American Library Association Journals
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Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee: Cooking up Library Advocacy: SEFLIN Libraries Step up Campaign
No full textThe Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) Advocacy Committee is composed of library staff from around the region, representing many different types of libraries. Each year, the committee compiles a list of current legislators, sets appointments for face-to-face meetings on or around Library Day in the Florida Capitol, prepares customized reports regarding important library budget items up for appropriation, meets with as many legislators as possible for allyship and awareness, raises the visibility of emerging library contributions in Florida communities, and lobbies for continued support of libraries
Readers’ Advisory: The State of Readers Advisory
No full textReaders’ Advisory (RA) is a library industry and educational term that is not known to most folksoutside of the library world. Even within our profession, the mention of readers’ advisory conjuresboth micro and macro level interpretations. Creating booklists and displays = RA services,conducting patron interviews and matching books with people = RA, participating in continuingeducation programs, understanding appeal factors and maximizing the use of curated databasessuch as NoveList = RA. In 2005, Joyce Sarick’s noted in her work Readers’ Advisory Service in thePublic Library, 3rd edition, 2005 that “librarians today find themselves in the midst of a readers’advisory renaissance” (p. 7). Thirty years ago, RUSA/Codes established a readers’ advisorycommittee, and since then, “the committee has presented programs on readers’ advisory at eachannual conference and published two bibliographies of readers’ advisory resources as well asa study of readers’ advisory education” (p. 7). I was curious as to the state of RA today and thepossibilities for the future, so I sent out an email questionnaire to some librarians across the countryto gather their opinions on the matter. Special thank you to Rebecca Vnuk, Executive Director ofLibraryReads for connecting me with some of her colleagues
Amplify Your Impact: Creating a Bespoke Approach to Community Engagement: Influencer Marketing for 21st Century Libraries and Archives
No full textLet’s face it. The past few years in library and archives land have been extremely trying for everyone, whether you are a seasoned professional with extensive experience, a new colleague, or a customer. The pandemic, budget austerity, divisive political environment, and onslaught of attempts to censor inclusive stories from school libraries, public libraries, and K-12 and post-secondary curricula have taken a significant toll. As digital connections played an essential role in keeping our institutions relevant during the first 12–18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, our profession is having a renaissance in understanding how to leverage social media to amplify positive stories about our people, collections, services, and communities. It is high time for information professionals—beyond just communications, marketing, and community engagement-focused colleagues—to formally understand the power of influencer marketing in deepening sustained engagement with users
Cataloging Library Resources: An Introduction
No full textThe fundamentals of MARC cataloging have not changed in about fifty years. These fundamentals are described soundly in this textbook by Marie Keen Shaw. I can see the years of work and training on which this book is based, but as a professional cataloger with almost two decades of experience working with library, archive, and museum metadata, I can also see where this textbook went wrong as Shaw seeks to make sense of library-managed metadata through a MARC-based framework. MARC is necessary knowledge for anyone working with library metadata, but it is not a good framework from which to understand the increasingly interoperable future of library cataloging
Tortoise by Flashlight
No full textSometimes the best events are those that face unexpected challenges. Like the day a downpour threatened to shut down storytime and the library.We had booked a guest tortoise named Grevy for our 3 p.m. storytime. But the lights started flickering about 2:45 p.m. with the nearby back-up batteries screeching due to continual power fluctuations
Out of the Weeds: Effective Cataloging Tools and Strategies for a Post-CRDP World
No full textIn August 2024, the Government Publishing Office (GPO)announced the discontinuation of its Cataloging Record DistributionProgram (CRDP), a critical service for federal depositorylibraries. Since its launch in 2009, the CRDP has catalogedgovernment documents and provided essential catalogingmetadata to support Federal Depository Library Program(FDLP) libraries. However, due to the transition to digital collectionsand the increasing use of electronic resources and metadataformats like MARC, XML, and linked data, traditionalprint-based cataloging methods are becoming less aligned withmodern library practices. As a result, GPO has decided to endthe program
Ready. Reset. Rejuvenate: Prioritizing Wellness for a Successful Semester
No full textI am honored to serve as the 2025–26 President of the Reference and User Services Association(RUSA). As we begin this new academic semester, I am reminded that August and September carrya natural energy of renewal. Whether you work in an academic, public, special, or other informationsetting, this is a time to set intentions for the months ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic challengedmany of us to reconsider our relationship with work and the sacrifices we are willing to make forour jobs. For me, it raised a critical question: What sacrifices am I willing to make for my job, andat what cost
Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, Fifth Edition
No full textIn its fifth edition, Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management remains one of thefield’s most comprehensive one-volume works. For this first post-COVID-19 revision, author PeggyJohnson, a long-respected authority in collection development, now teams up with Mary BethWeber, a leader in academic technical services, to present an ambitious and far-reaching survey ofcollection practice. The authors clearly state their goal: to provide both a comprehensive guide for newprofessionals and a useful reference for experienced selectors and managers. For the most part, thebook succeeds with few limitation
ALSC Member Profiles
No full textMaeve Visser Knoth, Librarian,Phillips Brooks School,Menlo Park, CAWhat is your favorite part ofworking in a school setting?I am able to develop relationshipswith students when the childrenare as young as three years old andcontinue to be part of their growthas readers and curious humans until the end of fifth grad