnett County Public Library and the San José State University School of Information will co-sponsor the Innovative Librarians Award to recognize library science graduate students who put forward new ideas that improve libraries and library services. Nominations will be judged by public librarians with years of frontline, managerial, and administrative experience. “When hiring professional librarians, we’re always looking for those who are willing to put forth their innovative ideas and be agents of change,” says Michael Casey, GCPL Director of Customer Experience. “What better way to discover new and innovative ideas while at the […]
From Michael: Greetings all! I am thrilled to be traveling to Denmark next week for the Next Library Conference in Aarhus at the Dokk1 library. One of the most resonating statements I have heard in recent years came from Dokk1’s Marie Østergård at PLA in 2016: “We don’t hire for librarians or nonlibrarians but based on competencies,” Østergård said. “You must be ready to work hard and meet people all day.” I am looking forward to sharing some ideas about skills and mindset in a workshop I am co-teaching with Jan Holmquist, Assistant Library Director, Guldborgsund Public Library in Denmark and Mylee […]
Friends in the library world. I am thrilled to support Loida Garcia-Febo for ALA President. Please take a look at her campaign site for more. I am pleased to endorse Loida for ALA President. I have followed her work with the association and other international groups for some time. Loida recognizes the importance of inclusive service for everyone, and to do that we must advocate for ourselves, our institutions and our users. She also recognizes we must also develop our own skills and policies as the nature of information and access to information continues to evolve. I am confident her […]
It’s my last speaking trip of the year. I’m heading to Panama City, Florida tomorrow for the Panhandle Library Access Network Annual meeting. If you are attending, please say hi. 🙂
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, […]