Saturday, March 23, 2013

Pew Research: Innovative Library Services "In the Wild" (Contra Costa County Library "Snap & Go")



Pew Research: Innovative Library Services "in the Wild"


Contra Costa County Library Wins 2012 John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award

The Library won the award for its Snap & Go campaign which uses Quick Response QR codes to deliver library materials and services to customers with mobile phones. The program was designed to satisfy the reading and information needs of County residents at times when their local community library is closed or when they cannot make it into a library building.

Related posts:
Contra Costa County Library "Library-a-go-go".  (3/23/2013)
Arapahoe Library District:  Book-a-librarian.  (3/23/2013)
Skokie Public Library digital media lab.  (3/23/2013)

Pew Research: Innovative Library Services "In the Wild" (Book-a-Librarian at the Arapahoe Library District)

Pew Research: Innovative Library Services "in the Wild".


From the description of this service. There is a ton of information out there, so whether you have questions about computers, health, business, genealogy, DVDs, music, books, or anything else, simply Book a Librarian for a FREE individual 30-minute session. Appointments are also available in Spanish and Russian. 

Let a librarian be your guide!

The 8 locations of the Arapahoe Library District, plus a Library on Wheels, are located south and east of Denver.

Related post:
Skokie Public Library digital media lab.  (3/23/2013)

All This Clashing Hurts My Head



(Starting at 0:23)  Two objects coming from opposite directions are going to make a much bigger impact than one hitting where the other one is stationary.





Friday, March 22, 2013

What Was and What Will Never Be (Again)



How the Boston Phoenix Kept Its Readers But Lost Its Advertisers. (MediaShift, 3/19/2013)

Excerpt: But beyond those factors, the community that sustained the Phoenix has passed from the scene. At one time the Boston area was awash in 
  • concert venues
  • record stores
  • guitar emporiums
  • independent book stores
  • head shops 
-- the kinds of businesses that reached their customers by advertising in alternative weeklies. Now they are almost entirely gone.

In the heyday.

To Get Rid of Bedbugs, Bake at 118 Degrees for 90 Minutes

So says Jeffrey Budd.


Bedbugs in books: Holland library considers roasting them with heat chamber. (Grand Rapids News, 3/22/2013)


Excerpt:  The PackTite® was originally intended for heat treating suitcases. However, this portable heat chamber is also effective for treating other items such as 
  • backpacks
  • clothing
  • sleeping bags
  • tools
  • books
  • CDs 
  • shoes
  • purses
  • pillows. 
The PackTite® is basically a collapsible duffle bag that contains a support rack on which you place your infested items. The PackTite® has an interior heater and an exterior heat monitor so that you can see the temperature inside the bag. The bag is heated to a temperature above 120°F killing all bed bugs life stages, including eggs.

Approximate cost:  $300.

Budd makes an appearance in this video.


Related posts:
Bedbugs bite libraries.  (12/6/2012)
Bedbugs @ the Taylor Community Library.  (10/25/2011)
Long Island library closed for bedbug treatment.  (11/14/2010)
Top ten list:  Where the bedbugs are most likely to bite.  (8/25/2010)
Bed bugs in libraries:  Do you want to run that figure by me one more time?  (8/23/2010)
Bedbugs infest the classics at the Denver Public Library.  (10/2/2009)

Unbound Booking Asks, "What are your most popular library programs?"



Laurel County Public Library, London, Kentucky  (starts at 0:01)
  • Musicians
  • Cooking series
  • Plays 
  • Puppeteers
  • Lego club
  • Storytimes
Prescott Public Library, Arizona (starts at 1:09)
Southshore Regional Library in Ruskin, Florida (starts at 2:58)
  • Cooking
  • Musicians
Lakeland Public Library in Lakeland, Florida (starts at 3:13)
  • Musicians
Mid-County Regional Library in Port Charlotte, Florida  (starts at 3:28)
  • Performance (music, dramatic presentations)
Washington Public Library in Chipley, Florida (starts at 4:37)
  • Children's programs in general
  • Musicians (adult programs)
Oldham County Public Library in Kentucky (starts at 4:57)
  • Musicians
  • Summer children's programs

Looks like you can't go wrong with....

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Remembering Lisa

Page 1 of an 8-page advertisement 
in the June 1983 issue of Esquire


"....and a clever pointing device called a mouse."

Mark Reed's Transparent Campaign to Squeeze the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library


Finance board, library clash over funding.  (Connecticut Post, 3/20/2013)

Town of Monroe Finance Chairman Mark Reed sez the Edith S. Wheeler Trust can be used for general library purposes.

