Library Journal RSS Feed Library Jounral en_us Sun, 27 May 2012 17:23:24 http://www.libraryjournal.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.rss.XMLServer.cls The pleasure of books  On my way back [to my seat] on a transcontinental flight, I observed several different ereaders under the same overhead illumination, resting comfortably on the laps of fellow passengers. I also observed several paper books, equa... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890512-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 769289@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25     The New Icons  The Ten New Landmark Libraries  Poplar Creek Public Library  Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center  Cesar Chavez Branch Library  Hamilton Mill Branch Library  Durango Public Library  Sammamish Library  Appaloosa Branch Libra... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890113-274/an_a-list_you_can_use.html.csp Opinion 756169@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 The disparity between public and academic libraries—and librarians—seems to be shrinking, if the recent Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in Philadelphia is any indication. On a number of fronts, some big picture and weigh... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889856-274/more_alike_than_we_think.html.csp Opinion 747345@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 No outlets, no support  In response to Harold N. Boyer’s “No free electricity” (Feedback, LJ 3/1/11, p. 10), I can understand budgetary concerns pertaining to the digital generation’s use of outlets at the library. I am a member of this newer generation... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889706-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Kevin Henegan Opinion 742425@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 Judge Denny Chin may have disappointed his alma mater (he is Princeton ’75, according to The Daily ­Princetonian) when he ruled against the Google Amended Settlement Agreement (ASA) on March 22, 2011. Princeton was one of the university libraries to pa... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889705-274/we_dont_need_google_.html.csp Opinion 742420@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 An abandoned librarian  I completed my MLIS from an American Library Association (ALA)–accredited program in 2005. My MLIS cost me $30,000-plus. Since then I have not obtained temporary or permanent employment as a professional librarian. I have earned... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888846-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 712839@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 I WAS AT New Zealand’s ­annual library conference, ­LIANZA, held in late 2010 in Dunedin, and had an epiphany. After delivering my talk, “Working (Not Washing) Green into Your Library’s Mission,” which I sincerely thought was “on the edge” (the conferen... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888776-274/our_zero-carbon_campaign__backtalk.html.csp Louise Schapper Opinion 710981@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 If you haven't read the 2010 Project Information Literacy Progress Report from Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, you should. “Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age” is for anyone who plans for or se... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888395-274/office_hours_can_we_handle.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 697226@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a daring pilot and talented author, also weighed in on user experience: “In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.” In s... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888275-274/the_benefits_of_less_.html.csp Opinion 693034@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 LJ ’S first librarian of the year, in 1989, felt as if she’d been demoted when she was transferred from the main library in Garland, TX, to the Walnut Creek Branch as an adult services librarian. A decade earlier, she’d been head of that branch when it... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888246-274/editorial_passionate_about_reading.html.csp Opinion 692053@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 Screencasting for an audience of one: crazy, right? To record and narrate on-screen actions takes time and specialized equipment, has a significant learning curve, and calls for an arresting voice like Leonard Cohen’s. Putting in that level of work fo... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888274-274/reference_backtalk_screencasting_for_an.html.csp Opinion 693028@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 Few jobs in archives  Both Stephanie Maatta (“Stagnant Salaries, Rising Unemployment,” LJ 10/15/10, p. 22–29) and Francine Fialkoff (“Sold on a Graying Profession,” Editorial, LJ 11/1/10, p. 8) mention “potentially ‘hot’ specializations including archive... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887665-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_december.html.csp Kevin Henegan Opinion 680033@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 The latest LJ Design Institute (DI), a daylong event presented in partnership with the South Carolina State Library and the Greenville County Library System (GCLS), SC, gave many of us who attended a needed shot in the arm at a time when so many libra... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887663-274/editorial_a_hope_in_the.html.csp Opinion 680023@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 No personal loss is greater than the death of a close, trusted friend, upon whom you depend for all that friends do for each other. The passing of Norman Horrocks is both a terrible personal and professional loss for me. I have only a small stock of the... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887161-274/blatant_berry_knowing_norman_horrocks.html.csp Opinion 663118@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 Not through politicians I read with great interest John Berry’s column on how libraries can tap popular support by going directly to the voters (Blatant Berry, LJ 9/1/10, p. 8). Here in New York State, the average passage rate for library budget votes ove... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886938-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_october.html.csp Opinion 655185@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 What is it with the library profession and our obsession with individual titles? Is it insecurity? Fear? Elitism? Maybe the focus on titles is not entirely our fault. Perhaps the variety and inherent inconsistency found in this era of ever more creativ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886467-274/lj_backtalk_go_title_rogue.html.csp Opinion 637879@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:20:25 No principle or rule of professional ethics requires that library workers forfeit any of their rights or job benefits in order to hold their jobs. Support for professional development and advancement is a benefit of working in good libraries. This ofte... