Best of
Librarianship

2017

This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information


Kyle Cassidy - 2017
    Since then, Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. In short, not necessarily what one thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. This is What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.

The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures


Library of Congress - 2017
    Featuring more than 200 full-color images of original catalog cards, first edition book covers, and photographs from the library's magnificent archives, this collection is a visual celebration of the rarely seen treasures in one of the world's most famous libraries and the brilliant catalog system that has kept it organized for hundreds of years. Packed with engaging facts on literary classics—from Ulysses to The Cat in the Hat to Shakespeare's First Folio to The Catcher in the Rye—this package is an ode to the enduring magic and importance of books.

Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books


Philip Nel - 2017
    A significant reason racism endures is because it is structural: it's embedded in culture and in institutions. One of the places that racism hides--and perhaps the best place to oppose it--is in books for young people.Was the Cat in the Hat Black? presents five serious critiques of the history and current state of children's literature tempestuous relationship with both implicit and explicit forms of racism. The book fearlessly examines topics both vivid-such as The Cat in the Hat's roots in blackface minstrelsy-and more opaque, like how the children's book industry can perpetuate structural racism via whitewashed covers even while making efforts to increase diversity. Rooted in research yet written with a lively, crackling touch, Nel delves into years of literary criticism and recent sociological data in order to show a better way forward. Though much of what is proposed here could be endlessly argued, the knowledge that what we learn in childhood imparts both subtle and explicit lessons about whose lives matter is not debatable. The text concludes with a short and stark proposal of actions everyone-reader, author, publisher, scholar, citizen- can take to fight the biases and prejudices that infect children's literature. While Was the Cat in the Hat Black? does not assume it has all the answers to such a deeply systemic problem, its examination should stimulate discussion and activism.

Transforming Libraries: A Toolkit for Innovators, Makers, and Seekers


Ron Starker - 2017
    And yes, perhaps if libraries were only book warehouses, we wouldn't need them. But libraries can be so much more than a place to check out books. In the Digital Age, it's more important than ever for libraries to evolve into gathering points for collaboration, spaces for innovation, and places where authentic learning occurs. Transforming Libraries proposes a new role for librarians and for libraries--one that offers patrons places to think, to explore, to create, and problem-solve together. Rather than settling for the quiet dusty hall of decades past, Ron Starker reveals ways to make libraries makerspaces, innovation centers, community commons, and learning design studios that engage multiple forms of intelligence. Packed with almost 500 tools and resources, Transforming Libraries offers real-life examples of how to turn libraries into intelligently designed centers that are essential for today's schools.

The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times


Anita L. Sanchez - 2017
    Modern life overloads us with information yet lacks the true wisdom we seek. In this book, a group of global indigenous elders pass down their four most essential, agreed upon tools to help you fulfill your truest desire for meaning, wisdom, and heartfelt connection. During these times of great change, indigenous wisdom is needed now more than ever to live the fullest and healthiest lives possible. The Four Sacred Gifts offers an indigenous worldview based on the concept that we are all one relation, and we can all embrace and benefit from the Gift of Forgiving the Unforgiveable, the Gift of Unity, the Gift of Healing, and the Gift of Hope. These four powerful gifts will guide you to healing and transformation, supporting your journey to wholeness. By following the indigenous principles, lessons, and tools found in this book, we can all experience personal breakthroughs and conscious, societal evolution for humanity. Living in deeper harmony, all of us can thrive together for future generations.

Feminists Among Us: Resistance and Advocacy in Library Leadership


Shirley Lew - 2017
    By collecting these often implicit professional acts, interactions, and dynamics and naming them as explicitly feminist, these accounts both document aspects of an existing community of practice as well as invite fellow feminists, advocates, and resisters to consider library leadership as a career path.

