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@ALAlibrary @OIF Issues Resolution on Access to Accurate Information

In a press release sent out yesterday the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) announced a resolution adopted on January 24th by the American Library Association (ALA) Council. The resolution prepared by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) - Resolution on Access to Accurate Information - addresses the "problems of fake news, personalized news-feeds, web search algorithms and the delay of Freedom of Information Act requests." 

OIF alaThe Resolution outlines the role of librarians and library workers in helping to raise awareness of these issues and "supports the critical role of librarians and library works in all types of libraries in teaching information literacy skills that enable users to locate information and evaluate its accuracy."

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Somaliland Hopes Books Will Speak to its Diaspora|npr.org

Redsea Book Fair Banner'A revolution has been happening (in Somaliland) in publishing books, reading, writing and literature,' says Musa...."

RUGTA banner simple"Hamdi Ali Musa saw her first book when she was 10. Now 25, she's one of Hargeisa's only librarians." (shown in photo)

Somaliland is a self declared state (some sources say 'republic') and an autonomous region of Somalia.

Hargeisa SomalilandIt is also a region of Africa whose roots go back to the Neolithic Period. On the outskirts of the Capital, Hargeisa are the Laas Geel complex cave paintings  "containing stratified archaeological infills capable of documenting the period when production economy appeared in this part of Somalia (circa 5th and 2nd millennium BCE)".(Wikipedia)

The capital of this republic is Hargeisa (Somali: Hargeysa, Arabic: هرجيسا‎‎ is the second largest city in Somalia after Mogadishu. (source: Wikipedia).

And here's a fascinating fact ... for centuries until recent history (the end of the 1800's) when European Imperialist interests turned their attention to the region, splitting it up, negotiating treaties to alternately divide or reunite it and eventually leaving it to handle its own particular brand of civil war ... this country's people passed on their ancient legacy of stories in the Oral Tradition.

That's all changed now for a number of reasons, the need to join the community of nations being one of them. Books and their authors represent the renewed hope of these people who are widely spread across our globe as a diaspora - a country as an idea. Since 1972 the swelling initiative to support books written in Somali has been chiefly lead by the desire to gather together in a literary and a real way, the hundreds of thousands of Somalis that have fled this ancient land during its fight for independence and have not returned. Hassan Roda Book Somaliland w text

Somaliland has no passport agency and is not 'officially recognised' by the international community. It has no support from international aid agencies nor funds flowing to it from the World Bank. It does have a Book Fair, (site text not it English) and that's where librarian Hamdi Ali Musa enters this story. "The (Book Fair is the) biggest annual event in Somaliland, drawing 11,000 attendees this year, (is) an advertisement for a republic that showcases itself as a kind of "anti-Somalia."

I can not find any details about Hamdi Ali Musa other than what is reported by NPR (and republished by the online 'Samliland Informer'.) I am encouraged as should we all be, that a young woman is the stewart of this growing body of Somali literature, taking her country with her into her future.

Here is the link to the Hargeisa Library on Twitter. @HargeisaLibrary. Somliland skipped right over the 1900's and scooted right into the 21st with its communications and social media!

Credit: NPR, Wikipedia, Twitter

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Hell yes, we've got competition ... bring it on! @amlibraries

PurBsdLibSrcnGrb
American Libraries Mag

Turns out that librarians and libraries are doing a great job at keeping up with competition from both obvious - box store book stores - and obscure sources - multi national uber-corporations.

In this book review in @amlibraries American Libraries Magazine: "The Purpose-Based Library Finding your path to survival, success, and growth" by John J. Huber and Steven V. Potter, you will read...

"Bill Gates’s quote should have you, as a member of the library profession, doing backflips. Librarians are specifically trained to gather, manage, and use information. If we take Gates’s words at face value, libraries should be the most competitive organizations on the planet."

Turns out that libraries are doing a great job in this regard.