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/892431-274/an_excess_of_ethics_.html.csp Opinion 835417@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:20:10 Bookstores and libraries I totally agree with Francine Fialkoff about the essential nature of print-on-paper books and the bookstore (“Publisher-Librarian Dialog,” Editorial, LJ 8/11, p. 8). The bookstore is a very special kind of experience. You can’t... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/892058-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 822471@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:19:41 HAVING JUST JOINED SAN JOSÉ State University’s (SJSU) all online SLIS, I read with great interest the new report from Pew Internet and American Life, “The Digital Revolution and Higher Education.” Pew interviewed over 1000 college presidents and more ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/892114-274/online_lis_educationor_not_.html.csp Opinion 824029@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:19:41 AUTHORS AND LIBRARIANS USED TO GET ALONG— and many still do. Every author I’ve heard speaking to a crowd of librarians tells fond stories about the childhood librarian who saved them and the worlds of possibility the local library opened up to them. T... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891900-274/are_you_kidding__editorial.html.csp Opinion 816994@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:19:24 Jim Welbourne changed the way I think about our profession, its core values, and its important role in shaping the social agenda of our society. We are truly bereft when we lose a leader like Welbourne, so I was deeply saddened to hear that Jim died on ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891901-274/welbournes_legacy__blatant_berry.html.csp Opinion 817000@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:19:24 Having a strong mentor during your first few years as a librarian can provide a safety net of advice, encouragement, and caution for a newly minted professional. Such a relationship would be even better if it began during LIS education. This would als... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891738-274/the_role_of_mentoring_.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 810704@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:19:08 Open source lessons  Our library has been using open source software for the past ten years and has used the Koha ILS (integrated library system) for the past five years (David Rapp, “Open Source Reality Check,” LJ 8/11, p. 34–36). Over those ten years... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891741-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 810767@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:19:08 This is an early release of the editorial that will appear in the Sept. 15, 2011 issue of Library Journal. THERE WAS JOY IN SOME QUARTERS OF LIBRARYLAND in late August when LJ’s Annoyed Librarian (AL) blog went down for a day and then briefly several m... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891492-274/annoyed_strikes_again__editorial.html.csp Opinion 802919@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:19:02 THE BRIGHT, NEW YOUNG LIBRARIANS graduating from our LIS programs are the best news in this awful period of library decline. Every semester my classes at Pratt Institute in New York and Dominican University in the Chicago suburb of River Forest bring a... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891491-274/enlist_the_new_librarians_.html.csp Opinion 802914@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:18:55 Issues with ebooks  Thank you for your honest and refreshing take on one of the reasons I waited 20 years between American Library Association (ALA) memberships (Heather McCormack, “ALA Annual 2011: Louisiana Deep-Fried Angst,” LJ In the Bookroom blog... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891490-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 802909@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:18:55 LIS faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders could take a lesson in transparency from their students. At the “Hack Library School” blog (bit.ly/eAeELW), students in various LIS programs around the country offer up opinions, insights, and some u... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890312-274/the_transparent_library_school_.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 762419@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:18:46 Sanford Berman is American librarianship’s first and leading champion of library service to the poor and homeless, as Steve Lilienthal points out (“The Problem Is Not the Homeless”). Decades ago, Berman worked with the Minnesota Library Association’s S... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890740-274/the_problem_is_poverty_.html.csp Opinion 777484@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:18:38 Google-like searching We, too, have noticed an overall decrease in book circulation at my institution—a small private liberal arts college (Rick Anderson, “Print on the Margins.” LJ 6/15/11, p. 38–39). However, ebooks don’t seem to be the preferred alt... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891234-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 793432@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:18:35 While the American Library Association (ALA) appoints task forces on ebooks that get mired in bureaucracy, the real worlds of book publishing and libraries move ahead rapidly, both struggling with budgets, changing mission, even survival. The demise of ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891232-274/publisherlibrarian_dialog__editorial.html.csp Opinion 793422@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:18:35 At least three nights a week, after working as a library director, I teach power yoga. Sometimes when the class is breathing into an uncomfortable twisting position, I ask them to look behind them and identify an old limiting belief. Then I ask them to... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887222-274/lj_backtalk_the_internet_is.html.csp Opinion 664356@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:18:31 For the past two days, my head has been spinning with numbers. As Andrew Beveridge, who started it all on the Oxford University Press (OUP) blog, said, I might have done better to listen to Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, a... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890879-274/what_numbers_cant_tell_us.html.csp Opinion 782578@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:18:24 The experience was exhilarating and also rejuvenating. I was alone, sipping Pernod at the café Les Deux Magots. My sidewalk table faced the Boulevard Saint-Germain and an intersection named for Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. My cellphone didn... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890880-274/untethered_in_paris__blatant.html.csp Opinion 782584@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:18:17 Unqualified?  I am writing to express my support, and appreciation, for Francine Fialkoff’s Editorial “Can Bankers Keep Our Books?” (LJ 2/15/11, p. 8). Her point is well made that our industry has many excellent library leaders with the complete skill se... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890881-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 782589@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:18:07 Photo by Debora Miller I've been following a rather intriguing series of blog posts on what's wrong with journal publishing by pmr (who, I finally realized, is Peter Murray-Rust - his blog does not have the typical author information one usually finds ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/891319-274/scholarly_communication_a_devils_dictionary.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 795924@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:18:06 However engaging, thought-provoking, and even polarizing the speakers were at the Future of Academic Libraries Symposium presented by McMaster University and Library Journal, they couldn’t match what five McMaster University students had to say. “Hear... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890764-274/listening_to_student_voices_.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 777894@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:17:38 Libraryize it  Googling may be one of the first steps a librarian may use to answer a question, but it is by no means the only place a librarian looks for a complete answer—to completely “libraryize a question.” Buried at the end of the definition of l... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890685-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 775275@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:17:36 Photo by Debora Miller It's Sunshine Week, the annual reminder that open government is good for democracy, that information is important, that freedom is protected when people are vigilant about their right to know what our government is up to. Started... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889762-274/let_the_sunshine_in_.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 743522@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:17:31 The BookExpo America (BEA) conference that many of us knew is long gone. Glitzy booths; movie, stage, and TV star sightings; librarians with money to spend on the show floor (and booksellers ditto); oodles of galleys and cool giveaways; and a smatterin... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890689-274/the_librarians_bookexpo__editorial.html.csp Opinion 775303@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:17:29 Photo by Debora Miller Recently I've been mulling over the fact that most of the professional reading I do these days comes to me via FriendFeed, Twitter, old-fashioned Listservs, and even Facebook (thanks, Ebook Summit!). It's rare that I search those... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889427-274/social_media_and_traditions_of.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 732712@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:17:28 I may finally be over my scandinavian/ European/Singapore library envy. For years, librarians who traveled to these places touted them for being far ahead of U.S. libraries in service. They were there first with self-check, library cards for reservatio... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890511-274/the_end_of_euro_envy.html.csp Opinion 769284@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:17:25 Library nerd that I am, I ask a lot of people about how they use libraries. When I come across a library enthusiast—basically, someone who doesn’t ask, “Do they still use the Dewey Decimal System?”—I follow up with questions about how that person uses... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889551-274/a_site_divided__the.html.csp Opinion 737315@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:17:24 Is it truly possible to create an experience for someone? “People’s perceptions are their own,” critics say, “and it is impossible to match their feelings up with how you’d like them to feel.” That may be strictly true. But people are similar enough t... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889574-274/getting_to_know_your_patrons.html.csp Opinion 737893@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:17:24 Many of my colleagues were upset and angry when Mike Shatzkin told a Montreal audience gathered in a library that libraries would be unnecessary and dis­appear in ten to 15 years. Shatzkin is the scion of a distinguished book publishing and booksellin... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890258-274/libraries_misunderstood__blatant_berry.html.csp Opinion 760361@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 18 May 2011 17:17:09 I’m one of them  Francine Fialkoff’s editorial was very disappointing (“Can Bankers Keep Our Books?,” LJ 2/15/11, p. 8). Her premise that our public libraries must be led by librarians was not substantiated. There were rhetorical sentences about why th... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890114-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 756174@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 16 May 2011 17:17:07 Our profession has known for a long time that the traditional reference model is flawed. Constance Mellon coined the term library anxiety in 1986, reporting that students literally felt shame when approaching librarians for help. Yikes. That’s a strong f... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889573-274/revamping_reference__the_user.html.csp Opinion 737889@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 05 May 2011 17:16:56 Shortsighted!  If publishers could prohibit libraries from loaning print books multiple times without paying more, they would (bit.ly/e0a7fO). Legally, they can’t—not with a purchase. Digital books aren’t purchases, they are licensed, and everything, i... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889857-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 747351@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:16:50 “I like books.” This is one answer to the introductory question I ask when meeting a class for the first time: “What brings you to librarianship?” The answers vary just as LIS students do, whether they’re recent college graduates or those returning to... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889752-274/stuck_in_the_past_.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 743268@elibraryjournal.com Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:16:44 Photo by Debora Miller On the very same day that Amazon decided that libraries are not the spawn of the devil after all, I got an email from some hip young faculty colleagues who think it would be excellent if the library could set aside some space... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/890278-274/the_value_of_common_ground.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 761481@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:16:42 A more democratic ALA  John Berry’s “Eroding ALA Democracy” (Blatant Berry, LJ 2/15/11, p. 10) highlighted some of the issues emerging throughout the American Library Association (ALA) as we grapple with the theory and realities of virtual ­participatio... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889549-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 737296@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:16:21 I'm not a New Year's resolutions kind of guy. It's hardly that I think I'm perfect, but if I decide to make a personal change, I just do it. Waiting to the first of the New Year won't create any special incentives for me. That said, I went against the gra... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889538-274/the_sustainability_resolution__from.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 736997@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:16:15 The more I think about HarperCollins’s decision to cap ebook loans at 26, the better I feel about it. No, I’m not in favor of a cap on lending. HarperCollins’s action, however, has provoked the most widespread, vociferous reaction among public libraria... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889550-274/editorial__its_not_about.html.csp Opinion 737309@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:16:12 If you are on the fence about emerging technologies, take a look at the new Horizon Report (www.nmc.org/horizon; see also LJ's summary). The 2011 report not only pre­sents technologies to watch but offers a road map for planning and an ongoing dialog ab... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889249-274/scanning_the_horizon__office.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 726453@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:16:07 You know the feeling. There you are reading your institution's student newspaper when you come to an article or opinion piece that refers to the library or research matters. Even if the article is factually correct, you may wonder why the student reporter... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889756-274/the_school_paper_said_what.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 743345@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:16:07 Nobody can help  The economy is in the pits. Federal and state budgets are in crisis. Public libraries are government agencies, and many are suffering from budget cuts and layoffs. Library employment is not thriving. Lots of librarians are holding on b... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889262-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 726898@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:16:04 One of my favorite blogs, now defunct, was a project that Seth Godin was behind called This Is Broken. The idea of the blog, which you can get a feel for here, was to have individuals share something—a sign, a service, a process, whatever—that he or she t... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889624-274/higher_education8212not_totally_broken_but....csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 739799@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:16:01 Photo by Debora Miller This spring I have been teaching a new partial-credit course designed to give students a chance to read good books together and explore their own tastes in reading, hoping to lay some groundwork for lifelong self-directed learnin... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889625-274/first_thoughts_on_sustaining_scholarly.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 739803@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:16:01 Librarians must stand in solidarity with the embattled public employees of Wisconsin as they struggle to hold on to the collective bargaining rights they have earned and won over decades. It is not just simple self-interest that makes their struggle ou... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889044-274/solidarity_in_wisconsin__blatant.html.csp Opinion 719307@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:16:01 Don’t redesign your website. You will be tempted, especially if your website hasn’t received adequate attention in the past few years—but don’t do it. Learn from some of the most successful websites around. Amazon, Apple, Google, and Netflix have never... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889081-274/resist_that_redesign__the.html.csp Opinion 720510@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:15:53 Photo by Debora Miller Ever since librarians heard that HarperCollins intends to artificially limit the life of an ebook to 26 circulations, they have been sharing their outrage and discussing what action to take. One response to the issue has been to ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889539-274/boycotts_censorship_and_taking_action.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 737004@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:15:53 At LJ , we may never have had so many budget-focused news stories as in this past year. We’ve chronicled cuts to individual libraries in funding, hours, services, staff, and buildings around the country. The cuts are now reaching new levels, however. ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/849599-274/the_new_cooperation__editorial.html.csp Opinion 372873@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:15:50 Focus on the heart  I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading “Heretical Thoughts” by Michael Stephens (Office Hours, LJ 12/10, p. 72). As an academic librarian, it is easy to get caught up in a multitude of responsibilities—division, liaison,... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889048-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 719380@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:15:50 My first academic library job was in a business library. I was a hot shot Dialog searcher who knew his way around the business databases, and that helped me land the job. It wasn't all glamorous online searching, however. I later found out I was also re... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889429-274/ma_comes_to_higher_education.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 732758@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:15:46 Most parents, from the time their children are old enough to understand, make clear their expectation that college is a destination on this road we call life. James Altucher is not like most parents. He tells his children that college is a waste of time. ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889329-274/parents_dont_send_your_kids.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 728678@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:15:40 Daniel Chudnov, librarian and programmer in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress, recently blogged “Advice to a Library School Student” at One Big Library. Dan writes: The best advice anybody ever gave me when I was finishing... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888843-274/seek_a_challenge__office.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 712739@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:15:39 Photo by Debora Miller I was talking with some higher education researchers yesterday about what provosts should be thinking about when it comes to libraries. Last year, when I gave chief academic officers a chance to vent in an anonymous survey, I was... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889330-274/what_a_provost_could_do.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 728685@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:15:39 IT’s already obvious that virtual participation in meetings and conferences of the American Library Association (ALA) would make ALA governance more transparent, broaden open access to ALA sessions, and increase the number of active, participating membe... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888586-274/eroding_ala_democracy__blatant.html.csp Opinion 704156@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:15:36 Last month brought news that Charles Brown was leaving his job as director of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML), NC, effective June 30. The announcement took library directors around the country by surprise, especially since it was accompanied by the... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888847-274/can_bankers_keep_our_books.html.csp Opinion 712844@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:15:36 Photo by Debora Miller I was just at a small informal gathering of academic library directors who were discussing a variety of things, including who was doing what about discovery layers, whether we need to revisit shared collection development, and wh... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889183-274/selling_the_library__peer.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 724884@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:15:32 The New Year is still getting under way, but I'm already looking for the buzzword of 2011. Popular buzzwords for 2010 included refudiate, hashtag, and vuvuzelas. The library profession likes its buzzwords, too. Transliteracy emerges as a good candidate fo... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889182-274/containerless__from_the_bell.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 724878@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:15:32 Opportunity. That was one of the watchwords at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in San Diego early last month. We heard it at the Urban Libraries Council program on broadband and at OCLC’s 2010 update to the Perceptions of Libr... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888585-274/opportunity_knocks__editorial.html.csp Opinion 704151@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:15:31 There’s more to design than appearances, but the way an object looks is often the most immediate and apparent aspect of how it has been designed. The power of this immediacy allows some designers to think only about aesthetics, and that leads to attracti... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888649-274/signs_of_good_design_.html.csp Aaron Schmidt Opinion 706448@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:15:29 Creativity or heresy?  Michael Stephens’s Office Hours column has conjured up intrigue and inspiration for me.... The quandaries and questions he poses are ones that many (if not most) library managers, administrators, and project coordinators are deal... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888587-274/feedback__letters_to_lj.html.csp Opinion 704161@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:15:25 In a recent column I mentioned my visits to other academic libraries. One of the first things I tend to notice when I walk into another academic library is whether or not there is a security guard at the entrance. If you never worked in an academic librar... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889120-274/a_safe_haven_on_campus.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 721837@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:15:25 Photo by Debora Miller For the past week, I've been mulling over a post at Mike Shatzkin's blog on the topic of DRM. The solution to piracy, it seems, is to keep your content in the cloud, because the world is moving from people downloading and owning ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/889117-274/the_terms_of_our_service.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 721738@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:15:25 Photo by Debora Miller I've been too busy the past few days to keep on top of the tweets and liveblogging and pigeon posts coming out of Digital Book World, but one item in my RSS feed briefly caught my eye. And then I saw another one. And they got mi... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888991-274/culture_belongs_to_us_.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 717932@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:15:19 Every so often a new development so shakes the foundations of higher education that it absolutely demands our attention. Some "wake-up call" news that made headlines last week fills the bill. How big was this news? Well, it's sort of like when both Time ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888976-274/what_do_we_do_now.