2008
3
Dec
/
19 Comments
Our Librarian Bodies. Our Librarian Selves.
By Emily Ford Librarians are great at taking care of their patrons. We will conduct searches for our patrons and provide them with the resources they need, we contribute to the public good and offer ongoing educational opportunities, and we provide community space in the name of discourse and community building. We also testify in... Read More
2008
26
Nov
Editorial: Getting to Know You
As a holiday break, the six of us decided to answer three questions about ourselves. We’ll have a new “real” post next week from Emily. By Editorial Board, Ellie Collier and Brett Bonfield 1. If you could choose one thing to change about libraries, what would it be? Emily: I would like to dismantle the... Read More
By Brett Bonfield Depending on books can feel like relying on snail mail. “Now that I’ve showed you how to find some articles,” I say to people at the reference desk, “I’ll show you how to use our website to find some books you might want to check out. And after that, wouldn’t it make... Read More
2008
12
Nov
Swings and Roundabouts
By Hilary Davis “If where our scientists are and how they work is fundamentally changing, doesn’t that fundamentally change how we support them?” (Luce, 2008 – audio | slides) A major change to our profession is afoot. Well, more than afoot – the “E-science” ship has sailed and has some major momentum behind it, but... Read More
2008
5
Nov
Sticking it to Instruction
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath By Ellie Collier I always feel the need to preface my praise for this book with a little background. I’ve read a slew of best sellers on behavior. I started when a friend was raving about Malcolm Gladwell. I... Read More
2008
29
Oct
Pro-Con-ference
By Derik Badman Earlier this month, I presented at a one-day conference. Everything happened ordinarily. My submission of an abstract was accepted and I was scheduled in a session with two other presenters. Preparing for the presentation, I worked up my outline, gathered images, and put my slides together. The night before, I practiced my... Read More
2008
22
Oct
Google, stupidity, and libraries
By Kim Leeder As a teenager, I never tried drugs because I didn’t like the idea of any substance affecting the processes of my brain. It never occurred to me that the long hours I spend working, reading, and researching in front of a computer could have a similar effect. Recently I found out that... Read More
2008
15
Oct
On the ALA Membership Pyramid
“…i [sic] only renew [my ALA membership] out of a sense of professional obligation, and also because of the fear that i’ll [sic] put it on my resume and get busted as not being a member.” –c-dog By Emily Ford Membership in the American Library Association means professionals are bound together by the tenets of... Read More
2008
8
Oct
What Happens in the Library…
By Brett Bonfield In 1968, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, a couple of newlywed architects, had the humility to laugh with Las Vegas rather than at it. A few years earlier, Tom Wolfe had written, Las Vegas has become, just as Bugsy Siegel dreamed, the American Monte Carlo-without any of the inevitable upper-class baggage... Read More
2008
7
Oct
Editorial: Introduction
An introduction to the blog, the mission, and the authors.