With 12 participating branches, 4 of which are geared towards tweens, while the other 8 are for high school students, Chicago Public Library is planning to add YOUmedia centers to 5 more branches by 2018 with the generous gifts from BMO Harris Bank and Allstate.
Studio NPL, the Nashville Public Library’s innovative teen technology program, hosts workshops every day ranging from music production, photography, and design to e-textiles and robotics. The idea of a teen-only Digital Inclusion PSA competition to encourage adults to learn how to get online was a concept everyone was excited about. We all saw its potential for the community.
Amanda Brennan, a content and community associate at Tumblr, is perhaps better known as the “meme librarian,” thanks to a recent feature in the Washington Post.[1] Brennan studies memes from their inception to their inevitable disappearance into cyberspace, looks at real-time trends and conversations across the site, conducts data analysis, and works on large-scale projects such as Tumblr’s Year in Review. Prior to taking the position at Tumblr, she catalogued memes for Know Your Meme, a website devoted to tracking the popular graphics. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Brennan about her experience.
Thinking about building, remodeling, or just changing up your library space? A recent post from Diana Rendina discusses the six different spaces that libraries can have to assist with active learning.
At Bibliotheque et Archives Nationales du Quebec, in Montreal, Canada, the Alberto Manguel/ Robert Lepage collaboration “La bibliotheque, la nuit,” a virtual reality exhibition of the interiors of libraries, is on display. “The experience felt so real it was disconcerting to look down and not see my own body in the virtual space,” says Jeff Peachey, a recent visitor, in his blog. “Overall, it was an oddly reflective and poetic.” But what, if any, is the future of virtual reality (VR) in the library? What kind of role does this technology play? Libraries have become much more community centers centered around education and experience as much as they are books. Patrons visit for free Wi-Fi and computer access, 3D printing labs, and other programs not directly related to the hundreds of volumes housed in the stacks.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps most familiar to the general public thanks to Hollywood’s generous incorporation of this concept into movie plots—Blade Runner, Chappie, and Transcendence are just a few examples. We see artificial intelligence in novels too (many of which are later adapted for the big screen). For example, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an artificial being with intuition, while Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot by explores the relationship between AI and humans.
Library staff should follow the news from the Consumer Electronics Show to get a sense of what technology is headed to their communities.
Public libraries will not be removing their books from their spaces to accommodate for technology, but we are instead seeing an increase in community partnerships, maker spaces/labs, and public interest for technology programs and technology help. And the Do Space in Omaha, Nebraska, is another aspect of what is a part of the future for libraries.
Whether you’re helping a senior citizen use a tablet for the first time or helping a fifth grader with a research report, your library is doing amazing work every day. But does your community know it? And how can you tell your library’s story to increase public support?
The maker movement brings together handicrafts and technology in one exciting phenomenon. Whether you like crafts or circuits, or a combination of the two, there’s something for you. Libraries across the world, are offering specialized maker programs to encourage interest in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, as well as the more artistic areas of making. Some libraries are also offering programs tailored to specific patron groups, like maker programs for girls. An example of this is the Make-HER program at Sunnyvale (CA) Public Library.
The St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL) in South Bend, Indiana, recently said farewell to their highly regarded director of thirtyseven years, Donald Napoli, who retired on June 30th. Napoli was only the fifth director in the library’s 126 year history and during his tenure saw many changes. The biggest trend when he started in 1977 was the move to “give them what they want,” which emphasized popular materials over wellrounded collections. This patrondriven idea was pioneered by Dr. Ernest R. DeProspo at Rutgers University and wholeheartedly embraced by Napoli, who believed that public libraries should reflect the communities they serve.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed as libraries worldwide are posting on Instagram, but specific hashtags can help find hidden gems.
The Fayetteville Free Library’s week-long Geek Girl Camp gives elementary-age girls the opportunity to learn and play in various STEAM fields all in one location – the library!
Google recently changed its algorithm to give preference to mobile-friendly sites, dubbed “Mobilegeddon” by the technology press. Even if your website isn’t optimized for mobile yet, your library can still weather this update.
In October, 2014, the Aspen Institute Dialogue on Public Libraries released their report, Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries. The Dialogue is “a multi-stakeholder forum to explore and champion new thinking on U.S. public libraries.”
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