Dogs and Libraries: A Paw-Fect Match
A growing number of libraries are offering programs inviting therapy dogs to sit and listen as young patrons practice reading aloud inspiring a new generation of readers.
News & Opinion
Election Year at the Library
From voting booths for kids to speed-dating candidates, libraries are encouraging all community members to participate in democracy.
New Podcast! The 2020 Census and Public Libraries
In this episode, Larra Clark, PLA and ALA Washington Office Public Policy and Advocacy Deputy Director, and Michelle Perera, Director of the Pasadena (California) Public Library discuss the 2020 census. With billions in federal funding at stake over the next ten years, it is crucial for libraries that an accurate count is taken. Clark and […]
Graves Lost or Found? There’s an App for That!
Most library reference questions regarding cemetery data aren’t quite as urgent as this one, but libraries do often receive requests for such information from genealogists and historians. Thanks to new technology, including crowdsourcing via apps and websites, such information is becoming more accessible.
Cooking at the Library
Hosting programs around cooking increases financial and/or health literacy and offers wonderful tie-ins such as cultural aspects of cooking or cookbooks. From small rural libraries with heat plates to multi-branch libraries with own culinary learning centers, public libraries have embraced food-based programs.
Is Your Library Hiring?
Plan To Have a Presence at the PLA 2020 Career FairIs your library hiring? On Wednesday afternoon of the PLA 2020 conference (February 26) from 3:30-6:30pm, PLA will host a Career Fair at the Career Center in the Exhibits Hall. If your library would like to host a table and connect with job seekers at […]
FYI Podcast — eBooks for All!
PLA/ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Deputy Director Larra Clark and Emily Wagner, Public Policy and Advocacy Deputy Director discuss the publisher changes to library ebooks and the publisher embargo which led to ALA’s “eBooks for All Campaign.” Clark and Wagner further discuss how public libraries are taking action, the online petition, and detail how you […]
Helping Patrons Navigate Online Banking
In the old days, doing just about anything with your money—getting cash, looking up an old statement, depositing a check—meant visiting a brick-and-mortar bank. These days, cash mostly comes from ATMs, looking up a statement is as easy as logging onto the computer, and anyone who can take a photo with a mobile phone can deposit a check. But as efficient as they are, some of these technological advances have left some populations behind: people who are older, don’t have bank accounts, are less educated, or earn less money are likely to lack the necessary computer skills to use mobile banking.
Tackling Meta-Illiteracy
In my last post, I discussed reasons why librarians should not handle patrons’ personal devices. As a continuation, I want to look at how much help a librarian can provide for a patron with multiple illiteracies and how this affects said patrons.
The Post-Truth Archive
Fake News, Propaganda and Extremist Literature: Some Considerations for Public Libraries with Local History Archives It’s been said that we live in a post-truth society, one in which appeals to emotion and beliefs are more influential in shaping opinions than facts and reason. While skepticism is nothing new, it seems particularly in vogue in the […]
The National Book Festival: Takeaways for Programming Librarians
Since 2001, the Library of Congress has hosted an annual author event of epic proportions. The 2019 National Book Festival, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., drew hundreds of thousands of attendees and featured over 100 authors. Librarians who plan programs of all sizes – from a scantly-attended book club […]
Fine Policies and Lost Item Policies
I have recently been contacted by several reporters in reference to an article I wrote in 2017 in which I disagree with the elimination of fines and learned that I was quoted in other venues. As this topic has gained more interest and political attention the issue is no longer one limited to libraries. However, […]
Handling Patrons’ Personal Property
The three main issues I see with librarians handling patrons’ personal property are how it makes the patron feel, how it makes the professional feel, and liability.
Nashville Public Library’s Votes for Women Project
The Votes For Women Project is an interactive exploration of the power of women and girls, the power of voting, and the power of power itself. It’s set to open at the Main Library in downtown Nashville March 8, 2020. (Don’t worry, we’re working on a sneak peek for PLA2020 conference attendees.)
Kanawha County Public Library Seeks Director
The Board of Directors of the Kanawha County Public Library seeks an experienced, collaborative, innovative, dedicated leader to serve as Library
Director. The Kanawha County Public Library is more than a building. It is a topnotch library system with an exceptional reputation of vibrancy and
trust among the public, local and state government, schools and hospitals, and businesses and community organizations.