...and that, my library friends and colleagues, should make you all feel very good about your work today!

Here's a sample of the ideas celebrated by Huber and Potter:

"To successfully compete, libraries must embrace the words of Bill Gates. 'Libraries must gather, use, and manage information in a way that large for-profit companies cannot.' So the question is: What competitive advantages do libraries have that these organizations do not? Let us count the ways:

  • Libraries have more locations across the country than any other organization.
  • Libraries have a personal presence in every community in the country.
  • Library staff interact with their customers face-to-face.
  • Library staff are trained and skilled to gather, archive, and manage information.
  • Library staff are well educated and motivated to make a difference.
  • And most important, libraries and their staff have a powerful, game-changing common purpose.

To go beyond survival, to succeed and grow, libraries must embrace and leverage these competitive advantages."

PurposeBasedLibrary
from: ALA Store

You may purchase the book at this link.

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Web People vs. Wall People | NYTimes OpEd/T.Friedman

"...the hardest truth: that to be in the middle class, just working hard and playing by the rules doesn’t cut it anymore. To have a lifelong job, you need to be a lifelong learner, constantly raising your game." T. Friedman

See Mr. Friedman's OpEd here.

All change is inexorable. This change has already swept over us.

WebPplWallPplAs a society we have been too slow to recognise it. Librarians have always designed spaces for people to meet, learn, research and work; for people who view the world as their home and their shared place of business as their own. 

Although Mr. Friedman's words make some of us uncomfortable and others even frightened, they are true. We have moved on. We are part of a global economy - a global web of opportunity - that we have never experienced before.

We can't go back. Our children don't want to go back. The globe, our planet is their future; their opportunities are quite literally a world beyond ours. We reside in a world where, as life-long learners already appreciate, libraries will continue to play a pivotal role.

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Now where do we go?

Since the Towers fell in NYC; since I worked at a maximum prison; since my mother thought me how to carry my keys - points out - in my hand when walking to my car; I have thought a lot about my personal safety and what I would do, could do, "should anything happen".

Well "anything" happens all the time now. We are none of us as safe as we imagined we were yesterday or last year. After Orland_ Spaces

Tomorrow we present a Webinar for the Southern Ontario Library Service for librarians who are developing their management skills.  In it we talk about "The 3rd Place" and "The Commons" with respect to how librarians are providing space in their libraries for individuals in their communities so that they feel like they are a part of their physical community - not just the on-line one we are becoming so used to. 

Librarians are on the forefront of societal change especially concerning how we interact and how we find our place in our community.

In light of this article from the Atlantic - CITYLAB, our message rings both sickeningly hollow and loudly. 

How can we go into a public space and feel safe? Meeting stairs searsHow are these violent actions that are happening globally and involving our physical safety, affecting our behaviour in our cities, towns and in our libraries?

Indeed.

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7 Reasons Libraries Are Our Only Hope In Case Of A Zombie Apocalypse | bustle.com

Alex Weiss writes a funny and serious article (in a flipped way!) in bustle.com.

It ends with this succinct message. Quote Ms. Weiss - she's right! Humour is often a great way to get your point across to your community about how important librarians and libraries are!

Is there wouldnt do people

"There may never actually be a zombie outbreak, but if there is, hopefully it'll be short lived. Libraries will have the necessary information on how to start society back up after it's crashed and burned. After all, humans have history of picking themselves back up after epidemics, and it's all recorded in the books. If certain professions are needed, such as engineering or medical help, libraries can offer the immediate resources and ideas to local communities.

Basically, if I haven't made it clear by now, your best bet to survive the zombie apocalypse is to run to your nearest academic library and make a shelter out of books. Stick with the librarians and just say no to zombies."

Images: AMC; Steven Guzzardi/flickr; giphy (9)

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Teens/ Technology & Friendships | Pew Research Center


Not surprising data.
A little chilling for those of us who made friends on the playground and in class but true nonetheless and we have to deal with this in the library world and our daily lives 

How do we relate to our next generation ?