Free Speech on Campus


Erwin Chemerinsky - 2017
    On one side, there are increased demands to censor hateful, disrespectful, and bullying expression and to ensure an inclusive and nondiscriminatory learning environment. On the other side are traditional free speech advocates who charge that recent demands for censorship coddle students and threaten free inquiry. In this clear and carefully reasoned book, a university chancellor and a law school dean—both constitutional scholars who teach a course in free speech to undergraduates—argue that campuses must provide supportive learning environments for an increasingly diverse student body but can never restrict the expression of ideas. This book provides the background necessary to understanding the importance of free speech on campus and offers clear prescriptions for what colleges can and can’t do when dealing with free speech controversies.

Cruising the Library: Perversities in the Organization of Knowledge


Melissa Adler - 2017
    Taking the publication of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemologies of the Closet as emblematic of the Library's inability to account for sexual difference, Melissa Adler embarks upon a detailed critique of how cataloging systems have delimited and proscribed expressions of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and race in a manner that mirrors psychiatric and sociological attempts to pathologize non-normative sexual practices and civil subjects.Taking up a parallel analysis, Adler utilizes Roderick A. Ferguson's Aberrations in Black as another example of how the Library of Congress fails to account for, and thereby "buries," difference. She examines the physical space of the Library as one that encourages forms of governmentality as theorized by Michel Foucault while also allowing for its utopian possibilities. Finally, she offers a brief but highly illuminating history of the Delta Collection. Likely established before the turn of the twentieth century and active until its gradual dissolution in the 1960s, the Delta Collection was a secret archive within the Library of Congress that housed materials confiscated by the United States Post Office and other federal agencies. These were materials deemed too obscene for public dissemination or general access. Adler reveals how the Delta Collection was used to regulate difference and squelch dissent in the McCarthy era while also linking it to evolving understandings of so-called perversion in the scientific study of sexual difference.Sophisticated, engrossing, and highly readable, Cruising the Library provides us with a critical understanding of library science, an alternative view of discourses around the history of sexuality, and an analysis of the relationship between governmentality and the cataloging of research and information--as well as categories of difference--in American culture.

Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Principles and Practice


Kevin Michael Klipfel - 2017
    In this practice-based handbook, the authors draw on the research of the humanistic psychologist and educator Carl Rogers to present an empathetic approach to information literacy sessions, reference service, and outreach. With an eye on everyday library work, they offer concrete, empirically-based strategies to connect with learners at all levels. Offering plentiful examples of pedagogy in action, this book covers:6 cognitive principles for organizing information literacy instruction, with sample worksheets and organization tools for instruction planning; how to establish rapport and kindle learners' motivation; tactics for transcending "cite 5 sources" and other uninspiring research assignments; educational evidence debunking the mythical perception that because students are skilled at computers and mobile technology, they already know how to do research; questions to keep in mind for inspiring autonomous learning; the power of story, as described by Joan Didion, Bren� Brown's Ted Talk, and educational psychology research; the science behind information overload; and a balanced framework for evaluating specific educational technology tools. Fusing theory with practice, this handbook is a valuable resource to help every practitioner connect with learners more effectively.

Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform your Space on Any Budget


Diana Rendina - 2017
    How-to’s for addressing the challenges and opportunities brought about by the changing role of technology, including collaborative learning labs, makerspaces and ways to support BYOD.Practical suggestions for finding ideas to improve your space, inventory your library and survey your community.

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries


American Association of School Librarians - 2017
    The new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the new streamlined AASL Standards Integrated Framework for learners, school librarians, and school libraries. Three previously separate publications—AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, Standards in Action, and Empowering Learners—are now framed within a single text, emphasizing the importance of all three standards sets while ensuring that standards-related activities are mutually reinforcing. The National School Library Standards enable school librarians to influence and lead in their schools, districts, and states and to develop plans that meet today’s educational landscape for learners, school librarians, and the school library. Among the innovations: Common Beliefs reflect current learning environments and professional best practices for effective school libraries; the new standards framework features five shared components—Shared Foundations, Key Commitments, Domains, Competencies and Alignments—which are designed to reflect each other; a section dedicated to assessment and evaluation provides examples on how to create your own tools that align school and district models with AASL Standards; scenarios for various types of school library professionals demonstrate techniques and practices for successful implementation in authentic situations for self-reflection, group professional development, and pre-service education; and included are a glossary of terms, useful verbs, a list of evidence, and other relevant appendices.The National School Library Standards enables personalization for every learner and school librarian, allowing you to continuously tailor your school library to local needs, your own strengths, and learners’ benefit.

