April/May 2013 DEPARTMENTS
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NOTEWORTHY Vintage Photos of Librarians Being Awesome Librarians, in case you hadn’t heard, are essential members of society -- likely to expand minds wherever they go -- and, as such, are fully worthy of hero worship (whether they’re among the coolest librarians alive or just pretty cool). More
NEWS & OPINION What Good Are Libraries? NISO Publishes Recommended Practice on Presentation and Identification of E-Journals Penguin Publishers Speeds Up E-book Access for Libraries USA Today Article on Libraries Lending Unusual Items Why Libraries Should Be the Next Great Start-Up Incubators Sale of Used E-Books Getting Closer The ResCarta Foundation Releases Version 4 of its Open Source Software for Creating Standardized Digital Archives
GOOD IDEAS Bicycool Library It can promote reading, bikes and libraries at the same time — isn't it great enough? It can also be a great community building and library advocacy tool and of course a lot of fun! More Geek the Library Geek the Library is a public awareness campaign designed to highlight the vital roles that public libraries play in their communities. The campaign introduces the word ‘geek’ as a verb and illustrates that everyone is passionate about something -- everyone ‘geeks’ something -- and whatever you ‘geek’ the public library supports it all. More
Video: Remote Internet library system
RESOURCES 2013 NTIA Broadband Adoption Toolkit Library Technology Guides: Key Resources in Library Automation Library Technology Guides: Key Resources in Library Automation Professional Library Resources Free Learning Tools to Help Make Technology Work for You Free E-Government Webinar for Public Librarians Programming Brings the Community to the Library - Video Series
SUCCESS STORIES Institute of Museum and Library Services nnounces Recipients
of 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service
More
Library Reports, Surveys & Benchmarking Studies Redesigning the College Library Building, 2013 Edition Survey of Library & Museum Archival Equipment & Supplies Purchasing Practices Information Literacy Efforts Benchmarks, 2013 Ed Survey of Public Library Efforts to Provide Job Information Resources Survey of Library Furniture Acquisition Practices The Survey of Library Cafes, 2012-13 Edition Higher Education ILL Benchmarks, 2013 Edition Survey of Library & Museum Archival Equipment & Supplies Purchasing Practices
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| | What the world of tomorrow will be like is greatly dependent on the power of imagination in those who are learning to read today. Astrid Lindgren 
NCLE Report: Remodeling Literacy Learning  Today there is growing agreement that literacy is at the center of all learning. The National Center for Literacy Education, a coalition of education associations, policy organizations, and foundations united to support schools in elevating literacy learning, conducted a nationally representative survey of educators of all roles, grade levels, and subject areas to find out where we stand as a nation. This report provides an overview of NCLE's findings and concludes with an analysis of opportunities to move forward.
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Case Study: Automating Branch Services Established in 1967, Washington County library has nine branch libraries, two associate city libraries and the Washington County Law Library serving 27 cities and six townships. Within the county is the city of Hugo, a community that has been growing substantially. The population of Hugo has more than 12,417 people and covers 36 square miles. Hardwood Creek Branch is the closest library to Hugo but is located in the Washington County Forest Lake Service Center--a far distance for most of the Hugo patrons. Patricia Conley, Washington County Library Director, wanted to find a way to offer closer library services to the Hugo community in a cost-effective way. The plan though had to promote library growth without having to build a new facility. |
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Best Practices: Technology In Your Library Card According to the American Library Association, library use has surprisingly increased as libraries embraced technology and the Internet, not decreased. In the past decade library use has risen and the number of adults with library cards has risen. Most libraries have Web sites and are reaching out to patrons outside of the physical buildings. From providing a more diverse collection of information, more new technology like e-books and downloadable audio books and technology training to educational and recreational gaming, libraries are working to meet the greater technology demands of patrons, particularly through the use and marketing of library cards.
For instance, the recent application of Quick Response codes (QR codes) on library cards has made way for greater interactivity between libraries and patrons. QR Codes are 2D barcodes that can store and display information via a QR barcode scanner downloadable on your smartphone. While this is a fairly new technology, libraries are just beginning to use QR codes to improve their services as the possibilities are endless. |
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Grants & Funding Funds are available for a broad range of libraries, including public, academic, medical and special interest. They include support in the form of awards, competitions, recruitment grants, and collection or program development grants. |
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Vendor Spotlight: Archival Products | |  | | Archival Products’ fine quality preservation solutions for college and research libraries are the key to preserving pamphlets, music, rare books, manuscripts, maps, posters and archival collections. We are proud to be a part of the preservation and conservation community and have been true to the archival movement, developing products and never substituting the quality of specifications. We have been proactive in raising standards and improving products. Make Archival Products an essential component of your library preservation program. Contact us for a free product sample from our online catalog for consideration for protecting your valuable collection. Archival Products | http://www.archival.com | 800-526-5640 |
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Vendor Spotlight: CMS CMS truly puts the pieces together to create a fully automated PC scheduling and print management system, providing patrons, librarians and IT personnel with a dynamic, easy to use system with unmatched reliability in the industry. Whether you are a public library looking for a session management solution for a few computers or a university looking for a campus-wide print and copy solution, CMS has a custom tailored solution to fit your needs. Ask them to demonstrate how we solve the issues associated with PC, print and copy management and let us put their nearly twenty five years of experience to work for you. | | 
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| A "green solution"?: The transition from print to e-content For at least the past five years, Wolper, a leading subscription services firm, has heard from an increasing numbers of clients, particularly within the corporate sector, asking Wolper to help them implement “green solutions,” mostly by transitioning print subscriptions to electronic format. The move follows the shift in academic publishing towards electronic journals, which began back in the early to mid 1990s, and the more recent mass market consumer adoption of devices that promote mobile access to content of all kinds. This movement is undeniable and, probably just as likely, unstoppable. It is fueled by demand--for collaboration and remote access, which e-content facilitates--from distributed workforces, from off-campus students and researchers, and so on. It also gets some energy from the fact that there is true opportunity--for publishers to save or at least reallocate “PPD” (paper, printing and delivery) and to repurpose archives of "evergreen" content, for example, into standalone apps (i.e., workout apps from
Men’s Health magazine or the “Goings On” app of arts and cultural events culled from weekly listings in the New Yorker). But this movement also seems to come with an underlying assumption that paperless is of benefit to our environment: that we are saving trees; minimizing our carbon footprint. But is it true? |
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Vendor Spotlight: Azuradisc In 1995 Azuradisc invented and patented the world’s first commercial grade disc repair machine and continues today as an innovator in disc repair. Each year Azuradisc makes technological advancements in reliability, efficiency and finish, which helps to keep the company ahead of its competition and the reason more than 1000 libraries trust their products and services. Their machines are quick and simple to use on any type of scratch, from light to gouge. If a machine is not right for you, then consider Azuradisc’s Professional Mail in Disc Repair Service. You can repair discs for as little as $.65 per disc with a turnaround as fast as 48 hours. Azuradisc is your one stop shop for all your disc repair needs! More | | 
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On a Lighter Note 
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