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“Travel by Book”. Free Bus Rides to People Reading a Book,Cluj-Napoca, Romania

[As reported in The Good Life, magazine.good.is, by Rafi Schwartz]

"From June 4-7 (2015), following the Cluj-Napoca's "tenure as the 2015 European Youth Capital  " anyone reading on the city’s buses, trams or trolley, was allowed to ride, entirely free of charge.

TheScreencap BooksBus IdeaGuy "brainchild of Victor Miron, a local literacy advocate, (this) initiative (was) designed to both promote literacy, and encourage residents to take advantage of municipal public transportation." Here's the link to his Facebook page.

It worked! Screencap BooksBus

"Bolstered by his success, Victor hopes to establish this as a regular event in Cluj, with two more proposed “Travel by Book” dates in mind, each corresponding to local book fairs. He is also in talks to expand the initiative to the Romanian cities of Alba Iulia and Focșani, and to Chișinău, across the Moldovian border."

  Screencap BooksBus bus

“I believe that it’s better to promote reading by rewarding those who read, instead of criticising the ones who don’t,” said Miron on arts website Bored Panda this week.

"Other initiatives to celebrate the event and promote reading in the city included using the city’s buses and trams to display inspiring quotes from classic and contemporary authors, giving out bookmarks to the general public and a weekly book club which ran throughout June in the Cluj-Napoca’s botanical garden."(Independent.co.uk)

Bookface FacebookThe city's mayor posted Miron's idea to his Facebook and it swiftly morphed into its own page Bookface.

The New York Times reports, "Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface

that "Bookface is a phenomenon that is sweeping the ever creative Library world with inventive posts and photos posted to I Bookface Burlingamenstagram in 'Bookface Style' using the caption #BookfaceFriday."  These photos are so creative, well crafted and fun!

View the whole post here.

 

 

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Misconceptions cleared up

BuzzFeed loves to do surveys and make lists.

This one reveals ideas so many people have about librarians, in 2015 no less, that I wonder if people who harbour these misconceptions are just trying to be, well, trying!

On April 15th, BuzzFeed asked: "What’s The Most Frustrating Misconception People Have About Librarians?" - by Arianna Rebolini.

This photo posted on Instagram by 'heartattackvine'  WhyGoogleAskMe sums up the responses for me. 

Read on. Shatter any notions you may have or anyone you might meet who has weird and outdated ideas about librarians and what they do each day.

 

Here are the answers to the misconceptions. Read the whole article here.

  1. Being a librarian is at times a very stress filled job.
  2. Technology has not made libraries redundant.
  3. Librarians do not spend their days reading (they WISH!!)
  4. Librarians do not have 'a look' that defines them.
  5. and the misconception of that 'look' has two diametrically opposed stereotypes.
  6. Childrens' Story Hour is not play time.
  7. Librarians work "in corporations, law firms, research institutes and laboratories, the government and military, special libraries (and) are researchers, computer specialists, collection developers, archivists, subject experts, meta data experts (you know, make everything findable off and online) and a lot more.” -AnnaBanana617
  8. Librarians need to have an advanced degree (it's called a Masters of Library and Information Sciences).StressfreeLibrarianship
  9. It's not easy being a librarian. Click this photo to feel the stress: 
  10. Librarians embrace technology. Always have. Librarians are always on the leading edge of technological innovation.
  11. Librarians are not all women and come in all age groups, sizes, ethnicities and nationalities.
  12. Librarians are not prudes (just attend a party at ALA!)
  13. Librarians are anything but introverted loners.
  14. Libraries as a community and national resource are not an 'endangered species' nor an idea whose time has passed.

To quote Ms. Rebolini... "Librarians are heroes and best friends to readers, of all ages, around the world." I second that.

