Libraries

What a Librarian Looks Like Passes 450 Submissions & 25 Countries – You Guys Rock!

March 22, 2012
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What a Librarian Looks Like Passes 450 Submissions & 25 Countries – You Guys Rock!

It has been just over a month since Erin and I launched This is What a Librarian Looks Like. This is a fun, light-hearted project is a complement to the Library Day in the Life Project with the simple purpose of highlighting librarians with “photos of real librarians in their real lives doing real stuff”. It has been so much fun to see the submissions from all around the globe! This project is still open and will stay open, so if you haven’t already submit your photo today! But I wanted to celebrate some milestones! The site has 3,502 followers! Thank you to each and everyone. Earlier this week we surpassed the 450 mark for the number of submissions, some photos have more than one person in there so we are way over the 450 mark for people! Thank you to everyone who spent the time finding that “perfect” photo to represent you and submitting it. I am amazed at the diversity of the submissions! I am blown away that this project has managed to span the globe! We also have submissions from 25 countries including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic

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You’re Invited! – This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

February 13, 2012
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You’re Invited! – This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

I’m so excited to announce this new project! As the ultimate compliment to Library Day in the Life we bring you This is What a Librarian Looks Like! What: a site to go beyond the bun and challenge old, outdated librarian stereotypes with photos of real librarians in their real lives doing real stuff Who: YOU! The site is up and running and ready for submissions. So find a picture that you think best represents you to the world and submit it! Please don’t submit photos of others and be tasteful! This is a fun, light-hearted project, please approach it in that spirit! Where: This is What a Librarian Looks Like! When: NOW! Go submit something already! Your editors are Bobbi Newman and Erin Downey Howerton and we’ll be approving submissions as fast as we can! Inspired by is What a Scientist Looks Like.   Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Buzz it up Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend

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9 Reasons Publishers Should Stop Acting Like Libraries Are The Enemy

November 23, 2011
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1. Libraries let people read your books. I know, I know, you think that if it weren’t for libraries more people would buy your books, I have bad news for you, if it weren’t for libraries people would read less not buy more books. There is no guarantee that the people who read a library copy could, or would, choose to buy your book. Let’s face it no one who is willing spend  4 months  on the waiting list for their favorite author is going to buy that hardback copy and probably not the trade paperback or paperback either (have you seen the price of mass market paperbacks lately?). Instead of seeing that library book as money out of your pocket consider it another book sold that wouldn’t have been and more importantly consider it the gateway drug to your author.  Millions of people discover their new favorite author through their local library. 2.  Libraries introduce people to your books For children we are a magical place where they can check out 20 or 50 books a week and take them home to read or for parents to read those books. We do story times and other educational and fun programs for

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What IS a Library?

November 19, 2011
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What IS a Library?

This week, after tweeting a link to ALA’s President Molly Raphael’s statement regarding the destruction of the Occupy Wall Street Library in New York City, I became engaged in a conversation on Twitter about what constitutes a library. To me this seems obvious, but I had a hard time coming up with a hard fast definition. I discovered that, like Justice Stewart, I’m of the know-it-when-I-see-it mindset when it comes to identifying it, a library that is. I am not sure I can define it in terms that reconcile with the statement from ALA. If I say the dissolution or destruction of any library is wrong I need a concrete definition for library, because while it may be uncool (and probably illegal) for someone to come into my home and destroy my personal library, I’m not sure that warrants a statement from the ALA President. Let me be clear, I am in complete and total agreement with the statement from ALA. I will happily defend that statement and ALA’s choice to make it. The problem I ran into was defining a library in terms that fit with it. Not just the OWS library but any library of this type. Even after doing some digging (see below)

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Seth Godin Misses the Point on Libraries, Again.

May 16, 2011
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I was curious to read what Godin had to say about libraries this time. Last time he wrote about them it was pretty clear he didn’t “get it” and many librarians responded with posts of their own (you’re not allowed to comment on Godin’s blog) Before I get too far into this I want to point out I also find it interesting that Godin brings up Kindle several times in this post. Let’s not forget he has a dog in that fight, he has partnered with Amazon to create his Domino Project. Now for his new post The Future of the Library I was happy to see this: The librarian isn’t a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user. Though I still don’t care for the use of “sherpa”. But we are so much more than this too, we are trainers, teachers, mediators and more. This is nice too, though he is an author so I’d expect him to be in favor of reading. because reading makes all of us more thoughtful, better informed

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photo by Beth Tribe

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