Library Advocates

A PATRON DOUBTS I CAN FIND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:52:43 -0400

librarianproblems:

This is the best way for them to learn, though.

marioncolibraries: ConGRADulations to our Mannington Story Hour...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:22:28 -0400

ConGRADulations to our Mannington Story Hour graduates! We had a wonderful ceremony and look forward to seeing everyone in Summer Reading this year.

Little hats and everything!

queenslibrary: Photobombing is acceptable when it’s from a...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:20:39 -0400

queenslibrary:

Photobombing is acceptable when it’s from a fellow library supporter.

Pictured: Wild About Libraries Rally at Queens Library at Peninsula

Libraries: bringing dolphins and bears together since…like a week ago?

ALA LibraryLab BoingBoing Postamatic 5000

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:19:01 -0400

ALA LibraryLab BoingBoing Postamatic 5000:

thepinakes:

Want to submit a strong library-related story to BoingBoing? Jason Griffey and Patrick Sweeney are behind this submission site for BoingBoing’s LibraryLab.

What’s happening in your library right now? What are your success stories? What’s working for your users?

Go forth, get some good words out there.

^What he said.

pewinternet: Slideshow: Tech trends, library stats, and how...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:33:15 -0400

pewinternet:

Slideshow: Tech trends, library stats, and how teens do research

Research Analyst Kathryn Zickuhr gave a presentation at the Westchester Library Association’s annual conference that touched on a lot of our recent findings on library use, as well as a broad overview of technology adoption among adults and teens and a quick look at how teens do research in the digital age. Take a look at her comprehensive slideshow.

"Now with United States government support for maximalist copyright on behalf of the motion picture..."

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:01:49 -0400

“Now with United States government support for maximalist copyright on behalf of the motion picture industry (from an earlier, relatively balanced approach to the treaty), this meaningful treaty —to help visually impaired people who have the audacity to hope, the audacity to read —has becomes meaningless.”

- Strong words from the ever-awesome Carrie Russell at ALA in a new blog post, Hooray for Hollywood? Choosing maximum copyright over justice. (via arlpolicynotes)

She really is pretty awesome.

Libraries Changed My Life

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:06:24 -0400

Libraries Changed My Life:

thelifeguardlibrarian:

Real life accounts from library patrons whose lives have been changed for the better by libraries.

Everyone, share the impact libraries and librarians have had on your lives—ALL submissions are welcome and encouraged. Take a moment and tell your story!

Signal boost!

National Library Legislative Day 2013 From May 7–8, 2013, more...

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:07:50 -0400

National Library Legislative Day 2013

From May 7–8, 2013, more than 350 librarians, patrons, trustees, educators and parents met with members of Congress to discuss key library issues during the American Library Association’s 39th annual National Library Legislative Day. Advocates discussed the need to protect federal library funding and support access to federally-funded scholarly journal articles, among other issues.

Hooray for Hollywood? Choosing maximum copyright over justice

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:27:00 -0400

Hooray for Hollywood? Choosing maximum copyright over justice:

Why does Hollywood have an issue with the Treaty to facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities?

Carrie Russell’s blogs are reliably insightful and fun to read.

Violent Video Games at Elmhurst Public Library: The Debate

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:43:55 -0400

Violent Video Games at Elmhurst Public Library: The Debate :

A group of Elmhurst residents is pushing for the Elmhurst Public Library to reevaluate its policy for carrying video games rated “M” (mature); in response, the library has released an extensive PDF document of information and varying opinions on the topic.

What are your thoughts?

uncoolio: Myq Kaplan (Letterman, Conan, Ferguson, Comedy...

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:58:00 -0400

uncoolio:

Myq Kaplan (Letterman, Conan, Ferguson, Comedy Central Presents, Live at Gotham, Last Comic Standing, and reddit)

Note the figure on the left:

New Executive Order will increase government transparency

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:20:01 -0400

New Executive Order will increase government transparency:

The White House has issued a new Executive Order that will increase government transparency.