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Internet of Things Privacy Index-79% of consumers concerned about personal data

79% of consumers are concerned

about the idea of their personal data

being collected through smart devices

2015_01_28_ScrnSht_IoT summit

Here are some detailed findings from 2015 U.S. Internet of Things Privacy Index:

“…research found that 79% of consumers are concerned about the idea of their personal data being collected through smart devices, while 69% believed they should own any such data being collected.

More than 1 in 4 (27%) mentioned concerns about the security or privacy of the data collected as a reason why they did not currently own a smart device.

When asked how concerned they were about specific privacy and security issues that smart devices connected to the internet can lead to, consumers showed strong concerns over the use and control of their personal data

  • with the highest concern being personal information collected and used in ways they were unaware (87%)
  • followed by identity theft (86%),
  • the concern that their device would be infected by malware (86%) and
  • concern that their location might be revealed without their knowledge (78%).

To address the privacy concerns of the IoT era, TRUSTe held the first Internet of Things Privacy Summit in Silicon Valley last July, which provided a forum for privacy experts, policy makers and innovators around the world to come together and define the privacy needs of the increasingly connected world. In response to the success of the event, TRUSTe will host the 2nd annual IoT Privacy Summit on June 18, 2015 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

2015_01_28_ScrnSht_IoT summit venueIoT industry experts and privacy leaders who are interested in speaking at or sponsoring the summit should go to http://www.truste.com/events/iot/2015-speaking-submissions/ for further details.”

for more:Press

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We've started partnering - International Librarians Network

 

 

Ilncyclev2
screen shot: ILN

"The International Librarians Network (ILN) is a facilitated program aimed at helping librarians develop international networks. (They) believe that innovation and inspiration can cross borders, and that spreading our networks beyond our home countries can make us better at what we do.

 

ILN is run by volunteers all around the world. Program Coordinators match participants, support the partnerships, and manage the website."

Give it a try...you never know who you may meet while giving back to your international library community!

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openIDEO...signed on - better late than never

We just signed on to openIDEO ... "a place where people design better, together for social good. It's an online platform for creative thinkers: the veteran designer and the new guy who just signed on, the critic and the MBA, the active participant and the curious lurker."

OpenIDEO PDF presThey have just offered their 'OpenIDEO Impact Book' – in PDF, a collection of stories featuring real-world impact that has emerged from 21 OpenIDEO challenges over the past three years. The book highlights just a few examples of individuals, teams and organisations who have been inspired to realise OpenIDEO ideas and bring positive change to their communities.

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Want your library's Digital Inclusion data on the map?

Library Stats Census Data overlay
screen shot

Quote from the article:

"Research from the Public Library Funding & Technology,1Opportunity for All,2 and Pew Internet3 studies show that libraries are vital digital hubs that provide access to public access technologies and digital content, and that millions of people rely on the public access technologies and services provided by public libraries. When taken together, these studies also show that success in an increasingly digital social and economic context requires a comprehensive approach to creating digital inclusion so as to ensure that there is opportunity for all communities and individuals regardless of geographic location, socio-economic status, or other demographic factors."

"Based on a national survey conducted in Fall 2013, our analysis provides insights into how public libraries help build digitally inclusive communities."

"Our map is now nationwide!

Created in partnership with Community Attributes Inc. as part of the Digital Inclusion Survey, our data visualization tool maps all public libraries using the FY2011 Public Library Survey data file released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for library locations. The tool overlays Census data (demographic, economic, health, and education) from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year dataset (2007-2011). The map also includes selected Digital Inclusion Survey data from participating libraries, thus showing the roles that libraries play regarding digital inclusion in their communities.

Want your library's Digital Inclusion data on the map? Participate in the 2014 survey, set to launch in September 2014."

Digital Inclusion Survey screen shot

 

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Coalition Slams Net Neutrality Rules

Report from PCmag.com today by Chloe Albenesius

Net Neutrality (photo - PCmag)

A coalition of top Internet firms - from Google and Amazon to Facebook and Twitter - penned a letter to the FCC this week to express concern with the commission's proposed net neutrality rules.

