The biggest takeaway from this project was that deselection of materials had a largely positive impact on the age of the collection, greater than just adding brand new materials could. It’s like trying to mix a grey paint; you’re going to need to dump a whole lot of white onto your black paint to get it to lighten up. It’s so much more effective if you take all the old, unused stuff away first. Committing to keeping up with how we are progressing towards our goals is the only way I would have found out that the time invested by liaison librarians into collection development has been paying off – and more importantly, just how much of an impact their actions made. I think it is so much more valuable to see that quantitative comparison in the data than to simply say “good job.”
Libraries
The Most Unique Libraries in the World
Even for those who read only sporadically, there is a certain fascination with spaces that hold books, be they some of the world%u2019s most beautiful libraries or the world%u2019s most stunning bookstores. Booklovers are forever searching out books wherever they go, which can sometimes lead to discovering some extraordinary spots that allow you to bend sideways and read what%u2019s on offer. Here are some of the world%u2019s most unusual libraries, ranging from libraries resembling the Escher Stairs to one hidden inside a tree.
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/the-most-unique-libraries-in-the-world
The Colleagues Who’ve Left
Last year I started a chart tracking colleagues who had left my institution. When I left for the winter break finally, the number stood at 37 and I’m sure I missed a few. These are spread across the university, though nearly half are from the Library. It includes people I worked with regularly enough that their leaving had a significant impact on me, with a sprinkling of high level administrators whose transitions always end up with creating waves of change likely to reach me at some point. I started tracking because I knew that the volume was going to be high and that I would need to be able to see at year’s end — at scale — how significant the disruptions had been.
Secret and mysterious libraries
spooooky
While real-world libraries are, sadly, corporeally and temporally fixed (and, as far as I know, have never employed an orangutan as Head Librarian), there are still plenty of examples of libraries around the world that are secret or restricted, dealing with very different kinds of texts to the public libraries we know and love. While several of these libraries have now opened up, at least partially, their histories are still fascinating, and learning about them has that special spark of uncovering a secret.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2020
Here’s my annual look back at some of the notable library headlines from this year. Can you guess what number one is?
10. News Flash: Prejudice Still Exists
The problem of algorithms propagating bias continues to be an important issue in our field.
9. More Elsevier Cancellations
Following the University of California’s break with their expensive subscription costs in 2019, other libraries have joined the cause.
8. The USPS Slowdown
As libraries rely upon the mail for many services, such as interlibrary loan, the problems with the postal service before the election was a story worth following.
Honorable Mention: Curbside Videos
On the lighter side, several libraries created innovative marketing materials for their adjusted pick-up procedures due to COVID-19.
7. Scandals Roundup
Issues attracting bad publicity this year included the beleaguered American Dirt release; former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh’s fraud conviction; the removal of Gone with the Wind from the airwaves; the weeding process at New Zealand’s National Library; toner theft from the Austin library; and J.K. Rowling’s dubious attempt to convince people that transgender people can be criminals by penning a novel featuring a transgender criminal.
6. Proctorio’s Bonkers Surveillance Practices
Online test taking had a bit of a moment this year, for obvious reasons. The methods employed by exam proctoring software, however, have raised several eyebrows.
5. The Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library
Due to the closure of many physical library buildings, the nonprofit organization running the digital library at archive.org opened its texts for free viewing, much to the chagrin of commercial publishers. An ensuing lawsuit had the desired effect: the project was shut down. The fair use practice of online story hours faced similar threats.
Dishonorable Mention: Bad Patron Behavior
Librarians adjusting their service models due to the pandemic this year were often challenged by patrons with unrealistic and uninformed expectations about how libraries should be operating, not to mention blatant acts of rudeness.
4. Vaccine Hunt Fraught with IP Issues
Ah, capitalism. The search for a COVID-19 vaccine was driven, and perhaps hindered by, interests of those seeking to monetize the cure.
3. Bookstores Challenge Amazon
Amazon reaped in record profits this year, while several brick-and-mortar stores closed their doors for good. The efforts of Bookshop.org to compete with the retail giant received some much needed attention.
2. Misinformation Endangers Lives, Democracy
Conspiracy theories about the coronavirus abounded this year, causing an untold number of unnecessary deaths. And earlier this month, a poll of Republican congressman discovered that just ten percent of them will say who won the presidential election. As for librarians, if our mission is to slay ignorance, our role in combating bad information remains unclear.
1. #closethelibraries due to COVID-19
With a few notable exceptions, library leaders were excessively slow to shut down their buildings in order to protect the health of their workers and clientele. A campaign to close the libraries spread before many of the closures finally occurred. How libraries will reopen in 2021 is yet to be seen.
What was your favorite story of 2020?
One-Third Of Museums At Risk Due To Coronavirus
NPR reports that one-third of museums in the United States are at risk of closure in 2020 due to the continuing coronavirus crisis. Their story was based upon a survey conducted by the American Alliance of Museums.
FCC To Hold Workshop On Libraries & Broadband
An FCC advisory committee is holding a virtual workshop on August 3rd to examine the role of libraries relative to broadband adoption. Submissions from the public will be accepted in written form. Details on connecting are contained in their press release PDF.
How Arlington’s Sarah Kamya Is Diversifying Little Free Libraries Across the Country
How Arlington’s Sarah Kamya Is Diversifying Little Free Libraries Across the Country What started as a simple Instagram request has exploded into a nationwide project.
From: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2020/06/30/sarah-kamya-little-free-diverse-libraries/ How Arlington’s Sarah Kamya Is Diversifying Little Free Libraries Across the Country
Online Schools
Former Education Secretary William Bennett is one of the folks out selling some new online schools. Bennett once gave schools\’ efforts to increase use of computers in teaching an \”F-\”. Cnet has the Full Story.
Washington Post has another story on the same thing. Sounds like a big gamble on some vaporware.
\”It\’s a back-to-basics approach,\” Bennett said. \”We\’re combining traditional learning and powerful technology.\”
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