By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens When did it become an acceptable customer service response to try and push out an entire age group of users? Never, but that’s happening at too many libraries. Can we remain transparent, open, and focused on the core value of access and still tell young people to find another place to be social online? MC: I still get emails from librarians who endure meetings where administrators bemoan having to accommodate teens. One even said her director thought stats showing lower senior citizen library use reflected the increased teen presence. Banning MySpace MS: My hometown […]
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MS: Comments on my blog ranged from the forward-thinking, right-up-Ranganathan’s alley and the “Anonymous” who said, “Of course that crap should be banned” to the thoughtful critique and commentary of Ian McKinney from cutting-edge Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN. He reminds us the problem was specific kids, not technology. Indeed, I worry the teens in Mishawaka won’t care about the library and that will hurt the whole community. Were other solutions considered? MC: When we advocate bringing teens into the library, we don’t acquiesce to rowdy teen behavior, as some suspect. Behavioral problems are never acceptable in the […]
Ryan Deschamps writes: Public Libraries use gaming to attract teens That’s not precisely true. If we have public computers, the teens are already there — gaming. Gaming programs are an attempt to channel the gaming energy into a community building experience. It’s noisy; it’s not books; it’s probably more fun than your average taxpayer would like to think a teen should be having in a library — but it does some very important things: a) it builds trust with teens, helping them to see the library as a positive place to be b) it engages them toward other positive — […]
Did you know ALA was publishing the “Core Competencies of Librarianship?” Brian Kenney writes: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6545430.html Although the guidelines were presented at a public meeting, I don’t think this document is widely available, but you could try searching ala.org. The document is predictably conservative—in the sense of preserving what exists—and covers what you’d imagine: the foundation of our profession, information resources, organization, technical knowledge, reference and user services, research, continuing education, and administration. Likely the intent was to give ALA’s Committee on Accreditation, which accredits master’s programs in library and information science, a little more teeth—perhaps necessary in dealing with those […]
Solo trip to see HRC in Mishawaka Originally uploaded by Litandmore
I started Internet training at the St. Joseph County Public Library the same year Jake came to live with me as a 10 month pup. The family that owned him was growing as well, and there was no room for a big Lab puppy with 3 kids and one on the way. So Jake came to Mishawaka and soon found his way into my staff and public classes at SJCPL — nope, Jake never actually made it into the library (although one day he almost did when the Administrators were all off somewhere and we stopped by, but Jake stayed […]
Libraries and librarians are faced with a technological and societal wave of change that is ever increasing as we move farther into the 21st century. Preparing new graduates to deal with constant change, use current and emerging technology tools to further the mission of their institutions, and meet the needs of communities of library users while never losing sight of our foundational values and principles is of utmost importance to me as an LIS educator. Dr. Michael Stephens is Professor in the School of Information at San Jose State University. His teaching focuses on information communities, evolving library service, and reflective […]
Many folks who were at my talk in Lincoln, Nebraska sent this link along. Tom Casady, the Chief of Police in Lincoln is blogging. His about the blog statement: “What’s up at the Lincoln Police Department? What’s on the chief’s mind? I’ll give you my thoughts a couple times weekly–things you’re unlikely to hear about in the media.” http://lpd304.blogspot.com/ He covers police matters, crime reports and responds to comments with thoughtful posts. I wish we had more city officials blogging like this in Oak Park or Mishawaka!
This is me. I work on the Web. I live in Mishawaka, Indiana (and Oak Park, Illinois) and I work with the web and librarians – examining the way the Web and emerging technologies can further the mission and vision of libraries. I’ve written a Weblog called Tame the Web since 2003. I use the Web everyday in my work: teaching, writing and speaking. I use the Web as a way to teach library students and as a way to learn myself. I capture screenshots and log URLS for future blog posts, class lectures, and food for thought. I use […]
So EASY! Originally uploaded by mstephens7 I’m writing a CIL article today for Tech Tips for Every librarian on using free social network sites to create communities. In 15 minutes sitting here at Panra Bread in Mishawaka, IN I made this: http://indianalibrarians.ning.com/ I just can’t believe how easy it is these days to create an online presence and community without breaking the BANK!