See the entire article here. It's not too late...yet. Make your voices heard.

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'Who Says Libraries Are Going Extinct ?' by Anna Clark - 'Pacific Standard' May/June'14

This month's issues of PACIFIC*STANDARD, has a small piece under the monthly Topic: 'You Don't Know America', by Anna Clark called, 'Who Says Libraries Are Going Extinct', that will warm the heart of every person who wants to tell everyone they know how much and why libraries are so important in America.

IMG_20140427_145041_edit_edit_editThis month's issue isn't on-line yet but when it is, you will find it at Pacific Standard's site. In short, it names examples of libraries such as those in Rochester, NY and Tulsa, OK that are providing services that are staying ahead of the "needs curve" to patrons and the community.  These libraries are thriving because of their imagination and service-oriented plans to remain viable, important and accessible partners in their communities.

See the whole article, below in the link to 'Related Articles' to read Ms. Clark's whole article from February this year.

 

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ALLive: Online. European Librarians Discuss - Institutions and Programs

Thursday October 10, 2013
2:00pm Eastern | 1:00pm Central | 12:00pm Mountain | 11:00am Pacific

"On the next episode of AL Live, we'll take a trip overseas. Our panel of international experts will discuss how some of Europe's top libraries currently see the role of the library and the librarian.

This 60-minute episode will take place on Thursday, October 10th at 2pm Eastern. You can pre-register at http://goo.gl/ZeSRX2 (pre-registration is not required to attend).

Among the topics we'll be discussing:

  • What are the ways you engage visitors and drive the continued relevance of the library as a cultural institution?
  • How does the library interact or interface with other public institutions?
  • How does the library market its services to the public?
  • What types of technologies do European libraries use to enhance the user experience?
  • What type of online interfaces do European libraries offer?
                      Joining us for this discussion are:
  • Hans van Velzen from the Amsterdam Public Library
  • Paola Manoni from the Vatican Library
  • Frédérique Manning from the City of Paris Library Network
  • Eric Conderaerts from Infor"
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discovered iFixIt: The Free Repair Manual

Libraries struggle with tight budgets. IFIXIT

Maybe iFitIt can help at work or home. 

Maybe there's a Library Program idea in it too.

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Research Brief Finds Use of Small and Rural Libraries is Growing in the Digital Age

I write to you from the NYLA Conference in Niagara Falls. While
checking my e-mails this morning I came across a press release from
the Institute of Museums and Libraries (IMLS) about the release of
their latest Research Brief - The State of Small and Rural
Libraries in the United States
.

A link to the complete Brief is at the end of this Post.

The Brief reports that the use of small and rural libraries is
growing in the digital age.

Here is a copy of the press release:

The report gives an overview of the distribution, service use,
fiscal health, and staffing of these important community assets. One
of the report’s surprising findings is the sheer number of public
libraries that can be classified as either small or rural.
The report finds that 6,098 libraries (77.1 percent of all public
libraries) are small libraries and that overall 46 million people
(15.4 percent of the population) are served by small libraries.
Further the report finds that city libraries are being outpaced by
their rural counterparts in providing access to broadband and
e-books.
“This report is a must read for policymakers who are concerned
about the health and vitality of rural America,” said Susan H.
Hildreth, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library
Services. “Whether the issue is education, economic development,
or access to broadband, small and rural libraries are important
communications hubs for people in small towns and rural
locations.”
For this analysis, IMLS developed definitions for “small” and
“rural,” terms that lack widely accepted definitions when applied
to public libraries. “Rural” is defined using locale codes
developed by the U.S. Census Bureau for the National Center for
Education Statistics to indicate any area outside of an urbanized
area or urban cluster. “Small library” is defined as a public
library with a legal service area population below 25,000 people.


