post

Mothers love libraries

Posted on March 31, 2014 · Leave a Comment

OpenClips / Pixabay

Pew reports: “Mothers are more likely than fathers to read to their children every day (55% vs. 45%). Mothers are also more likely than fathers to have a library card and to have visited a library in the past year.”

From the full report: “The ties between parents and libraries start with the importance parents attach to the role of reading in their children’s lives. Half of parents of children under age 12 (50%) read to their child every day and an additional 26% do so a few times a week. Those with children under age 6 are especially keen on daily reading with their child: 58% of these parents read with their child every day and another 26% read multiple times a week with their children.”

* * *

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web, Resources & Tips · Tagged:
post

Americans appreciate libraries

Posted on March 24, 2014 · 1 Comment

WokinghamLibraries / Pixabay

Pew reports: “Americans appreciate libraries, especially for the role they play in communities. 90% of Americans say the closing of their local public library would impact their community and 67% said it would affect them and their families.”

From the full report: “the vast majority of Americans ages 16 and older say that public libraries play an important role in their communities.”

* * *

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web, Resources & Tips · Tagged:
post

50% of adults own a tablet computer or ereader

Posted on March 17, 2014 · 1 Comment

Pew reports: “The rise of e-book reading is tied to the steady increase in ownership of tablet computers and e-readers. 50% of adults now own either a tablet computer or an e- reader. Ownership of both devices jumped this year during the holiday gift-giving season. But people also read e-books on their cell phones (32% of e-book readers did that in the past 12 months) and on desktop or laptop computers (29% of e-book readers did that in the past 12 months).”

From the full report: “Three in ten adults read an e-book last year; half own a tablet or e-reader.”

* * *

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web, Resources & Tips · Tagged: ,
post

IMLS Announces 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Finalists

Posted on March 12, 2014 · 1 Comment

From IMLS:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced 30 finalists for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal, the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, is celebrating its 20th year of saluting institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

[snip]

IMLS is encouraging those who have visited finalist libraries and museums to share their story on the IMLS Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USIMLS. Visit the IMLS Facebook page to learn more about how these institutions make an impact. Ten National Medal winners will be announced this spring and will participate in the National Medal ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The 2014 finalists of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

Libraries

  • Pima County Public Library (Tucson, Ariz.)
  • Los Angeles Public Library (Los Angeles, Calif.)
  • Sacramento Public Library (Sacramento, Calif.)
  • Hartford Public Library (Hartford, Conn.)
  • Otis Library (Norwich, Conn.)
  • Athens-Clarke County Library (Athens, Ga.)
  • Chicago Public Library (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Booth Library (Eastern Illinois University) (Charleston, Ill.)
  • Cecil County Public Library (Elkton, Md.)
  • Yiddish Book Center (Amherst, Mass.)
  • Mid-Continent Public Library (Independence, Mo.)
  • Las Vegas-Clark County Library District (Las Vegas, Nev.)
  • Octavia Fellin Public Library (Gallup, N.M.)
  • Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library (New York, N.Y.)
  • Bertha Voyer Memorial Library (Honey Grove, Texas)

Museums

  • The Children’s Museum at La Habra (La Habra, Calif.)
  • Mattatuck Museum (Waterbury, Conn.)
  • Mystic Aquarium (Mystic, Conn.)
  • National Veterans Art Museum (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (Chicago, Ill.)
  • The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh, N.C.)
  • Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (Norman, Okla.)
  • Carnegie Science Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • Amazement Square (Lynchburg, Va.)
  • Children’s Museum of Tacoma (Tacoma, Wash.)
  • Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (Seattle, Wash.)

[snip]

More info on IMLS.gov.

Filed Under: Awards & Grants, In the News & On the Web · Tagged: ,
post

69% read printed books

Posted on March 10, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Pew reports: “E-book reading is growing, but printed books still dominate the reading world. 28% of American adults ages 18 and older read an e-book in the past year, up from 17% in 2011. Still, 69% read a printed book, about the same as last year. Only 4% of readers are “e-book only” readers. The vast majority of e-book readers also read a printed book.”

However, it’s important to note that “print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits.”