The White House has issued a new Executive Order, making open and machine readable the new default for government information and a memo, Open Data Policy – Managing information as an asset. These documents provide a new set of guidelines for government agencies that will help to ensure a more open and accessible government.

StoryCorps and Chicago Public Library want your migration stories

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:04:00 -0400

StoryCorps and Chicago Public Library want your migration stories:

StoryCorps is teaming up with the Chicago Public Library to record migration stories, part of the library’s programing with “One Book, One Chicago” and the American Library Association’s “StoryCorps@YourLibrary” pilot program.

What Are the Best Ways that Libraries Can Help Immigrants?

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:21:15 -0400

What Are the Best Ways that Libraries Can Help Immigrants?:

How do library workers provide information services to immigrants and still stay within state laws that place limits on such activities? Next month, the American Library Association (ALA) will address immigration issues librarians face when they host free the webinar titled “Taking Action: Best Practices to Support Librarians and Library Workers Facing Laws Limiting Access to Information and Library Services to Immigrants.”

The webinar—which will be hosted by REFORMA, the ALA Washington Office, the ALA Office for Diversity—will take place on May 14, 2013, from 3:00–4:00 p.m. EST. The event is cosponsored by the ALA Office for Library Advocacy.

You can always expect to see an interesting pair of specs or two...

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:59:02 -0400

You can always expect to see an interesting pair of specs or two at any given librarian gathering.

Curious about what's happening at the American Library Association's day of legislative action? Follow #nlld13 on twitter.

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:24:51 -0400

Curious about what's happening at the American Library Association's day of legislative action? Follow #nlld13 on twitter.:

National Library Legislative Day: Where library advocates join on Capitol Hill to advocate for libraries

me: this book destroyed my life

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:05:01 -0400

me: this book destroyed my life
me: *add to the favorite books list*

"To me, a library … is a necessity. They have lots of things to offer. It’s kind of like home room..."

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:00:14 -0400

““To me, a library … is a necessity. They have lots of things to offer. It’s kind of like home room for your community. If you want to find something out then you just ask. And they have a lot of things that they offer that they don’t advertise.””

- Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading: Select quotes from parents and library staff (via pewinternet)

Report: Libraries put BTOP funds to work, strengthening...

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:54:30 -0400

Report: Libraries put BTOP funds to work, strengthening communities nationwide

The ALA’s “U.S. Public Libraries and Broadband Technology Opportunities Program” is the first to highlight state and local library BTOP projects nationwide and the improvements they have made to public access technology resources, digital literacy, and workforce development. Library projects in 29 states and the District of Columbia are featured in the report.

“Libraries have served as first responders in these tough economic times,” said ALA President Maureen Sullivan. “Millions of Americans have turned to us to gain new technology skills and access to specialized resources. BTOP has helped to enable expanded services and to develop the improved infrastructure to meet these community needs.”

Highlights:

Nearly all statewide library projects include digital literacy training. More than 367,000 Coloradans increased their digital literacy skills through that state’s BTOP project. Ninety-five percent of those who took formal classes in Colorado stated they learned a valuable skill and would recommend the classes to others.
Nearly 600 people who participated in New York State Library’s “Broadband Express @ your library” programs and used online job resources went on to secure employment.
The Nebraska Library Commission has more than doubled its grant goal, which was to upgrade broandband speeds for 45 libraries in this mostly rural state. Of the 101 libraries upgraded so far, the average speed moved from 2.9 Mbps to 21.4 Mbps.
Alaska, Delaware, Maine, Oklahoma and Rhode Island have established new videoconferencing capabilities in several, if not all, libraries in their states. The Maine State Library is deploying its statewide network to provide legal information clinics through the Volunteer Lawyers Project. The clinics are offered in real time, allowing patrons at multiple locations, and especially in rural locations, to attend and ask questions directly of the presenting attorney.

Forks?

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:23:02 -0400

21stgoddamncentury:

No, we don’t have any forks at the reference desk.

Young person, this is a library.

We eat with our hands.