Making Room for Innovation
Two library service prototyping spaces, in two very different places, have a remarkable amount in common. Nate Hill runs and operates the 4th Floor in Chattanooga, a large public library loft space operating as a flexible community makerspace and event space. Jeff Goldenson co-ran and operated Labrary, a 37-day design experiment occupying a vacant storefront in Cambridge.
Leadership Lessons for Higher Education Administration | Leading From the Library
Thinking about academic library administration as your next career step? When you do, you become a higher education administrator too. Here are some things you may want to know about moving into higher education administration, and some leadership lessons you’ll learn when you do.
Ebooks, Online Drive Trade Sales Growth
The BookStats 2013 survey, co-produced by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), released some provisional numbers on May 15. (A few statistics are being recalculated, but won’t impact the trend). BookStats found that trade publishing overall saw significant growth since 2011, despite the closures of many brick-and-mortar stores during the same period. Not surprisingly, publishers’ revenue from brick and mortar retail fell 7 percent, but more than made up the ground online, growing 21 percent. Overall, trade net revenue rose 6.9 percent to just over $15 billion in 2012. The number of books sold also grew, by 8.1 percent, to $2.291 billion.
Should “Tweeps” Be in the Dictionary?
Thursday, May 23, 2013, 2:00-3:00 PM ET How does social media impact on our view of dictionaries and the development of the English language? In this webcast, a dictionary editor, a reviewer from Library Journal, and a linguist, lexicographer, and language columnist come together to discuss and debate the topic Register now!
Leadership Lessons for Higher Education Administration | Leading From the Library
Thinking about academic library administration as your next career step? When you do, you become a higher education administrator too. Here are some things you may want to know about moving into higher education administration, and some leadership lessons you’ll learn when you do.
For Brooklyn PL, Planned Sale of Branches Promises Opportunity, Provokes Concern
BPL, one of three systems in New York City and the country’s fifth-largest library (by population served), has suffered consistent underfunding of capital needs, with its 59 locations facing a $230 million backlog of deferred maintenance, barely dented by the $15 million annual allotment of capital funding.
Their solution: sell two aging libraries that occupy valuable land, and work with real estate developers to include libraries in residential towers. It’s not uncommon for urban libraries to consider mixed-use buildings, though few face the real estate froth characteristic in Brooklyn.
Making Room for Innovation
Two library service prototyping spaces, in two very different places, have a remarkable amount in common. Nate Hill runs and operates the 4th Floor in Chattanooga, a large public library loft space operating as a flexible community makerspace and event space. Jeff Goldenson co-ran and operated Labrary, a 37-day design experiment occupying a vacant storefront in Cambridge.
Latest Articles
Ebooks, Online Drive Trade Sales Growth
The BookStats 2013 survey, co-produced by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), released some provisional numbers on May 15. (A few statistics are being recalculated, but won’t impact the trend). BookStats found that trade publishing overall saw significant growth since 2011, despite the closures of many brick-and-mortar stores during the same period. Not surprisingly, publishers’ revenue from brick and mortar retail fell 7 percent, but more than made up the ground online, growing 21 percent. Overall, trade net revenue rose 6.9 percent to just over $15 billion in 2012. The number of books sold also grew, by 8.1 percent, to $2.291 billion.
“Ex-Detroit Library Official Timothy Cromer Charged With Taking $1.4 Million in Bribes”
From MLive.com: U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade on Tuesday charged Cromer, the Detroit Public Library chief administrative and technology officer, with taking more than $1.4 million in bribes and kickbacks from library contractors. Cromer, 46, who had earned an annual salary of $145,323, is charged in a 21-count indictment along with contractors James Henley and [...]
Leadership Lessons for Higher Education Administration | Leading From the Library
Thinking about academic library administration as your next career step? When you do, you become a higher education administrator too. Here are some things you may want to know about moving into higher education administration, and some leadership lessons you’ll learn when you do.
Video Reviews | May 15, 2013
Reviews of Pina: Dance, Dance, Otherwise We Are Lost, Duke, and Copper, plus a full list of Video titles from the May 15 issue.
AEP, AAP to Merge; AAP to Create Pre-K Division
The Association of Educational Publishers and the Association of American Publishers have agreed to merge. The two professional groups will combine their programming, professional development, and public policy advocacy operations serving the preK–12 educational publishing industry. Once the merger is complete, AAP will create a new pre-K division.
Califa Launches Enki, a Lending Platform for Direct Ebook Distribution
The Califa Library Group and Contra Costa County Library (CCCL) today officially announced the beta launch of Enki Library, a new ebook platform designed to host and lend library-managed ebooks using the Douglas County model. Named after the Sumerian god of mischief, creativity, and intelligence, Enki went live at CCCL and the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) on May 6, and will soon serve multiple libraries in California, beginning with members of the Bay Area Library and Information System (BALIS) consortium.