* * *

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web · Tagged: , , ,
post

Judy Blume named Honorary Chair, National Library Week 2014

Posted on March 7, 2014 · 1 Comment

Via ALA News:

2013.12 ala_newsJudy Blume has been named the 2014 Honorary Chair of National Library Week (April 13-19, 2014).

This year, National Library Week will be celebrated with the theme Lives change @ your library.

As Honorary Chair, Blume will appear in print public service announcements (PSAs) promoting National Library Week. The PSAs, developed by the American Library Association’s Campaign for America’s Libraries, will be placed in magazines and online throughout the spring. ALA will also offer free customization of the PSAs for libraries. Visit ala.org/NLW to learn more.

Source: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/judy-blume-named-honorary-chair-national-library-week-2014

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web · Tagged:
post

Yale University Library lends Google Glasses

Posted on March 5, 2014 · Leave a Comment

2014.02 google-256-blackVia Yale University Library News:

In cooperation with the Instructional Technology Group (ITG) and the Student Technology Collaborative (STC), the Yale University Library has added the futuristic eyewear, Google Glass—unofficially dubbed “Yale Bass Glass” – to its collection of media devices at the Bass Library. The device will be loaned to faculty and student groups during the spring semester who can use it to explore the potential of Google Glass in enhancing classroom instruction and the research experience.

What a great idea!

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web · Tagged:
post

YALSA partners with Best Buy for Teen Tech Week

Posted on February 28, 2014 · Leave a Comment

2013.12 ala_newsFrom ALAnews:

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced a partnership with Best Buy to support YALSA’s annual celebration of digital literacy and technology via the library, Teen Tech Week™.

[snip]

Teen Tech Week (TTW) is March 9-15, 2014, with a theme of DIY @ your library, and is a chance to demonstrate the value libraries give to the community. Participating libraries use the week to raise awareness about how they create a space to extend teens’ learning beyond the classroom where they can explore, create and share content. From maker spaces, to coding classes to online clubs, libraries can leverage the DIY (Do It Yourself) theme to show how libraries provide meaningful contributions to the educational and social development of the teens in their community. To learn more or to sign up for the online community, please visit www.ala.org/teentechweek.[snip]

SOURCE: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/yalsa-partners-best-buy-teen-tech-week-2014

Filed Under: General, In the News & On the Web, Resources & Tips · Tagged: ,
post

Four libraries honored for offering cutting-edge services

Posted on February 21, 2014 · 1 Comment

Via ALA News:

2013.12 ala_newsToday, the American Library Association (ALA) recognized four libraries for offering cutting-edge technologies in library services, honoring programs in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Bridgewater, New Jersey; Raleigh, North Carolina; and University Park, Pennsylvania.

The recognition, which is presented by the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy and the Library & Information Technology Association (LITA), showcases libraries that are serving their communities using novel and innovative methods. Libraries or library service areas selected will be highlighted through various ALA publications and featured in a program at the ALA Annual Conference 2014 in Las Vegas, June 26-July 1, 2014.

Source: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/02/four-local-libraries-honored-offering-cutting-edge-services

Filed Under: Awards & Grants, General, In the News & On the Web · Tagged:
post

Lemony Snicket Prize for Librarians Faced with Adversity

Posted on February 19, 2014 · 1 Comment

Via ALAnews:

The American Library Association (ALA) Council, at a Tuesday session during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, approved the new Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity.

The award, which ALA intends to present at its Annual Conference in Las Vegas, recognizes a librarian who “has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact.” It will be given annually to a deserving librarian. If a suitable candidate is not found, the award will not be presented that year.

The $3,000 prize will be given from Snicket’s “disreputable gains, along with an odd, symbolic object from his private stash, as well as a certificate, which may or may not be suitable for framing.”

[snip]

The nominee must be a librarian. The deadline for candidates to be nominated for the first year is May 1. In subsequent years, the deadline will be Dec. 1.

More info: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2014/01/ala-council-approves-new-lemony-snicket-prize-noble-librarians-faced.

Filed Under: Awards & Grants, General, In the News & On the Web · Tagged:
%d bloggers like this: