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Written on: March 10th, 2010 in Blog Posts
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Written on: March 8th, 2010 in Blog Posts
We were extremely happy to see Pagan Kennedy’s review of Marilyn Johnson’s wonderful book on libraries and librarians- This Book is Overdue– in which yours truly and our fellow professional “guardians of all there is to know” struggle in daily battle against the loss of cultural memory, the physical decay of media, and the lure of the internet. It sounds like a superhero tale- and it is! We really think that everyone should read it at least once!
Written on: March 7th, 2010 in Blog Posts
Last week, I had the great good fortune to see a presentation by David Lee King, the Digital Branch and Services Manager for the Topeka and Shawnee County public library. King is a justifiably influential figure in the library world, and his keynote on “Making the Digital Experience Sing!” was provocative and though-provoking.
King’s talk focused on ways in which libraries can create a more compelling customer experience- beyond customer service. Today, there’s an expectation of good customer service and consumer choice is ubiquitous (in America, at least). What is differentiating organizations now is customer experience. Experience is a set of services and activities that surround a purchase or other interaction with a product. American Girl stores are an example of a compelling customer experience where the purchase is only one facet of the consumer’s interaction with the brand or service. King cited Harley Davidson as another experience-oriented brand where the initial purchase is only the beginning of the consumer’s relationship the products or services that the company offers, from clothing, to themed restaurants, to real-world connections with other enthusiasts.
Written on: March 5th, 2010 in Blog Posts
On March 4th, New Castle County and State of Delaware signed a memorandum of understanding which calls for the migration of the New Castle County library catalog into the Delaware Library Catalog- in effect sealing the deal on creating a true statewide public library catalog (not forgetting the Delaware Techs, Wesley College, and Wilmington University, among the other non-public library membership).
Written on: March 4th, 2010 in Blog Posts
This story caught our attention recently- all the way from Massachusetts’ Cape Gazette:
A library card can be a real money-saver, according to University of Delaware Cooperative Extension educators. A family that spends $12 for two DVD rentals, $6.99 for a paperback and $27 for the reference book a child needs for school in a month could be spending more than $500 a year unnecessarily.
“Don’t give up reading or movies; rather, discover all the free offerings that are as close as your local library,” says Maria Pippidis, a family and consumer science educator with University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. “A library card saves you from pulling those other cards – debit and credit cards – out of your wallet,” notes Pippidis. “If you haven’t been in a public library lately, you may not know about the wide range of print, audio and video items that can be checked out, free of charge.”
Written on: March 4th, 2010 in Blog Posts, Learning, Learning Journeys, Reading
After zipping through 2 fiction titles in one week on my commute and zapping through 2 more over the weekend, I stopped and looked around. My fiction selections for the last few years have been confined to “reading with my ears” as I ride to and from work each day. But over the last few months even this has waned. So, what’s up? It’s the words. I am in need of imaginative narrative, of a beautifully turned phrase. Has this happened to you? Sometimes we need to form mental images of people, things and places that do not exist. Or, maybe they do exist but have been reinvented within a story.
In terms of my learning paths, fiction often provides the context for my non-fiction explorations. It provides color to the pencil drawings. A fellow librarian once said, “Non-fiction helps me learn about my world outside. Fiction helps me learn about my world inside.” Beautiful words, aren’t they? Find many more in my favorite reads from last week: Kostava’s The Historian and Hambley’s Homeland.
Written on: March 2nd, 2010 in Blog Posts
We’ve posted before when public figures have praised the importance of libraries to their own lifelong learning and accomplishments, and when they have emphasized the importance of public libraries to culture and society. (see here and here, for instance). This recent article on the Smithsonian Magazine website is the latest in what we hope will be a never-ending series.
This recent article appealed to me on two fronts. Joyce Carol Oates is a literary author who is incredibly well-regarded by critics and the reading public alike, and in a previous job, I spent several years working on the papers one of the world’s most famous capitalists that no-one has ever heard of- John J. Raskob, who was born in Lockport and wrote nostalgically about the town through his long and fascinating career- I was so steeped in his letters and the minutiae of his life that I felt like I knew the streets of the town even though I had never walked them. Good writers can do that.
The full article is lengthy but well worth taking the time to read, and as good as summary of the cultural and societal importance of public libraries as anything else that I’ve seen. Here’s an extract:
The Lockport Public Library has been an illumination in my life. In that dimension of the soul in which time is collapsed and the past is contemporaneous with the present, it still is. Growing up in a not-very-prosperous rural community lacking a common cultural or aesthetic tradition, in the aftermath of the Great Depression in which people like my family and relatives worked, worked and worked—and had little time for reading more than newspapers—I was mesmerized by books and by what might be called “the life of the mind”: the life that was not manual labor, or housework, but seemed in its specialness to transcend these activities.
Read the whole article at the Smithsonian Magazine website.
Written on: March 1st, 2010 in Blog Posts
This week’s New York Times Book Review presents a typically outstanding selection of fiction, nonfiction and biography- all available from your local public library. We’ve listed a few of the reviewed titles below, and you can click on the link to check availability in your library and to place a hold- remember, even if the book isn’t in ‘your’ library, our vans cross the state from North to South, East to West every day to bring the books you want practically to your doorstep from whichever library they are available from!
Written on: February 27th, 2010 in Blog Posts
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s of America just announced its 2009 nominees. The awards will be presented at the organization’s May 15th, 2009 awards banquet, along with the Andre Norton award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
You can view the full list of nominees on the SFWA website
Written on: February 25th, 2010 in Blog Posts, Learning, Learning Journeys, Reading
Yes, yesterday was my birthday. But, several of my presents arrived early and I never wait to open them.
Present #1: The inspiration that librarians and our social service Partners find ~ and the dedication they exhibit ~ at our Delaware Libraries Community Resource Exchange (CRE) Showcase always reminds me why I do what I do.
Present #2: Following this exhilarating/exhausting day at work, I come home to find a package from my library training cohort, Honore. Inside I found a copy of Fabric Art Journals by Pam Sussman. I recently read The Art of Fabric Books ~ Jan Bode Smiley; but, the quilter/Reader Advisor clearly recommends Sussman for this topic.
Present #3: As I proceed upstairs to change, I am greeted by an array of reading materials spread out across my bed. My son gives me copies of The Art of Maurice Sendak ~ Selma Lanes, The American Meadow Garden~ John Greenlee, The Wizard of Oz Movie Storybook and best of all, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt ~ Michael Rosen. Bear Hunt was one of the few books Josh wanted to hear over and over as a little guy. And, the timing of this gift is just right for my grandchildren!
Now the Birthday Surprise: as I reflect on the Showcase and survey my new pile of books, a snapshot of my learning paths leaps out at me! They add color to that Sketch of Me. Are you having trouble identifying your Learning Journey? Start with your bookcase…or your library checkout receipt…or your stack of magazines…or your regularly visited blogs. What colors your Sketch?
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