The brief’s key findings include the following:

  • Of the 8,956 public libraries in the United States in FY2011,
77.1 percent can be categorized as small. Almost half of all
public libraries, 46.8 percent, were rural libraries. Their
sheer number and broad distribution across the country speaks
volumes about the value local communities place on library
services.
  • In FY2011, there were 167.6 million recorded visits to rural
public libraries, a number that has increased by 4.2 percent
over the past three years, and there were 301.2 million visits
to small public libraries in FY2011, a three-year increase of
4.6 percent. The fact that service use continues to increase at
these libraries at a time when other libraries are experiencing
declines on a per capita basis is a further testament to their
resilience and continued relevance to rural life.
  • There were 49,048 publicly accessible computer terminals in
rural libraries in FY2011, a three-year increase of 20.2
percent. In comparison to urban public libraries, rural
libraries have higher per-capita levels of publicly accessible
Internet computers and e-books. Given the lag in broadband
access in rural communities when compared to suburban and urban
areas, this further emphasizes the strong role public libraries
play in providing access to the critical digital resources that
are directly related to 21st-century skills.

A PDF copy of the complete Research Brief is available at:
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Understand the privacy risks associated with public access computing

Choose privacyThis is Choose Privacy Week.

So many of us are completely unaware of the easy-to-use strategies that will help  guard our personal information from theft or inadvertent disclosure.

A new tip sheet, from ALA -" Public Computers and Wi-Fi Privacy, helps individuals understand the privacy risks associated with public access computing and outlines how they can protect their privacy while using public computers and public networks.  The tip sheet is available here at chooseprivacyweek.org as a free, downloadable PDF file."

Here are the main tips you should be aware of and practice in your day to day life on line in public places and while using Wi-Fi:

  • Delete your browsing history
  • Log out
  • Do not enable "remember me" on a public computer
  • Look for the 's".  https:// and shttp:// sites make sure your information is secure.  An http:// site is NOT secure.
  • Do not conduct personal transactions  that request personal and sensitive information (bank account numbers; home address; SIN etc.) on Wi-Fi hotspots or public computers.
  • If you have any doubt about your ability to guard your privacy on line anywhere and in your library - ask your Librarian!
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DIY in your Library? Shakin' it up in Indianaoplis

Check this out and maybe join the discussion at ACRL 2013, Indianapolis today through Saturday @libraryleadpipe   #diylib  

In library lead pipe logo

 

"DIY projects are shiny and exciting (and time-consuming), but to what end? For academic librarians this DIY culture is closely tied with professional development and scholarship, but what does it say about the future of the academic library profession? This is a question we propose to answer in a panel session at the ACRL National Conference this month."

We have always changed to meet our readers and clients' needs, is this a fad or a shift?  Librarians are asking how shifts in our technology and shared media culture are effecting librarians and how they do their work.

 

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73% of Americans are 'likely' to ask an on-line librarian for research help.

That's a lot of people who want to use our libraries.

Gather your data while ye may!

In a new survey of Americans’ attitudes and expectations for public libraries, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds that many library patrons are eager to see libraries’ digital services expand, yet also feel that print books remain important in the digital age.

 

The availability of free computers and internet access now rivals book lending and reference expertise as a vital service of libraries. In a national survey of Americans ages 16 and older: 

80% of Americans say borrowing books is a “very important” service libraries provide.

80% say reference librarians are a “very important” service of libraries.

77% say free access to computers and the internet is a “very important” service of libraries.

Moreover, a notable share of Americans say they would embrace even wider uses of technology at libraries

Read the entire report here.

Here's the summary graph. It is interesting to read in the report about how the answers are split among different demographics.

Library_services_infographic PewInternetorg_March2013

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IMAGINE THAT!

Walkill Librarian and power source, Mary Lou Carolan MC'd the Walkill Public Library - IMAGINE THAT! Children's Theater Project on Sunday afternoon.

