What is Entrepreneurial Librarianship?
There’s no committee that says, ‘This is the type of person who can change the world – and you can’t.’ Realizing that anyone can do it is the first step. The next step is figuring out how you’re going to do it. ~ Adora Svitak Image from opb.org If you’re thinking about librarianship, you’re probably already interested in social engagement, innovation, and knowledge creation. Social entrepreneurship refers to the practice of identifying a societal problem and using entrepreneurial principles, such as innovation, to create and implement ventures that achieve change. In fact, social entrepreneurship provides an excellent model for libraries that are invested in the future. Today’s librarians are innovators who explore new technologies and novel ideas in the relentless pursuit of excellence; these librarians are embracing the entrepreneurial spirit. Image from makerbot.com As Resources to Startups Passion for Public Good Barbara Stripling. Stephanie Prato Stephanie C.
The Disinterested Leader: In the Library
"Why aren't people interested in my agenda? Don't they know that it's the best for students and staff?" The questions aren't uncommon among librarians, as Doug's recent blog post highlights: The short answer: Figure out what the principal believes is important for you to do - then do it. This means creating a program that helps meet the goals and solve the problems in your school, NOT creating a program that meets AASL standards necessarily. It means deliberately learning what is important to your principal and then effectively communicating how you are contributing to those important issues. It's easy to misunderstand Doug's short answer...it seems a bit of a sell-out at first glance, doesn't it? In a previous blog entry, The Disinterested Leader, I shared the power of disinterest. The Crucial Conversations and Confrontations books advocate asking questiosn that that help us do a gut check: What do I really want for myself? 1) What do I really want for myself?
So You Think You Want to Be a Librarian?
Most people’s knowledge of librarianship is a mash-up of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Desk Set, some warm and fuzzy memories from an elementary school class visit, Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even fuzzier memories of all-nighters in their college libraries, and maybe a high-minded article or two about the Digital Public Library of America. If this sounds familiar, don’t be embarrassed. Librarianship is a notoriously opaque profession, and most Americans have about as much understanding of what we do as they have of cloistered nuns, or actuaries. Here’s the first shocker: most professional-level library positions require a masters in library or information science, most commonly known as “the M.L.S.” Fortunately, librarians are the original oversharers, and they’ve produced a body of literature—from blogs posts to articles to books—to help you with your decision. You Had Me at “Hello” Let’s be honest. Librarianship isn’t about what we have; it’s about what we do.
Library Technology Guides: Key Resources in Library Automation
The Librarian’s Love/Hate/Love Relationship with Books
The story that is buzzing around libraryland this week is the book weeding controversy at the Urbana Free Library in Urbana, Illinois. The gist of the story is over a weeding policy of Ebola-like aggressiveness that was implemented removing books (mainly non-fiction) that were older than ten years regardless of collection value, usage, wear and tear, and other normal considerations. Freedom of Information Act requests to the library have uncovered narratives that have gems like “our mission is no longer learning” (thanks to Liz Burns for pointing that one out) between declarations of hurt feelings and toes being trod upon. Last night, there was a contentious meeting during which more dirty laundry was produced as the library’s board, the staff, and the public made their discontent known. In reading over the reports, my gut reaction is somewhere between poor planning, no staff buy-in, and poor implementation. Allow me to elaborate. Without a doubt, librarians love books. Like this:
SBLG-Toolbox - home
The Mysterious Fate of the Library of Alexandria
Jamie K. asks: What ever happened to the ancient library in Alexandria? Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The modern Library of Alexandria Great question! For those not familiar, I’ll start with a little background on the subject. The Library of Alexandria was founded by either Ptolemy I or his son, Ptolemy II, sometime in the third century B.C. Libraries were nothing new to ancient civilizations, though places to keep etched clay tablets might not be what we would consider a proper library today. Charged with collecting the knowledge of the world, many of the workers at the library were busy translating scrolls from “barbarian” languages into Greek. Needless to say, the library’s collection was vast, but the knowledge of exactly how many scrolls the library contained at any given point has been lost. Partially because of the library, Alexandria became a seat of scholarship and learning. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The story about Caliph Omar is almost certainly made up.
The Future of Libraries: Short on Books, Long on Tech | Mobiledia
This isn’t your childhood library. The Hunt Library at North Carolina State University is beautiful. The main floor looks more like a sleek Apple showroom than a stuffy library. And instead of a Genius Bar, there’s an Ask Me alcove, where you can get help on everything from laptops to flash drives. Color-coded walls, stairs and elevators help you find not just books and research papers, but also media rooms, video game collections and even a 3-D printing lab to create plastic models. But the best part? Welcome to the library of the future. “There’s a lot of talk about how libraries should change, but very few ideas of how they should be shaped,” Vaughn Tan, a member of the Harvard’s University Library project told the Library Journal. Across the country, in the booming Bexar County in San Antonio, you’ll see the same thing: groups of people huddle over gadgets instead of the card catalog, as food and coffee vendors dot the space. It’s a high-stakes gamble for libraries. Published In:
