In her thought provoking essay for ItLwtLP, Kim Leeder shared the following reflections on library vision and leadership: It seems to me, and I don’t mean to criticize any of our great library leaders, that most of the “vision” I see in the library field is just an expansion of what already exists. Building on
◊ Change Management ◊
Asking the right questions about public libraries
If we view the coming decade as a period of realignment for the American public, what are the right questions to ask about the role of its public libraries? Two recent articles and a reflection on a beloved, bygone organization are illuminating. Kim Leeder: Vision and Visionaries: A Whole Bunch of Questions to Start off
A “do or die” decade for public libraries
When asked recently about the future of public libraries, I shared my concern that they would fade away, as local pharmacies have in the past 10-15 years. With continued tight municipal budgets, increased unemployment and home foreclosures and the proliferation of online services for guided search, reader’s advisory and digital entertainment, I can easily see
Adapting to the information ecosystem
In this post from the Scholarly Kitchen, Joe Esposito urges publishers away from retrenchment in “Publishing in the Google Ecosystem“. Google is now the defining entity in the information landscape. To flourish, as best as publishers can hope to flourish, it’s necessary to find a place within the Google ecosystem. There is no world elsewhere,
About those awful websites
In late August I gave a shout out to a new ALA initiative, the Privacy Revolution. By then I’d been following libraries long enough to feel reticent about endorsing a web effort, however the early site—which was more like a wireframe than a live site—seemed promising1. So I went out on a limb on this
Librarians moving up the value chain
Here are some great examples of librarians moving up the information value chain:1, 2 The team at In the Library with the Lead Pipe just keep on doin’ it. Brett Bonfield’s recent post about the publication’s first year is a veritable primer on collaboration, editorial practice and the WordPress publishing platform. And the latest by
The impact of library mythology
In The Future of Reading, information consultant Tom Peters lays out a lofty library agenda. He exhorts libraries to “be part of [the] reading revolution, supporting and defending the rights of digital readers.” Peters warns “If readers don’t assert their rights in the dawning e-reading era, someone else will snatch up those rights” and suggests
Library statistics I’d like to see
Here are data I’d like to see posted1 on my public library website: Number of cardholders Number of patrons that have used their cards 0, 6, 12 and 24 or more times in the past 6 months Circulation by reader group Number of programs held during previous 6 months, total patron attendance and average attendance per
Digital Campus on future of libraries
The moderators at Digital Campus, from the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, recently hosted a terrific discussion on the future of publishing and libraries. Josh Greenberg, director of digital strategy and scholarship at the New York Public Library shares impressions & questions like this one, along with creative responses: The
Speaking of the future of libraries
Seems like lots of people are asking pertinent questions, offering substantive ideas and productively advocating on behalf of patrons and users … well … everyone except librarians and the ALA/PLA, that is. Sept 4 Cushing Academy’s school administrator replaced books in his school’s library with computers and 495 readers commented on the news article on
