Submitted by Caitlin A. Bagley on February 15, 2013 - 1:32pm
On February 14, I talked with Jeff Sturges, Founder and Conductor of the Mt. Eliot Makerspace in Detroit, about makerspaces and libraries. Jeff and the Mt. Eliot Makerspace collaborate with the Detroit Public Library on their HYPE teen makerspace, featured in ALA TechSource’s December makerspace webinar. Here are highlights from the interview.
Caitlin Bagley: Why do you think makerspaces have suddenly become so important? Why now? Read More »
Submitted by Daniel A. Freeman on February 8, 2013 - 10:14am
UPDATE: Initially we put an incorrect link in for the recording. This has now been fixed and we apologize for the inconvenience.
The 2012 ALA TechSource Midwinter Tech Wrap-up was a huge success. We had great presentations from our panel, and great participation from our audience.
If you missed the event, or want to experience it again, you can view the video archive of the event here. Read More »
Submitted by Daniel A. Freeman on February 4, 2013 - 3:24pm
Please join us this Friday for the ALA 2013 Midwinter Tech Wrapup--a look back at the 2013 ALA Midwinter meeting from a library technology perspective. Our panel of experts will analyze and discuss what they learned and what trends stood out at the conference. Whether or not you were at Midwinter, join us for this webinar that will offer an excellent summary and enlightening discussion of the featured technology and trends.
Don't miss this free 60-minute event with: Read More »
Submitted by Kate Sheehan on February 1, 2013 - 11:26am
Every teacher I know dreads being asked “When are we going to use this in real life?” The question is frustrating because the answer is often “Well, you might not, but I have no way of knowing, and yes, this will be on the test, and spelling most certainly counts.” We may never use algebra proper after high school (unless you count those Facebook memes that assume we’ve forgotten PEMDAS), but I think an argument can be made that we use algebraic thinking regularly. For librarians, there’s an obvious utility of being able to talk about books (and by extension, movies, and television shows), but surely those English class discussions help even those who would never join a book club as adults. The high school class I’ve been revisiting frequently is one where nobody asked how we’d use it in real life: a logic class I took junior year. Read More »
Submitted by Patrick Hogan on January 31, 2013 - 1:50pm
On Thursday, February 7, 2013, Beth Tumbleson and John Burke will present the ALA TechSource workshop Embedding Librarianship in Learning Management Systems. Their book on the topic is schedule for publication in May. The prospect of rolling out a new program dependent on faculty buy-in might seem daunting. Like many new projects, running a pilot makes sense. To get started, you only need one or two faculty with whom you have a good working relationship. Below is a how-to excerpt from the forthcoming book. Read it, share it, and join us on Thursday for the workshop. Read More »
Submitted by Mary Minow on January 30, 2013 - 11:22am
Mary Minow is a lawyer and librarian. She will present the workshop Copyright, Licensing, and the Law of E-Books on February 6, 2013.
A controversial e-book bill in Connecticut proposes that publishers of electronic books be required to offer such books for sale to public and academic libraries at the same rates as offered to the general public.
I give a hearty congratulations to the visionaries in Connecticut to take this issue head on, whether or not a legislative solution is feasible. The bill shines a badly needed light on the problem that librarians know about, but that the public, by and large, does not: e-book publishers are not making their wares available to library users on fair terms, if at all.
Yet the irony here is in the bill’s use of the words “for sale” rather than “for license” to libraries. Read More »
Submitted by Patrick Hogan on January 24, 2013 - 6:02pm
Earlier this month, a good old fashioned blogosphere discussion broke out, complete with active comment logs and trackbacks.
Hugh Rundle started the conversation with “Mission creep -- a 3D printer will not save your library.” He argues public libraries lack a business case for 3D printing. Rather, technolust and fear of missing out are instead the drivers. “Yes, libraries provide access to information sources and creation tools that can be expensive to individuals, but that doesn’t mean that loaning or providing access to things that are expensive is what libraries are for,” Hugh writes. He highlights a number of projects and opportunities for libraries to support and curate patrons creative efforts in more appropriate ways. Read More »
Submitted by Daniel A. Freeman on January 7, 2013 - 10:39am
We just wrapped up the final part of our new webinar series Makerspaces: A New Wave of Library Service. Today, we heard from Corey Wittig, LeeAnn Anna and Emily Fear from the Carnegie Public Library in Pittsburgh, who gave us a fantastic presentation. If you didn't have a chance to attend in person, the archive is at: https://alapublishing.webex.com/alapublishing/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=6222412&rKey=0950be42f1d57e55 .
The slides and biblipgraphy are posted below!
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