Library of the Year

Edmonton Public Library has won the 2014 Gale/LJ Library of the Year. This library is doing some interesting things and obviously engages with the community really effectively. Read all about the library and its programs in Library Journal. Its great to see that leadership and teamwork are credited with having made the library so successful.


LEARNING CURVES Top: The interior of the innovative and award-winning Jasper Place branch is a highlight of the system. Second row, l.-r.: Library assistant Beth Hallett helps a patron, while community librarian Mike Eaton (standing) offers computer assistance. Third row, l.-r.: Jasper Place offers activities for all ages, and an outdoor patio offers a peaceful place to read. Bottom l.: the library’s curving roof is a striking sight. Photos by Phil Chin/AP Images for Library Journal

Retrieved http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/06/awards/2014-galelj-library-of-the-year-edmonton-public-library-transformed-by-teamwork/

21C library

the Pikes Peak Library District (Colarado Springs) is about to open a new 21c library.

It aims to promote experiential learning with the latest in technology, access to 3-D printers, sewing machines and other tools, plus space -  lots of space.

Read more at http://gazette.com/library-of-future-ready-to-open-in-colorado-springs/article/1520530#q4yrAJBWqRikx8XY.99

New Library interior - image from http://gazette.com/library-of-future-ready-to-open-in-colorado-springs/article/1520530#q4yrAJBWqRikx8XY.99

"Libraries really are the gates to the future" - Gaiman

Authors are sometimes the library's best advocates. Neil Gaiman gave a lecture for the Reading Agency
 on the 14th of October in London. Here is just some of what was said.  

Neil Gaiman Image: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

“....libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information.

I worry that here in the 21st century people misunderstand what libraries are and the purpose of them. If you perceive a library as a shelf of books, it may seem antiquated or outdated in a world in which most, but not all, books in print exist digitally. But that is to miss the point fundamentally...

In the last few years, we’ve moved from an information-scarce economy to one driven by an information glut. According to Eric Schmidt of Google, every two days now the human race creates as much information as we did from the dawn of civilisation until 2003. That’s about five exobytes of data a day, for those of you keeping score. The challenge becomes, not finding that scarce plant growing in the desert, but finding a specific plant growing in a jungle. We are going to need help navigating that information to find the thing we actually need.”

For the full article go to the Guardian 

 Finding the plant in the Jungle is what makes the need for qualified teacher librarians so essential for today's world.

Back into it

So after a long absence and a lovely trip round the world I return to the world of libraries ....

and having seen some amazing uses of digital technology in Museums while away I thought I might continue on the digital theme and share this link.....

Fancy.. a whole library without books. Is it the way? Personally I have only just begun reading on a tablet and I confess that I still prefer the real thing. Having said that the convenience of the tablet while travelling was indisputable.

The first bookless library: BiblioTech offers only e-books

project tomorrow

"The school’s monopoly on information, knowledge and world experiences is long gone and yet unfortunately, some education leaders still cling to this old paradigm as it represents their ideal of education."  Project Tomorrow, 2013, p.3.

The Project tomorrow report From chalkboards to tablets: The emergence of the k-12 digital learner Speak Up 2012 - National findings //June 2013, seems to confirm the idea that teachers are behind in the utilisation of digital tools and possibilities.

Its interesting to note the difference between students and teachers in the importance given to different digital tools. Well worth a look at the whole findings.

What's a library

Have a look at the article below.
What is a Library?

Its interesting that people who don't use libraries feel they can comment on what a library is or isn't. I think more and more libraries are becoming social spaces and community spaces and that what and how they interact with the community is changing as the community changes too.

I watched this utube a while ago where the idea of what a library is and can do is expanded and challenged.
I wish my local library loaned cake tins!

Librarians of the future

Libraries are cool

I came across this article and thought its a great idea of to engage new people in a library collection. It allows people to use technology to animate digital photographic collections form the library. Its created a stir and hopefully will result in more people utilising this library and its collection.
Click below to read about it.

3-D It Yourself, Thanks to New Library Site

 

Libraries of the Future

UTS in Sydney put together this video. I thought that given our leadership focus this semester and looking at where libraries may go, that some of the ideas raised here are quite pertinent.

LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Children's Libraries of the future .

As I may have mentioned before, I currently work in a Museum. There is many more cross-overs between Museums and Libraries than you may at first imagine. In America there is the Institute of Museum and Library Service - who have some great resources and publications including this great 21 Century skills checklist for museums and libraries.
http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/21stCenturySkills_matrix.pdf

I was further struck by the cross-over when viewing the children's interactive library. Many of the ideas and technologies used here are already in use in museums but could also allow museums to become more interactive, responsive along with making way-finding (like resource finding).

The Children's Interactive Library 

 

Mixed use libraries



Images courtesy of Hugon Kowalski, UGO Architecture and Design, via Designboom.
From Would More People Use the Public Library If It Had a Water Slide?

John MetcalfeMar 19, 2013

Found an intersting article which suggests that libraries need more than just books to attract readers - perhaps waterslides instead. Mad i hear you say ..... have a look at the article

Would More People Use the Public Library If It Had a Water Slide?

Pew report on library services

The Pew report, "Library Services in the Digital Age"provides some interesting research on what people want and expect from libraries in the digital age. One of the interesting finding was that there were different views about whether libraries should move some printed books and stacks out of public locations to free up space for tech centers, reading rooms, meeting rooms, and cultural events: 20% of Americans ages 16 and older said libraries should “definitely” make those changes; 39% said libraries “maybe” should do that; and 36% said libraries should “definitely not” change by moving books out of public spaces.

Thoughts raised by librarians in terms of libraries perceived strengths, direction and limitations in Part 5: The present and future of libraries were interesting particularly in terms of the notion of community. Perhaps there is more to be explored and gained from public and school library partnerships.

information resources

In every subject at least once come the question of the relevance of the library and the future of books. This week we explore the relevance and future of reference materials and if the internet will make them superfluous in physical formats.

In terms of the library itself everyone in my family borrows regularly from both school and local library so i'm not imagining its demise right away - i think a library is more than books its also a community place! Follow this link to a piece by Zadie Smith on libraries
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/jun/02/north-west-london-blues/

My comments in brief:

Reference sections - I think physical will decline over time especially as encyclopedias like Britannica are available online. I liked the way VERSO (http://learn.quinnipiac.edu/verso/versomain.html) organised their reference section online and although the interface is a little clunky it is a familiar and less daunting way of browsing a reference section - goodness knows sometimes finding the right journal in our CSU library catalogue can be hard even when you know the name of the one you want - try find Access just for fun!.

We also discussed Wikipedia - i admit to using it - but usually only to find out things like what other movies an actor has been in. But agree with the blog sentiment that it's fine as long as you know its not a reliable peer reviewed resource. Having said that I would never use it for academic work!

Dictionaries - there's still merit to physical ones. After all we sometimes need to clarify meanings, pronunciations etc when we are not online.

Atlas - think you need to know why you want to use the Atlas first.... is it to find animal populations, topography, population etc - each different use probably has a more relevant atlas available.. and probably online provides more options that physical formats can