Vast Active Library and Information Science blog. From a recent library science graduate in Wellington, New Zealand. A focus on reference and current awareness tools and issues, especially free, web-based resources.

 
"For a variety of reasons - the economy, access to technology and a change in marketing philosophy - libraries are happening places again."

Another positive article, pointing to rising circulation in (US public) libraries, reminding readers that the internet hasn't replaced libraries (and pointing out that libraries were quick to embrace the 'net), and describing the increasing use of marketing techniques to improve service - "this is something a business would do". (I can think of at least one of my lecturers who would be very pleased to read those words).

From The Daily Herald (Chicago).


| posted by Simon at 2:26 pm

 
"Librarians do more than keep records. Often, they serve as visionaries in schools, said Jane Matthews, Franklin Community School Corp. K-12 library media coordinator."

Cool quote from an article about the declining numbers of librarians in Indiana school libraries, at a time when more information is available than ever, and circulation of books is up.

From The Daily Journal.

| posted by Simon at 10:21 am

 
A solution to the problem of libraries being offered bundles of journals, containing many titles that they don't want?

"Now HighWire Press, the librarian-led journal aggregator from Stanford University, has launched a new subscription program called Shop for Journals (http://highwire.stanford.edu/shopforjournals). Initiated by a group of scholarly society publishers participating in HighWire, the new pricing/subscription model offers an alternative to the �Big Deal� packages and allows librarians to create their own packages using tiered pricing tied to library type."

From Information Today.

| posted by Simon at 10:16 am

 
Nicely written article from The Scotsman, summarising the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, which extends legal deposit in the UK to digital information (both webpages and CDs). The article manages to cover concerns such as preservation, selection, and copyright.

Also interesting to note the other countries that have gone down this path:

The French government has issued a directive to ensure its national library collects all electronic material [which the UK won't be doing]. Norway, Finland and Denmark also have similar models, while Germany has new draft legislation in place.

| posted by Simon at 9:11 am

 
"Public libraries, once considered solely as book-lenders, are beginning to supplant town halls, churches and schools as the main gathering place of local communities, say officials from the Vermont Department of Libraries."

From The Battleboro Reformer, Vermont.

Very cool article about the changing role of libraries in the internet age. They're not just about books in a locally-held collection, but can take advantage of interlibrary loan to increase the collection. Access to the internet is an obvious plus, with one library mentioned in this article having the only broadband access in its area. The article also discusses the role of libraries in spurring economic growth.

| posted by Simon at 12:50 pm

 
School board cuts funding that paid for school librarian. School has no librarian. Books are sitting around in boxes, with children unable to take them out. Volunteers are "filing" the books. But more books, brought through a grant, "cannot be placed out until they are logged into the new computer system." Let's fervently hope that they don't ask these parent volunteers, dedicated though they surely are, to catalogue the new books.

From The Tribune-Chronicle, Ohio.

| posted by Simon at 12:33 pm

 
School is being refurbished. Sub-contractor takes books and equipment into storage. Contractor goes bust, leaving sub-contractor unpaid. Sub-contractor refuses to release books. Children have no access to books or library equipment.

From The Scotsman.

| posted by Simon at 12:30 pm

 
Long discussion on Slashdot about this article from technewsworld.com, about libraries selling unwanted books on eBay, instead of the good old used book sale. Some good comments from slashdotters concerned at the possibility that libraries are actually getting rid of material that may be valuable to researchers, and advocating for more public funding for libraries. Which seems appropriate, as most of the mentions of libraries I see in the US media tend to be articles bemoaning their lack of funding, or describing how student volunteers are helping academic libraries to maintain opening hours.

Of course, weeding collections is an important and necessary part of library collection development. (Yep, I'm writing an assignment on this at the moment, and I'm pleased that I've finally managed to track down a copy of the 4th edition of Slote's Weeding library collections seeing as it seems to be considered the definitive text).

| posted by Simon at 12:25 pm