If I worked for the National Public Library Corporation, I’d include moving visuals like the ones below in my architecture collection. In addition to reference materials, the collection would include resources for library programs that drive community participation, education and enjoyment such as: physical and online references for in-house exhibits project outlines for researching &
◊ Change Management ◊
Of course librarianship is a profession
The Radical Patron is pleased to welcome guest author, Michael Henry Starks. Following a 25-career in Marketing and Communications for IBM, Michael is in his first year of library school at Indiana University in Indianapolis. A couple of weeks ago, Ryan Deschamps, e-Learning Manager at the Halifax Public Libraries in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and writer
Waking up to The American Dream Toolkit
The ALA has begun promoting its American Dream Toolkit and each reference chafes my sensibilities. These days, the notion of an “American Dream” bumps up against some pretty harsh realities: 1 in 4 children on foodstamps, devastating unemployment, millions of homes foreclosed, millions of people without access to adequate healthcare and public education. With so
Hmmm… if libraries remove computers
Last week, two posts came over LISNews in close proximity. Both originated with librarians and address key questions about the future of libraries.If Libraries Remove Computers, Will Anyone Come? is a short piece by Wired Campus covering a lengthier post by Brian Mathews. Mathews asks “… if students don’t need our physical collections or computer
Celebrating and agonizing over libraries together
A reader comment on Friday prompted me to reflect upon my work as The Radical Patron. In response to the post Creativity & public libraries, part 2, Justine wrote: Re “You think public libraries need to be saved and I think their time as come” you are so right – even if our time has
The LoC & Twitter: the horror, the horror
This, dear reader, is what I saw while navigating the voluminous digital record of April 14th – 21st, a momentous week in American library history. News of the Library of Congress’s acquisition of Twitter’s archive set me on my course. Announcements trumpeted across the principals’ blogs. Twitter’s dignified, concise and authoritative statement was a masterful
Libraries, help lighten our ecological footprint
Remember libraries … from an ecological point of view, [that's] the virtuous way to go. Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence: The Hidden Impacts of What We Buy, during a recent interview with public radio’s Tom Ashbrook. By way of introducing Life Cycle Assessment, a cradle-to-grave methodology for evaluating environmental impact, Goleman refuted the widely
Creativity & public libraries, part 2
There are many proven, highly transferable techniques for fostering creativity within organizations. The process of re-imagining an organization, let alone a worldwide archetype, is less established. My own thoughts about libraries have changed significantly since last Spring and it has been a productive, albeit difficult, evolution. The change was catalyzed late last year when I
Pro-creativity lists for public libraries, part 1
Thanks to Mary, a reader who commented last week on HBR’s anti-creativity list. The list was helpful, she said, and a list of pro-creativity ideas would be even better. That really got me thinking, as did her vital question of balance — between fostering creativity and saying no to new ideas, having an idea and
Thoughts on anti-creativity
Count me among the masses (judging from blog posts, tweets, stumbles, etc) who liked the HBR’s Anti-Creativity Checklist by Youngme Moon. I’ve uttered every statement on the list at least once and have heard them many times. We all have, which is why the video has gone viral. Amidst all this activity and exposure, I