The opinion of former probate judge John Chiota

Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance Schedules 4 Budget Hearings


April 4 at Greendale High School
April 8 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay
April 10 at the Chrystal Grand Music Theater in Lake Delton
April 18 at Baldwin-Woodville High School in St. Croix County

Joint Committee on Finance

"Books aren't dead yet" sez Salon

An article by Laura Miller, Salon, 3/20/2013.


Miller also picks apart, as "wishful thinking", Wired's tendency to "freak out" its audience with descriptions of cataclysmic change ("an excellent way to sell your services as a guru to business communities") and the notion that self-publishing is a threat to publishers.

Related posts:
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology.  (1/8/2013)
Based on this column graph, print books are not likely to go away anytime soon.  (1/2/2013)
Printed books still lead ebooks by a significant margin.  (12/28/2012)
Ebook market pauses to take a breath.  (12/25/2012)
Year-to-date book revenues:  Jan-Jul 2011 and Jan-Jul 2012.  (11/1/2012)
Libraries get screwed when it comes to price of and access to ebooks.  (9/10/2012)
Millennials lead the way....to fewer bookstores?  (8/22/2012)
Ebooks sliding down the peak of inflated expectations.  (8/18/2012)
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8.5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Puppets Soon Available for Checkout at Bethel Park Public Library in Suburban Pittsburgh


Check this out: Bethel library adds puppets to collection. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/14/2013)

ExcerptSome work needs to take place before the library starts lending puppets.

At the start, puppets will be available through the Bethel Park Public Library and the Braddock Carnegie Library.

"Our grand plan over the course of the next couple of years is to have five libraries in the Allegheny County region that have collections," Ms. Capezzuti said. "And anyone with a library card can go check out a puppet."

Bethel Park library currently is housing 15 puppets, with many of the "heads" on display in the program room: brightly colored images of friendly animals mixed with more fanciful creations, amply demonstrating Ms. Capezzuti's talents

Puppets for Pittsburgh at Cheryl Capezzuit's website.

Scott Walker Seems to be Tap-Dancing as Fast as He Can

Scott Walker addresses gay marriage ... or does he? (Capital Times, 3/19/2013)


Scott Walker, meet Libertarian David Boaz.

Privatize Marriage:  A simple solution to the gay-marriage debate. (Slate,4/25/1997)

Excerpt: In the debate over whether to legalize gay marriage, both sides are missing the point. Why should the government be in the business of decreeing who can and cannot be married? Proponents of gay marriage see it as a civil-rights issue. Opponents see it as another example of minority "rights" being imposed on the majority culture. But why should anyone have--or need to have--state sanction for a private relationship? As governments around the world contemplate the privatization of everything from electricity to Social Security, why not privatize that most personal and intimate of institutions, marriage?

And liberal pundit, commentator, and journalist Michael Kinsgley.

Abolish Marriage;  Let's really get the government out of our bedrooms. (Slate, 7/3/2003)

Public Health Nurse at Arizona's Pima County Public Library

Pima County Public Library

Pima County Public Library hires public health nurse. (Tuscon Citizen, 2/23/2012)

Excerpt: In the short time that she’s been on the job, she’s been able to refer dozens of library visitors with health issues – especially those without health insurance – to resources in the community. 

 She counseled a branch manager who had determined that a young library user had head lice. She’s met latchkey kids and answered teens’ questions about sex – and took advantage of the opportunity to talk to them about diabetes and high blood pressure. She helped a victim of domestic violence find safe shelter and get medical attention. She encourages library visitors to use the hand sanitizer that’s always available to reduce the spread of germs. “Everything is an educational moment,” [Emily] Pogue says.

Hat tip to Briony Zlomke, LIS 712 student

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A Look at Wisconsin Public Library Staffing Since 1990


Peak years:
  • 2002 - Total librarians
  • 2009 - Other paid staff
  • 2008 - Total staff (which fits the national trend)
Glassman Wealth Services, LLC (3/14/2012)
Red vertical bar added.

What happened in 1997?  It certainly can be called an anomaly.
  • Total librarians increased 8%
  • Other paid staff decreased nearly 3%,  then more than recovered its losses in 1998.

We lost a significant number of librarians in 2009, a decrease of 3.6%.  It couldn't have been all retirements!

Wisconsin Public Library Staffing, 1990-2011

The numbers speak for themselves.


The "Doing More With Less" Debate

Where do you stand?

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Wisconsin Public Library Community Faces the 1960s: Part 3

Financing Public Libraries  ("Highlights from Facing the '60s -- The Public Library in Wisconsin")


Other includes....
  • town taxes
  • gifts
  • fines
  • fees
  • incomes from trusts



Related posts.
The state of public libraries in Wisconsin.  (3/16/2013)
Philosophy of service; general purposes of public libraries.  (3/16/2013)

"GOP Issues Scathing Self-Analysis", Although You'd Never Know It From the Cover

GOP Issues Scathing Self-Analysis, Wall Street Journal, 3/18/2013)


Makes you feel a little bubbly, doesn't it?