What a fant2013_03_17_Wlkl PL_ML Stage children_C0791astic way to involved children in reading @ Their Library.  The acts in the hour long production were about books; being IN books; READING books; what books MEAN to the children who know them so well.

We danced in the audience and responded to their cues.  What fun!

Here are some of the photos I took.  See and learn more here at the Walkill Public Library website, it's a happenin' place.

  2013_03_17_Wlkl PL_ML Stage Producers Director_C0795

 

 

 

 

 

 

  2013_03_17_Wlkl PL_ML Stage children_C0797

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Did your library win it's funding vote?


Desperate times - desperate measures.

Troy lead inFighting fire with figurative fire.  Negative energies aren't the only ones to make big noise.

"Not every story at the library has a happy ending. Fortunately, this one (in Troy, Michagan) did."

36. THE TROY LIBRARY "Book Burning Party" - YouTube.


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Putting the 'branding' cart before the 'substance' cart - are libraries keeping up?


125px-Apple-logo.svg"If you promise something clearly, deliver on that promise, and repeat the process, you build strong emotional links to your company with certain consumers. But that’s where the value resides: in my head and your head."

Canadian-tire-logo

It's true, engineers at a steam generating company don't sit around all day designing a branding strategy to make the customer aware of the electricity it helps produce.

Everyone uses electricity.  Electricity is essential to our way of life.

GeektheLibrary-PosterTemplate_Colin Palmer_running_2821Everyone reads (well, not everyone can - but that's another issue altogether).  Reading is essential to our way of life.  Not everyone uses their library. Logo

Are librarians thinking about their library branding strategy enough? 

Are libraries relying on the fantasy - 'We exist, therefore people will use the library'?

Getting the word out that libraries support a well informed citizenry is not easy, but it can be done.   250px-Vancouver_Public_Library

Ajax_library_logo_hi Tbpl PPLibLogo1

Make sure that your product is the best quality and meets your communitiy's needs.  Your library building will support a well executed strategic plan that includes a good, honest look at what your community needs. AFL_logo_72dpi

 

 

Check out this article for more inforamtion on the discussion ... 'Why Branding Is An Artifact of the Past', fastcodesign.com, Brian Millar.

photo: K.Watson, for the Wallkill Public Library, Geek Your LIbrary Campaign M.L.Carolan - CEO


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Library as Third Place - I Geek Global Literacy!


Just checking in on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  Gates Fndtn Logowork with US Libraries.

Here's the latest link form the foundation web site about their work to foster the community library as a safe Third Place in our lives.

Gates Fndtn libary work

 

 

and don't forget the GEEK Your Library program sponsored by OCLC and the Gates Foundation.

GeektheLibrary-PosterTemplate_Colin Palmer_running_2821

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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the fine art of drafting contracts...for your very own private city!


24-TOWN-articleLarge_Sandy Hills GA

"With public employee unions under attack in states like Wisconsin, and with cities across the country looking to trim budgets, behold a town built almost entirely on a series of public-private partnerships — a system that leaders around here refer to, simply, as “the model.”" - NYTimes

Sandy Springs, Georgia.  Go ahead, do the search. 

Where would a member of a private city run on contracts to private companies go to find information like that resident in a public library? Is the 'pubic' library in the neighbouring town providing service? How does that work?

Good questions.

Here's what is written in the 'Newcomers Guide' to the Sandy Springs community about the Library:

"The Atlanta-Fulton Library System serves residents of Sandy Springs with a local library." my note: this branch operates 7 days a week!)
Atlanta-Fulton County Library System web site for the Sandy Springs Branch.

The branch is at the heart of the Sandy Springs Community. Sandysprings branch_MAP

If this is the future; and this is the present, then I'm getting pretty nervous.  There is real and present support for this model of living in the "United" States of America and in Canada (there is a blog I won't give mention to in print that loudly supports the Canadian dream of the tea party ideal- including this private city.)