Barbara’s Picks, Nov. 2013, Pt. 3: Fiction from Albom, Baldacci, Banks, Child/Preston, Griffith, Hammett, Lynch, Miles, & Smith
Albom, Mitch. The First Phone Call from Heaven. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2013. 272p. ISBN 9780062294371. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062294395. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio. POP FICTION Phones are ringing off the hook in little Coldwater, MI, but the callers are all deceased, stirring emotions from joyous relief to uncertain fear as they report being happy in [...]
BiblioBoard Library Grows With New Modules, Subscription Service
This spring, BiblioLabs, the Charleston, SC–based developer of the free multimedia anthology production platform BiblioBoard Creator, began offering a subscription service that will allow users to download and view anthologies created by libraries and other third parties.
Cooking Reviews | May 15, 2013
Columnist Lisa Campbell reviews cooking titles that focus on healthy and tasty recipes.
Upcoming Webcasts
Should “Tweeps” Be in the Dictionary?
Thursday, May 23, 2013, 2:00-3:00 PM ET How does social media impact on our view of dictionaries and the development of the English language? In this webcast, a dictionary editor, a reviewer from Library Journal, and a linguist, lexicographer, and language columnist come together to discuss and debate the topic Register now!
More Webcasts:
- Data-Driven Libraries Part 2: Understanding Customers Through Segmentation Analytics
- Data-Driven Libraries Part 1: Analyzing Data to Manage Print Collections
- Rejuvenate Your Space: Top Building Trends in Library Design
- Behind the Scenes with Gale Publishing Stories
- Sizzling Spring Cookbook Buzz
- eBooks: Exploring the Rapidly Evolving Options
- Some Fine Romance: Spring Titles 2013
- Perspectives on Academic Patrons: A Closer Look at Takeaways from Library Journal’s Academic Patron Profiles
LJ in Print
BEA For All: A Librarian’s Guide to BookExpo America 2013
To make the most of BEA, here are the offerings that are best for librarians—not all of them are particularly aimed at our profession, but eavesdropping on “the other side” can be illuminating. Though ebook questions feature heavily, we’re moving on from library availability concerns to debates surrounding secondhand ebooks, the effects on authors, and e-publishing of out-of-print titles.
Best of Both Worlds | Office Hours
An LIS student’s letter to the editor of LJ gave me pause. Krystal Taylor, studying at IUPUI (Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis), detailed the move her program is making from classroom-based instruction to almost 100 percent online delivery. A big-picture concern is evident: “What cost will this be to the library and information science field?” Her word for those completing an online MLS: lackluster.
Featured Posts from LJ Reviews
Video Reviews | May 15, 2013
Reviews of Pina: Dance, Dance, Otherwise We Are Lost, Duke, and Copper, plus a full list of Video titles from the May 15 issue.
Barbara’s Picks, Nov. 2013, Pt. 3: Fiction from Albom, Baldacci, Banks, Child/Preston, Griffith, Hammett, Lynch, Miles, & Smith
Albom, Mitch. The First Phone Call from Heaven. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2013. 272p. ISBN 9780062294371. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062294395. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio. POP FICTION Phones are ringing off the hook in little Coldwater, MI, but the callers are all deceased, stirring emotions from joyous relief to uncertain fear as they report being happy in [...]
Cooking Reviews | May 15, 2013
Columnist Lisa Campbell reviews cooking titles that focus on healthy and tasty recipes.
Poetry Goes (Sort of) Viral, Undying Love for Nick Carraway, and an Unlikely Roadtrip | What We’re Reading
This week, Library Journal and School Library Journal staffers are reading some books very much of the moment: the follow-up to Code Name Verity and the genesis of Baz Luhrmann’s fizzy film. Others are stuck in the past, or someplace in the middle.
Blogs & Columns
Leadership Lessons for Higher Education Administration | Leading From the Library
Thinking about academic library administration as your next career step? When you do, you become a higher education administrator too. Here are some things you may want to know about moving into higher education administration, and some leadership … [Read More...]
Send Me Your Library Cats | Editorial
Cats are frequently a part of the library landscape. Just as they find a nook in shops, cats find a shelf at many libraries and add their feline charm to the service. Other animals have a library role, particularly therapy dogs. But I’m not sure … [Read More...]
Can Information Professionals Afford Apprenticeships? A Thought Experiment | Peer to Peer Review
I have a gift for picking despised professional niches. I used to run institutional repositories, and if there’s a niche in academic librarianship more despised than that, I’m honestly not sure what it might be. From the frying pan into the … [Read More...]
The Downside of Being Universally Liked | Advocate’s Corner
Libraries have no natural predators. Believe me. Having worked in partisan politics and lobbied on contentious issues, I know what it means to have opponents. Since I started lobbying for libraries no one has called me names, hung up on me, or … [Read More...]
Studying the Studies | From the Bell Tower
Having access to national studies helps academic librarians stay informed about their community members. Finding the time to read and analyze them—and make sense of possibly conflicting information—is a new “keeping up” challenge. One … [Read More...]