Excerpt from the report.  (The text, not the dots.)

On the other hand, feel free to cast your vote for further marginalization and ossification by purchasing this boldly stated bumper sticker.


Restaurant Smartbrief Headline Teaser: Why chicken wings may be the key to attracting millennial diners

So....what the library's "secret sauce"?

Why chicken wings _________ may be the key to attracting millennial diners library users.

Sorry, taken.

Are Millennials to blame for potential chicken wing shortage?  (Pizza Marketplace, 3/15/2013)

Millennials are defined as
  • Individuals between the ages of 16 and 34
  • 80 million in the U.S.. 
Attributes of this generational cohort noted in the article:
  • They want to participate, or co-create, in a brand’s marketing. 
  • They crave adventure. 
  • They look to their peers for affirmation. 
  • They turn to social media — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and the like — to express themselves. 

My wife and I recently had a conversation about the dangers of describing all members of a generational cohort in sweeping terms, particularly those related to advertising, and, in the process, painting over each member with overly broad, sometimes sloppy strokes.  Many of the Baby Boomer attributes that have been bandied about since before Joyce Maynard's influential New York Times 1972 essay ("An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life"), focus on a college-educated, upwardly-mobile, primarily white subset.

Pizza Marketing is definitely high on "shareworthiness", co-creating experiences.
 
If they like the experience, they’ll talk about it with their friends..... 

My guess is this behavior has been going on, in one way or another, for millennia.     

— and more often than not, it ends up on social media. 

Some of my Facebook friends probably think my "shareworthy" bar has been set too low.


"Jobs", fka "jOBS", Reported to be "Delayed for More Marketing": Not a Confidence Builder

Release of Steve Jobs biopic reportedly delayed for more marketing.  (Ars Technica, 3/18/2013)

The "official teaser trailer":.



The obligatory parking-garage scene.



In the meantime, you can watch this 1999 made-for-TV movie.



Not the official movie trailer.



Still showing an April 19th release date here, as of 11:57 a.m.



Don Pridemore, shouldn't there be a noun with that modifier?


"....and they will receive a written response to only those questions we want to respond to."

Written -- pre-written? -- responses cobbled together from this information, no doubt.

GOP superintendent’s campaign blacklists news reporters. (Janesville Gazette, 3/17/2013)



Slides 2 and 3 from Wisc-Online -- "Learning activities help people succeed -- find your success here!"

A remedial course in English grammar is apparently in order.

Pridemore’s DPI Superintendent announcement rife with grammatical errors.  (Blogging Blue, 11/29/2012)

Grammatical Errors Not Best Way To Start Race For Top Education Position In Wisconsin. (Caffeinated Politics, 11/29/2012)

The unanswered question in this latest episode?

Who leaked the internal memo?

Perhaps Pauline Haass is Spinning in her Grave


Quiet woman's will causes debate. (Sussex Sun, 2/26/2013)

How it all started out. In 1966, a year before her husband's death, Polly, as she was called by her friends, wrote out her will and bequeathed "the entire residue of my estate, real and personal, to the Town of Lisbon for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a free public library in the Town of Lisbon … "

In this corner, the Pauline Haass Public Library Board of Trustees.  Library officials argue that according to state law and the intermunicipal agreement they should have "control and custody" of the land. 

According to one Library Board attorney, state law is "clear and unambiguous" that library boards have "exclusive charge, control and custody" over lands bequeathed to them.

And in this corner, the Town of Lisbon officials.  Town Chairman Matt Gehrke said he is hopeful that a new intermunicipal agreement can be reached which might help resolve the land issues between the Town Board and library. But, Gehrke said the town is not turning the land over to the library.

Related articles: 
What a long strange trip it's been.  (2/13/2012)
Dueling news releases.  (10/7/2012)
Town of Lisbon wants deep discount in payment for library services.  (9/30/2012)
As the world of joint library agreements turns.  (8/22/2012)
The beat goes on.  (7/2/2012)
Joint library negotiations continue.  (5/13/2012)
Jane Stadler on Paying Taxes: "...it is something that you do because you're part of the community.  (11/26/2011)
Lisbon town chair not likely to get his way on Pauline Haass Library funding. (11/22/2011)
Lisbon Town chair advocates paying for library services on the cheap.  (11/22/2011)
The challenges of shared governance and funding.  (9/28/2011)
Consensus building for new joint library agreement.  (7/22/2011)
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)