Only about 12 percent of an average U.S. library budget is for books and other content. Antilibrary zealots will latch onto this statistic eventually, downplaying that libraries are about much more than books. A good proactive response would be a national digital library endowment and separate but allied digital library systems—one for public library patrons, the other mainly for academia, even though everyone could access both. New digital efficiencies could help libraries offer taxpayers even more value than they do now.
Lessons from Swets: Libraries Need Subscription Security | Peer to Peer Review
By on October 9, 2014 Leave a Comment
I participated in a series of meetings last week to determine how the Duke Libraries would respond to the bankruptcy filing made by subscription agent Swets. We have been through this before, when Faxon/RoweCom failed, and many libraries lost a lot of money. Unfortunately, more money is going to be lost this time around. Perhaps it is time for us to think about how we got into this situation——and how to make sure we never end up back here again.
Supercharge Your Collection: Ways to Boost the Patron Experience and Maximize Turnover
By on October 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Event Date & Time: Wednesday, October 29th, 2014, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PT
Discover the results of this research and find out how your library can deliver an enhanced patron experience and improve turnover by attending “Supercharge Your Collection: Ways to Boost the Patron Experience and Maximize Turnover”, a webcast from collectionHQ and Library Journal; featuring case study examples from libraries that are using evidence based practices with collectionHQ, the world’s leading collection performance improvement solution based on the proven Evidence Based Stock Management (EBSM) methodology. The results of the study into Big Data will be presented in line with the four key stages of the collection development process supported end-to-end by collectionHQ: Select, Manage, Promote and Evaluate. Register Now!
Higher Ed’s Enrollment Blues | From the Bell Tower
By on October 8, 2014 1 Comment
No one is panicking—just yet—but the demographic trends point to colleges and universities facing serious challenges in meeting their enrollment targets. Eventually the impact may trickle down to the library.
Partnerships: PLOS, CDL, and DataONE Launch Pilot Project to Develop Data-Level Metrics
By on October 7, 2014
From a PLOS Blog Post by Jennifer Lin: In partnership with the University of California Curation Center at the California Digital Library, and DataONE, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new project to develop data-level metrics. This project is funded by an EAGER grant from the National Science Foundation. The project, titled “Making Data Count: […]
Queens Library Develops Innovative New Tablet Platform Using Superstorm Sandy Donation | TDS14
By on October 7, 2014
When superstorm Sandy hit the east coast in October 2012, the Queens Library (QL) in New York was among many northeastern library systems affected. QL persevered, continuing to offer crucial services in storm-ravaged communities while rebuilding damaged branches. The system also managed to turn a generous corporate donation into an innovative new platform for tablet computers, enabling a tech lending program that has since continued to grow.
Online Learners & Libraries: It’s time to connect to the revolution | Editorial
By on October 7, 2014 1 Comment
Online learning, much touted and often doubted, is revolutionizing education as we know it. This is good for learners and could be transformational for libraries. The connection between learning and libraries has always been natural and strong—it’s fundamental. This particular transition, however, intensifies the need for libraries and calls for stepped-up services to support these independent learners.
Charleston 2014 Conference Trends and Takeaways
By on October 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
Thursday, November 13th, 2014, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT
Whether you missed this year’s Charleston Conference or just couldn’t get to every simultaneous session, come hear our panel of conference attendees recap the event. They will share what they see as the key takeaways from the 2014 event and what it means for the direction of the field in the year to come. Trending topics include the library’s role in institutional data, managing collection development through the digital shift and rising journal prices, working with self-published authors, and much more. Register Now!
The Next Wave of Tech Change | Self-Publishing & Libraries
By on October 7, 2014 6 Comments
Over the past 30 years or so , there have been several waves of technological change in the library world. First was the replacement of the card-based catalog and circulation system with the integrated library system (ILS). Second was the replacement of paper journals with electronic databases. Third was the adoption of the PC. Fourth was the rise of the World Wide Web. Fifth was a sort of echo of the first, in which automation reached a little deeper into our processes, replacing manual checkin and checkout with RFID-based self-check and automated materials handling.
JSTOR Launches Free Online Magazine for Popular Audience
By on October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
JSTOR Daily (JD) launched on October 1, with editor Catherine Halley at the helm, and early responses have been uniformly enthusiastic. The site, which has been up in beta version since June, features an ongoing series of weekly feature articles and daily blog posts that cover areas ranging from the arts to politics to technology—recent subjects include women in video games, Gertrude Stein, and the semantics of McDonald’s. Each piece links to content from JSTOR’s library that has been opened up for free access to JD users.
The Education Hook
By on October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
In August 2013, an intriguing email landed in my inbox from Alžbeta Strnadová, project manager of BiblioEduca in the Czech Republic. BiblioEduca provides forward-thinking continuing education for the public and academic library professionals who work at the Czech Republic’s 6,000 public and academic libraries, as well as library students at Czech universities.The BiblioEduca team had read the LJ article featuring the Howard County Library System, MD, upon being named the 2013 Gale/LJ Library of the Year. It described a new vision for libraries, positioning them as part of the education enterprise. The Czech team, led by president and founder Beáta Holá, immediately grasped the power of the approach. Struck by the way U.S. libraries implementing the strategy enjoy heightened respect in their communities and maximized funding, team members were eager to achieve the same results for Czech libraries. They extended an invitation to exchange ideas “over the ocean.”
Taking Control of Your Website | The User Experience
By on October 6, 2014 Leave a Comment
I’ve heard it a lot: “We want to make OUR website better, but we’re stuck using our city’s system!” It breaks my heart every time, not only because of the underperforming library website but also because it means that a stakeholder in the local government isn’t recognizing that librarians are information professionals who might know a thing or two about websites. If you or someone you know is in this position, read on. Below is a letter, from me—a library website specialist—that you can send to your city manager or other stakeholder. With any luck, adding another voice to your cause will help you prevail.
Librarians React to Pew Study on Willingness to Disagree on Social Media
By on October 3, 2014 Leave a Comment
As libraries continue exploring ways to weave online social media into their core service, a Pew study suggests popular Internet gathering spots such as Facebook and Twitter are not effective places for generating meaningful or honest conversation about significant news events. Not only are people not more willing to discuss controversial issues online than they are in person, in fact, the reverse is true.
SAGE and Simqu Hit the Mark: An LJ Q&A | PubCrawl
By on October 3, 2014 1 Comment
As SAGE Publications’ CEO and president Blaise Simqu celebrated his tenth year in the job this August, he was also gearing up for SAGE’s anniversary: the company, founded in 1965 by Sara Miller McCune, turns 50 in 2015. It retains its deep connections to the library and higher education world, both through its journals, which comprise 50 percent of the business, and its textbooks, reference works, and databases, which make up the rest.
TSLA Wins Appeal, Texas Will Receive Full Award of Federal Library Funds
By on October 2, 2014
From the Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has won its appeal to keep its full allotment of federal funds awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Due to reductions in state funding in 2013, Texas was at risk of losing as much as $1.7 million […]