The Feminist Reference Desk: Concepts, Critiques, and Conversations


Maria T. Accardi - 2017
    Ultimately, feminist library instruction seeks to empower learners to be both critical thinkers and critical actors who are motivated and prepared to bring about social change. The concept of feminist pedagogy has recently energized current conversations on library instruction, so it is fitting and timely to consider how feminism might intersect with another vital student-centered service the academic library provides: the reference desk. Inspired by the ideas, possibilities, and discussions set in motion by Maria T. Accardi’s Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction (2013), this edited collection continues these conversations by considering how feminist strategies and philosophies might reshape, invigorate, and critique approaches to reference services. In short, this collection will provide critical and thought-provoking explorations of how academic librarians might rethink central reference concepts and services, from the reference interview, to the reference collection, to the staffing of the reference desk itself, from a feminist perspective.About the Editor: Maria T. Accardi is the author of Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction (2013), for which she received the 2014 ACRL WGSS Significant Achievement Award, and a co-editor of Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods (2010). She is Associate Librarian and Coordinator of Instruction and Reference at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana.

Librarians with Spines: Information Agitators in an Age of Stagnation, Vol. 1


Yago S. Cura - 2017
    Essays range in theme from Colonialism and Whiteness in Library Science to Representation in Graphic Novels and Literature, hopefully going beyond what has been written in the past. The essays in Librarians with Spines attempt to move Library and Information Science forward in the areas of culture, information, and education; but, this anthology also seeks to connect a diverse group of librarians and empower them to counteract the severe lack of minority publishers in the U.S. It is the explicit wishes of the publishers for Librarians with Spines to attract enough traction to make publication a yearly commitment for HINCHAS, and both Latino librarians want nothing more than to showcase the most radical and innovative forays into public service and community-minded library programming.

Getting Started with Digital Collections: Scaling to Fit Your Organization


Jane D Monson - 2017
    And small or medium-sized libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies face a unique set of challenges in regards to digital collections. They may have been unable to jump on the digitization bandwagon at its beginning due to competing priorities or lack of resources, and may now be struggling to get a digitization program in place to meet the evolving needs and expectations of their own users. The good news is that digital projects can scale down to fit the size of any organization. Providing an entry point for librarians, archivists, and curators who are new to digitization, Monson's well-researched guide shows how even smaller institutions can successfully endeavor to make their content digitally accessible. Clearing aside the jargon and acronyms to hone in on the practicals, this book will help readers get a digitization program off the ground, offering guidance onhow to efficiently harness existing workflows, especially in departments seeing a decline in workload; the pros and cons of the two common service models for state and regional digital repositories; how to evaluate and choose among the digital asset management systems, comparing four proprietary and six open source systems; hardware options for image capture; choices in metadata models MODS, VRA Core, Dublin Core Element Set, and EAD; understanding the characteristics of various file formats and using them effectively to create master and derivative files; bitstream copying, data redundancy and other strategies to safeguard digital files against media degradation and technological obsolescence; and Section 108 copyright exemptions for cultural heritage institutions. This easy-to-follow guide to digitization fundamentals will ensure that readers gain a solid grasp of the knowledge and resources available for getting started on their own digital collection projects.

Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding


Patrick "P.C." Sweeney - 2017
    And 90% of funding for public libraries comes from the will of local politicians and, in turn, from local voters. So it’s urgent that librarians, library supporters, and anyone interested in running an election or campaign for a library understand the strategies, resources, and tactics necessary for positive political action. Whether election day is four months away or four years away, there are immediate steps library leaders and local library ballot committees should take to help secure a successful ballot initiative later. Written by two experienced library campaigners, this action-driven manual for anyone running a political campaign for libraries dives into -proven successful campaigning techniques for rural, suburban, and urban settings;expert analysis on how political perceptions are formed, how political power works, and ways libraries can reach funding or political goals;-starting the discussion internally;-the right approach to setting up the committee structure, and identifying the core leadership team for the committee;-tips on networking, cultivating good relationships with the power players in the community, and building a winning coalition;-canvassing and direct voter contact;-responding effectively to opposition, including voters who habitually resist taxes or library funding increases;-the differences between paid media and earned media; and-best practices for marketing and message development, fundraising, volunteer engagement, and other key areas.Filled with easy to follow strategies, this book will guide ballot committees, librarians, trustees, and library advocates through the process of winning an election for funding their library. LIS students will also benefit from the early exposure to political literacy skills provided by this book.

The Power of People Skills


Trevor Throness - 2017
    They’re always the problem. If a business person goes home frustrated, if they talk with their significant other about it, if they lay awake at night stewing about it, inevitably the problem is some person at work—a colleague, subordinate, or boss.Handling people issues is every leader’s major headache. It’s what takes up the majority of their time and—more important—the bulk of their head space. Every leader can and must develop this most important of all management skills.The Power of People Skills will teach you that there’s one primary difference between a great culture and a poor one: a great culture insists on having star players in every key seat, and a poor culture tolerates under performers. In this powerful book, you will learn how to: Make the people decisions that can double your results, relieve your stress, and cause team morale to soar. Attract and retain the very best talent. Deal with difficult people problems in an objective and kind way. Overcome the reluctance we all share to confront under performers. Permanently solve the problems causing most of your stress.

The Kickstart Guide to Making Great Makerspaces


Laura Fleming - 2017
    This is the guide to creating a GREAT makerspace. Written by makerspace pioneer Laura Fleming, The Kickstart Guide to Making GREAT Makerspaces is filled with step-by-step, practical ideas that demystify the process of planning and creating a makerspace. Its workbook style ensures that by the time educators are done reading, they have a ready-to-implement plan, personalized for their classroom, school, or district. Readers will find A wealth of examples of great makerspaces in action Activities and strategies for inspiring making across the curriculum Plenty of room and guidance for brainstorming and developing a personalized plan

Fired Up: Kindling and Keeping the Spark in Creative Teams


Andrew Johnston - 2017
    From what began as a conversation with a friend, and manifested itself around the fire-pit in his backyard, Dr. Johnston uses the key components of fire to help us get our teams Fired Up to be more creative. Those elements are: Oxygen Fuel, and Heat; know as the three components of the "Fire Triangle." In this book, you'll see how each connect with leadership principles to help you become a better leader, and turn that spark of creativity into a well-maintained fire.OxygenOxygen lets a fire breathe. This first section of the book helps leaders put wind in people's sails and provide the physical and conceptual space they need to create.FuelFuel feeds a fire. The second section helps leaders stoke the flames and keep their teams from burning up or burning out in the consuming process of creation.HeatHeat ignites a fire. The final section helps leaders turn possibilities into reality by turning up the heat on motivation, quality, and direction.Dr. Andrew Johnston has made a life of leading teams and developing the people in them. As Associate Provost and Dean at Belmont University and a faculty member at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee, he led institutional change and prepared tomorrow's leaders. As a sought after consultant and coach for organizations in non-profit, corporate, and educational contexts, he strengthens the leaders of today. Dr. Johnston lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, Amy.