Included in our webinar for SOLS - Building a New Library, Taking the Lead SOLS Course Overview lead slide- is a talking point under the topic 'Trends', "the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ will continue to widen in our lifetime, on a global scale."  Sandy Springs,GA, a contracted community, is an example of that widening that reinforces my decision to add that subject to our presentation.

Here's an interesting statistic: from the income, earnings and wages data.

Estimated median house or condo value in 2009: $442,100 (it was $316,600 in 2000)

Sandy Springs: $442,100
Georgia: $162,800

 


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Re-imagining the Purpose & Identity of Libraries


Jian G on CBC interview reimaging libsAre Canadian Libraries keeping up with what our society needs better than those in the US?

Listen to this lively debate on CBC Radio  [The Read on Libraries, May 30, 2012 Radio > Q "What will the evolution of libraries be? The great debate on whether books will become obsolete.] about the re-imagining of the 'LIBRARY' centered on but not limited to the new changes to the NYP Library on 5th. NYPL_20120412-00590

Do we need more social space?

What is the original purpose of a library?

What will come from making the library open to people who would not normally come into a library?

Does opening the library up to the social network increase membership?

What is 'Cultural Architecture'?


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Americans lose their way. LIbrary funded by foreign interests.


People actually think that this is a happy story.

Spear Library, Shutesbury MAIt is a common story.  In the long run, it is not a positive tale and unfortunately for the children of this country it is one that is played out with regularity.

Here's the story line; tiny, miserably funded, inadequately supported and ill provisioned local library goes for a funding vote.  Short sighted community (I use the term loosely) votes down a budget to bring the library up to a standard that allows it's staff to do their jobs.

Here's the twist.  Pathos in the wings...library supporters do a video, put it on the web...presto! DONATIONS ROLE IN....FROM PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES.

We in the U.S. have turned upside down and inside out our priorities, our sense of responsibility to our society and even lost the ability to discern a pathetic situation when we see it with our own eyes.

This is not a happy story.  It is a pathetic story.  Even though the state was ready to fund 60% of this project, less than half of the citizens who did vote knew what a library is for and what a really good one can  do for a small community.

I am not made jubilant by this report.  I am profoundly saddened by it.  It is not the first one I have heard and it won't be the last.  America you are in danger of total and irreversible collapse.  You have lost your ability to stand up and support your own democracy - at your peril.

 

Story about the M.N. Spear Memorial Library, Shutesbury, MA.  reported by: Zak Stone in www.good.is


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you and your private life are worth billions


"Facebook collects....(and) it records a user’s online usage patterns, including the browser they use,the user's IP address and how long they spend logged into the site." 

Bits in the data mine tunnel

 

There is no excuse for not knowing the degree to which we are giving away our rights to privacy.  This article will outline the threats:  You Are Being Tracked Online: Here Are 5 Ways to Protect Your Privacy

They are not alone in doing this.  And neither are you, any more, ever. "Once you connect to the digital ether, whether via a computer, smartphone or tablet, your ostensible private information becomes public and prime for commercialization."

The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning earlier in February over apparent violations of children’s privacy rights involving the operating systems of the Apple iPhone and iPad as well as Google’s Android and their respective apps developers. Its report, "Mobile Apps for Kids," examined 8,000 mobile apps designed for children and found that parents couldn’t safeguard the personal information the app maker collected.

 


credit: David Rosen for Alternet Photos: Shutterstock
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Get socialized-Grow Your Community @ Your Library


SirsiDynix® launches their 'Social Library solution'... and it just might keep people happy that they use your library.

SirsiDynix1
Here's their blurb:
Get socialized
Take advantage of the viral marketing network by putting your library in the social dialog. Join the 40+ public and academic libraries already using Social Library! 
Grow your community
Increase user registration and circulation by providing easy access to the library for current and prospective users, right from your Facebook page.
Check it out for yourself here.

 


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