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 717538@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:15:18 The cover of the October 15 Library Journal, “A Losing Game,” portrays new grads from the class of 2009 in a game of musical chairs, feverishly trying to dislodge the competition—those longtime librarians—from coveted positions. They aren’t having muc... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887165-274/editorial_sold_on_a_graying.html.csp Opinion 663144@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:15:10 In Dean Marney’s curious article “The Internet Is Not All or Nothing” (BackTalk, LJ 11/1/10, p. 32) regarding the Internet, filters, yoga, and the North Central Regional Library (NCRL) court case in Washington State, he took aim at the basic foundations... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888396-274/lj_backtalk_all_or_nothing.html.csp Kent Oliver Opinion 697238@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:15:05 We are no longer expected to understand how anything really works in our world. We're being trained to push the right buttons to get the desired results, with no need to care what's happening behind the scenes. Take modern cars as an example: we simply t... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888794-274/back_to_the_basics_.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 711268@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:15:04 Photo by Debora Miller When sitting down to write today's column, I thought I'd start the new year off by rounding up a few of the trends, topics, and pratfalls of the past year, but as I started to make a list, an interesting thing happened: it began ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888675-274/facepalm_moments_of_2010_.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 707914@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:15:04   If there was one phrase to sum up the year 2010 in higher education I'd have to go with "Why is everybody always picking on me?" Seems like lots of folks took their shots at traditional colleges and universities in 2010, and most of what they had to ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888665-274/the_review_from_the_tower.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 707274@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:14:57 What is the ultimate goal of American libraries? That question has persistently nagged at me since library school, and I've become convinced the answer for 21st century libraries lies in the 18th century intellectual and cultural movement known as the Enl... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888670-274/libraries_in_pursuit_of_enlightenment.html.csp Josh Hadro Opinion 707748@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:14:57 The conversation about body scanning of air travelers turned sour and fatuous. Participants on ALACOUN, the American Library Association (ALA) Council discussion list, voiced concerns about the exposure of genitals, especially those of juvenile humans.... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887664-274/ala_midwinter_2011_-_blatant.html.csp Opinion 680028@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:14:57 Despite a huge city deficit, the budget of the Chicago Public Library (CPL) was increased for FY11! Few libraries in other U.S. cities have been so fortunate. At CPL they give credit to Mayor Richard M. Daley, who, unlike many mayors of major cities, und... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/888247-274/blatant_berry_much_more_than.html.csp Opinion 692058@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:14:55 I recently had a chat with a valued colleague who runs a university library. He had been working hard to streamline staffing and budgets owing to a financial shortfall, while holding steady to a strategic plan anchored in creating useful information a... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887745-274/office_hours_heretical_thoughts.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 682231@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:14:48 In politics, there is a term known as the “big tent.” It is used to represent a diversity of groups that are united under one political party. Though these groups often differ in their stances on certain issues, they have enough in common to be drawn t... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887733-274/backtalk_we_need_big_tent.html.csp Opinion 681763@elibraryjournal.com Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:14:28 I NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE WRITING ABOUT THE benefits of online education, although many librarians I admire have completed their LIS degrees online and many of the better graduate library schools have respected online programs. Online education itself has... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887425-274/editorial_those_who_can_teach.html.csp Opinion 671824@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:14:05 NO LIBRARIAN FROM THE NORTHEAST WHO CAN afford it will pass up a January week in beautiful San Diego with friends and colleagues, where the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting is being held. But few of the young, front-liners who woul... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886749-274/blatant_berry_half_way_to.html.csp Opinion 647377@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:14:05 They support libraries! Really? These are the people who are not going on vacation, they are not buying brand names, they are not buying new clothes and fancy toys (Francine Fialkoff, “Shame on the Antitaxers,” Editorial, LJ 10/1/10, p. 8). I do not th... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887423-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_november.html.csp Opinion 671819@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:14:02 To read some of the latest news coming out of higher education, one might come to the conclusion that students are bored, uninspired, and that the 20th century model is in need of a major overhaul. Critics of what's happening in the classroom need do litt... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887738-274/online_learning__the_answer.html.csp David Rapp Opinion 681981@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:14:01 WELCOME TO “OFFICE HOURS,” a new space in Library Journal where we’ll explore what’s happening in library and information science education. In the coming months we’ll talk about the ongoing discourse about LIS schools; research that informs us, our use... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886961-274/office_hours_october_15_2010.html.csp Michael Stephens Opinion 655541@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:14:01 Fees aren’t worth it I’m glad Beth Dempsey politely points out that charging nominal fees for library services is often not worth the trouble (“For [Love] or [Money],” LJ 9/15/10, p. 20–23). Libraries should be free, or not free, not in-between. Adding... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887168-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_november.html.csp Opinion 663160@elibraryjournal.com Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:13:58 We missed you, but, more importantly, you missed out on an opportunity to engage in discussion with a large market already invested in the future of ebooks. ­Library Journal and School Library Journal’s first virtual ebook summit—a daylong event on Septem... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886937-274/editorial_dear_publisher.html.csp Opinion 655180@elibraryjournal.com Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:13:48 Trumpeted "changes"  I find it curious that if a library does not adopt many of the "changes" trumpeted in recent issues of LJ and charges a minimal fee for services, that library is branded as being "outdated and a disservice to our users" (Harry Court... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886698-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_october.html.csp Opinion 646564@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:13:47 http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887519-274/reading_outmoded_or_a_la.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 674527@elibraryjournal.com Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:13:47 This week our Interlibrary Loan manager notified a student that an article he had requested was open access, and she provided him the link. He didn't read the email message carefully (hardly unusual for our students) and was indignant that the library wou... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887392-274/brother_can_you_spare_some.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 670779@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 Academic librarians exert considerable effort to help students learn about the importance of diversity as it applies to research strategy. Having broad perspectives about the wide spectrum of possible choices is critical when it comes time to select the a... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887368-274/another_side_of_student_diversity.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 669637@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 It's a question that academic librarians ask themselves each time the new school year begins: how can we do a better job connecting with our students? Each new crop of students is an opportunity to create more awareness about library resources, establish ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887245-274/connecting_to_the_iparent_.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 665399@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 One of the highlights of the year at Gustavus is our annual Nobel Conference, a two-day series of talks and events focused on a single issue. This year the subject was "making food good." It's tempting to use this time while classes are suspended to catch... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887146-274/feed_me_seymour_dealing_with.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 662710@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 In a previous column I wrote about how higher education, and mostly education at all levels, is largely invisible to the national media. There are occasional articles about binge drinking, outrageous tuition costs, or an individual shocking or tragic cam... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/887129-274/welcome_to_soundbyte_university_.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 662092@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 As a recovering Russian Literature major, I often ask myself chto delat'? It's the title of a novel by Nikolai Chernyshevsky, and the translation is What Is To Be Done? I have to admit it's one of the canonical works that I never actually read. I did, how... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886955-274/what_is_to_be_done.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 655355@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886954-274/dropout_factories__from_the.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 655338@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 A new report on how academic libraries can demonstrate their worth has just been published by the Association of College and Research Libraries (and has been covered here at Library Journal as well as at the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886837-274/valuing_libraries__peer_to.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 651473@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 THE ANTITAXERS ARE AT IT AGAIN. THEY THINK this country can survive without government institutions or with ones so pared back that they can only deliver minimal services. That's what right–minded Coloradans are fighting against now: not only libraries ... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886700-274/editorial_shame_on_the_antitaxers.html.csp Opinion 646576@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 I didn't have a chance to observe Labor Day in the traditional way. I was at work, as were many academic librarians. But it seemed a good time to reflect on a couple of blog posts about librarians' work at the Atlantic blog, The Daily Dish. As a detour fr... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886692-274/democratic_institutions_or_engines_of.html.csp Rebecca Miller Opinion 646516@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 Support LSSC! The goal of a national paralibrarian certification, sponsored through the American Library Association (ALA), has been on the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) Paralibrarian Section agenda for almost ten years. ALA and the team that ha... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886468-274/feedback_letters_to_lj_september.html.csp Opinion 637904@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45 MY 14 YEARS AT LIBRARY JOURNAL HAVE BEEN a fascinating, accidental career; indeed, I’ve half-joked to colleagues that had our current hiring standards (which give preference to library experience) been in place, I wouldn’t be here. An ex–newspaper reporte... http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/community/opinion/886090-274/editorial_farewell_to_lj_not.html.csp Opinion 626619@elibraryjournal.com Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:13:45