From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh board has announced the hiring of Mary Frances Cooper as president and director to lead the 19-branch system during financially troubled times. Cooper, deputy director since 2008, was one of three acting co-directors who led the system after Barbara K. Mistick resigned as president and director [...]
Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award Winners Announced
Filed by on December 9, 2011
Congrats to the winners and those nominated! From ALA: Yesterday, 10 librarians were recognized for service to their communities, schools and campuses as winners of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. More than 1,700 library patrons nationwide nominated a librarian. The 10 award recipients are: Venetia V. Demson [...]
Boston Public Library To Manage Manage New State-Wide Digital Library
Filed by on December 8, 2011
From the Back Bay Patch: State Representatives Marty Walz and Byron Rushing announce a new state-funded initiative for Boston Public Library that will expand library resources across the Commonwealth and provide additional state funding for Boston’s library system. [Clip] BPL will develop and maintain the Library for the Commonwealth, a statewide digital library. It is [...]
Denver Post Publishes Editorial About Public Libraries in the Digital Age
Filed by on December 7, 2011
From the Denver Post Editorial: It was intriguing to read a Denver Post story Tuesday about the ways in which traditional Colorado libraries are reinventing themselves for the digital age. More power to them. As people increasingly look to electronic devices for their information needs, libraries must adapt to remain relevant. We in the news [...]
Toronto Star: "Should Libraries Be in the Video Business?"
Filed by on December 5, 2011
From Vit Wagner’s Toronto Star Article: The Toronto Public Library established its film library in 1947 — 32 years after it had started making recorded music available to its members. “We’ve been in these businesses for a long time,” says chief librarian Jane Pyper. “They are rooted in long historical principles.” Two principles, chiefly. One [...]
Maine: Occupy Bangor Group To Move From Public Library Site
Filed by on December 4, 2011
From the AP: Members of the Occupy Bangor group said they’ll abide by a request to stop camping on the public library’s property. Occupy activist Lawrence Reichard said the group on Friday night came to an agreement to leave the library property. He said the group will continue discussing its options. See Also: Occupy Bangor [...]
Bad Economy is Bringing More People Into South Jersey Libraries to Conduct Job Searches
Filed by on November 30, 2011
From the Press of Atlantic City: The Atlantic City Free Public Library doesn’t open its doors until 9:30 a.m., but there’s almost always a group of people waiting at the entrance at least 15 minutes before opening. Most days, nearly all the library’s 43 computers are in use five minutes after the doors are unlocked. [...]
New Issue Alert: Panlibus Magazine (Issue 22) Looks at Shared Services
Filed by on November 28, 2011
From a Panlibu Blog Post Overview by Mark Travis: In this issue we look at shared services in detail and consider what the path to a successful library shared service will look like (p. 4-5). The groundbreaking tri-borough plan between three London councils (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the London Borough of Hammersmith & [...]
Libraries Borrowing Marketing Ideas From Bookstores
Filed by on November 28, 2011
From the Columbus Dispatch: Today’s public libraries have a lot in common with retail bookstores, featuring special displays, coffee kiosks and gift shops. It’s a way to keep libraries relevant, boost circulation and compete for the public’s dollar at a time when public funding is being cut, experts say. Soft chairs flank a display of [...]
London, Ontario: Library walks tightrope as info provider vs. censor
Filed by on November 27, 2011
An editorial from the London Free Press. From that Editorial: And so, for London Public Library, the balancing act continues. Caught between pressure from city hall to keep porn off library computers and its own mandate to provide unfettered access to information, the library walks a fine line. The library board this week opted to [...]
