The Digital Shift Experience

 

 I attended an online conference on Wednesday hosted by Library Journal and School Library Journal.  The Digital Shift: Reinventing Libraries.  It was great!  Perhaps a slight misnomer, though 'cause no one was talking about reinventing the library, just helping it continue its evolution.

The keynote panel spoke about the changes they envision libraries and librarians need to make to stay viable.  They talked about makerspaces, production, learning and creation.  They suggested that libraries become platforms for life-long learning.  Places where patrons of all ages and stations in life can come to learn and connect.

In a discussion of critical skills librarians should be learning the panel suggested: problem solving, critical thinking, a willingness to fail, organizational and creative thinking, leadership, relationship building, grit, perseverance, flexibility, and a deep knowledge of how people learn.  There was a lot of emphasis on the role of librarians as educators and teachers.

Other presentations I attended included makerspaces, testing & workforce development (badging), and connected learning.

I came away with lots of ideas and plenty of handouts and brochures from vendors to browse through.  All in all a great experience.

Library Service Win

We really didn't do anything special.  It was just the Adult Services staff doing what we always do.  But we made a difference...
Last Tuesday an older woman came to the desk asking to use a public access computer.  She was shaking like a leaf.  And she told us her story. 

The night before she'd gotten a phone call from someone claiming to warn her that her PC was in danger of crashing.  When she went to her PC her cursor was moving seemingly by itself.  The man on the phone said he could "fix" the problems with her computer, but she'd have to pay him.  She pulled the plugs on her computer, hung up the phone, and called the police!! 

And now she was in the library hoping to access her email and online accounts to make sure everything was okay.  She asked if we could recommend someone to help her with her computer, so we gave her the number for the local Geek Squad.  We also recommend Norton Anti-Virus.  Then I logged her onto a computer.  And when she was too nervous to log into her email account, I helped her get there, too.  When she opened her email and everything was still there, I could see her visibly relax.  Later one of my co-workers helped her with something else, and then I was with her again helping her print some documents. Every time we worked with her she told us her story again.

So that's it.  We did our jobs and we listened.

Yesterday, when I got to work there was a gift bag addressed to me on the counter.  It was from our patron.  A thank you note to me and the rest of the staff (my name was the only one she remembered) and a delicious box of cookies, to let us know she appreciated our efforts.

What a great feeling. 

Book Review Friday: Why Read Moby Dick?

 

In Why Read Moby-Dick?, celebrated author Nathaniel Philbrick shares his thoughts on why we should read Moby Dick.  In a rich and compelling narrative, Philbrick provides insights and analysis on why Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is still a classic worth reading.  He confesses that he has read the book many times, studies the life of the author, and followed many of the same research paths.  Philbrick deftly puts forth the argument that despite it's age and length, Moby-Dick has much to offer to modern readers.
He urges readers to at least read a  passage or two and then offers a wealth of quotations and explanations that help make Melville's story of the white whale come to life.  This is a great little book and a quick, fascinating read.  Philbrick's knowledge of and passion for the novel are evident on every page.  If you remain unconvinced and choose not to delve into Moby-Dick you will still gain a wealth of knowledge about Melville's classic from Why Read Moby-Dick?  If, on the other hand, you choose to take the plunge,you won't regret taking Philbrick as your guide.  Anyone for Moby-Dick?


Other books by Nathaniel Philbrick:

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Sea of Glory: America's voyage of Discovery, The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of Little Bighorn
Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution

Children's Books by Nathaniel Philbrick:

Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex 
The Mayflower and the Pilgrim's New World

Reader's Advisory Win!!

Last week a woman came up to the Adult Services Desk with her young daughter in tow.  The daughter had an armful of books from the Children's Department.  The mother told me that she wanted a book to read so could set a good example to her daughter by reading along with her.
     "But," she said. "I don't read, I just watch movies."
So there went 90% of the standard RA interview.  She doesn't read, she doesn't have a  favorite book, nothing she's hated, doesn't know what kind of  genre she might like.  So I asked her what movies she's liked recently.
    "Harry Potter and Twilight"
Did she want to read the books?
    "Well the story's pretty much the same isn't it?"
So I recruited my co-workers at the desk for some ideas and plunged into the stacks.  What might be a good fit?  Something magical? paranormal? romantic? historical?  character driven? Nothing to heavy or dark.  I thought perhaps something on which a movie might be based. AND, of course, something on the shelf right now that I can put in her hands and that I know enough about to explain and sell.
   Eegad!!!
I gave her The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (my co-worker's suggestion), we looked for a Neil Gaiman, but he wasn't on the shelf.  She seemed pleased and hopeful that she would like the books and off she went.

Yesterday, I was home and got an e-mail from my co-worker, the woman had come back.  She LOVED The White Queen and finished it in three days.  Huzzah!!!  A reader is born.

In the immortal words of Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Book Review Friday: Firelight

Firelight, first in the Darkest London Series by Kristen Callihan, is a paranormal historical romance set in 1881 Victorian London.  The story has a convoluted plot replete with mystery, magic, demons, and street thugs.  Main character, Miranda Ellis is no shrinking violet, instead she is a strong-willed and capable, though flawed, young woman.  Likewise, her love interest, Benjamin Archer, has depth as well as brains, brawn, and dashing good looks.  The sexual and emotional tension between the characters grows with each plot twist.  Building to an ending that stands other Cinderella stories on their ear. 

A good book to recommend to paranormal romance lovers.

 ... note while demons figured strongly in this novel, there are werewolf sightings in the sequels, which focus on Miranda's equally remarkable sisters. 

Sensuality rating: Steamy

Also in this series:

Moonglow
Winterblaze
Shadowdance

Academic Librarian Bans Book!!

This was great!
Check out this post from the blog at College and Research Library News.  Author Scott R. DiMarco tells the story of "Why I Banned a Book."  I shan't say anymore 'cause I'm sure you hate spoilers as much as I do. 

Banned books?

I have thought, of late, that the librarians' annual nod to banned books and the evils of censorship gets us nowhere.  Who really pays attention when we celebrate Banned Books Week?  Does anyone notice?  When was the last time a book was truly banned in the United States?  Possibly1921 when James Joyces' Ulysses was put on trial and banned for being obscene.
We librarians ban books from our libraries every day.  We call it selection, deselection, weeding, and collection development.  But the book isn't banned is it?  Community members still have access.  The publisher is still publishing, Amazon is still selling, even the library in the next township may have a copy of the offending item on its shelves. 
The banned and challenged debate comes in to play when a community member questions our professional opinion over what we choose to include or exclude from our collection.  Often the community member is acting from a narrowly proscribed viewpoint that doesn't reflect the community at large.  We did not pull Harry Potter from our shelves, The Higher Power of Lucky can still be found, even 50 Shades of Grey found a home at the library.  Frankly, the debate where I work was that some of the librarians didn't want to give 50 Shades shelf space, while we had over 100 patron placed holds from our library patrons in the county-wide catalog.
In reality, only a country can ban a book and attempt to prevent it from circulating among its citizens.  In the Information Age this is becoming an Herculean task.  The real debate for librarians today is access.  Our community members demand access to the items that they want to read.  Thus we have ongoing conversations with publishers over equitable access to electronic books for our patrons.  We use our skill and experience to use library funds wisely as we select materials to stock our shelves.  And we occasionally purchase a book with lousy reviews because patron demand requires it.