Fundamentals of Electronic Resources Management


Alana Verminski - 2017
    

Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know about Designing Effective Learning Games


Sharon Boller - 2017
    As a trainer interested in game design, you know that games are more effective than lectures. You've seen firsthand how immersive games hold learners' interest, helping them explore new skills and experience different points of view. But how do you become the Milton Bradley of learning games? Play to Learn is here to help. This book bridges the gap between instructional design and game design; it's written to grow your game literacy and strengthen crucial game design skills. Experts Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp share real examples of in-person and online games, and offer an online game for you to try as you read. They walk you through evaluating entertainment and learning games, so you can apply the best to your own designs. Play to Learn will also show you how to: - Link game design to your business needs and learning objectives.- Test your prototype and refine your design.- Deploy your game to motivated and excited learners.- So don't just play around. Think big, design well, and use Play to Learn as your guide.

Tinyville Town: I'm a Librarian


Brian Biggs - 2017
    In I’m a Librarian, readers get to know the town librarian as he helps a little boy find a favorite book. As the search progresses, fans of the series will recognize many other residents of Tinyville Town also visiting the library.     From New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Brian Biggs, the Tinyville Town series launched in 2016 with three books: Tinyville Town Gets to Work!, a world-establishing picture book that introduces the town and its many residents, and two board books: I’m a Veterinarian and I’m a Firefighter. With a nod to the busy world of Richard Scarry and the neighborhood feel of Sesame Street, this new series is becoming a favorite among preschoolers and a staple of preschool classroom libraries. Set in a cozy community of kind, friendly people, the Tinyville Town books are ideal for story time and class discussions about occupations and community helpers.

Stories, Songs, and Stretches!: Creating Playful Storytimes with Yoga and Movement


Katie Scherrer - 2017
    The centuries-old contemplative movement practice known as yoga is more than just a passing trend; it can offer physical, emotional, and mental benefits to practitioners of all ages, including young children. And getting started with yoga storytime doesn’t require any previous yoga experience. This new book from accomplished library trainer Scherrer shows how to use yoga and movement to create playful, active storytimes. A complete guide for library staff and others serving young children, this resource draws on Scherrer’s experience as a children’s librarian and a yoga teacher, as well as research from the health and education fields, to-introduce yoga, exploring its history while dispelling myths about the practice;demonstrate how yoga and movement can support children’s early learning and social-emotional development;-explain the differences between children’s yoga classes and yoga storytimes;lay out step-by-step directions on how to design and launch a yoga storytime program, including guidance on materials selection, the logistical arrangements of physical space, props, and marketing;-provide descriptions of more than 35 basic, child-friendly yoga poses suitable for anyone to use with children;-offer 12 ready-to-use yoga storytime plans; and-include an extensive bibliography of helpful print and online resources for future program planning.Readers will find the complete guidance they need to immediately begin incorporating yoga and movement into their storytime programs.

Engaging Community Through Storytelling: Library and Community Programming


Sherry Norfolk - 2017
    Our history and culture--those of society and of individuals--are passed from generation to generation through stories. Engaging Community through Storytelling: Library and Community Programming examines a wide variety of model storytelling projects across the country, reflecting how storytelling can encourage community attachment, identity, and expression in libraries, community centers, and schools.The contributed essays--written by experts in their fields, many of whom served as developer, fundraiser, director, and implementer of their project--provide detailed information about the inner workings of a wide variety of model storytelling projects from across the country. The authors delineate the need, scope, and audience for each project and offer riveting anecdotes that evaluate the success of that project. Many of the articles are accompanied by one or more photographs documenting the work or practical how-to-do-it guides to encourage and enable replication. Thoughtful commentary on and review of the key concepts in each chapter are provided by the book's editors.

Reengineering the Library: Issues in Electronic Resources Management


George Stachokas - 2017
    

Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context


Emily J.M. Knox - 2017
    As the debate over the value and place of triggering material continues, Trigger Warnings: History, Theory, Context provides the historical context and theoretical analysis of the use of trigger and content warnings in academia. This important edited collection examines the history, theories, and ethics of trigger warnings and presents case studies from instructors and students describing instances when trigger warnings were and were not used. By exploring the issue through several scholarly lenses and providing examples of when trigger warnings may or may not be used effectively, Trigger Warnings provides rigorous analysis of the controversy-- "New England Archivists Newsletter"