Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authors you would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested in volunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes,Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

A Good Book is a Good Book is a Good Book: A Conversation with Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman began her writing career as a journalist focuing on teenage social issues. With the publication of her immensely popular If I Stay and its equally well-regarded follow-up, Where I Went, she cemented her reputation as one of the most innovative YA authors working today. She spoke to Public Libraries via e-mail February 1st.

Internet Spotlight

"Internet Spotlight" explores Internet and Web topics relevant to librarians in the public library sector. Your input is welcome.

Our Last Column, Part 2 Aloha and Greatest Hits, or How to Stretch Beyond Print

Michael: It’s fitting that our last column is also a first for us—part two of a two-part series!

David: Yep. We roll like that.

Michael: Speaking of rolling, let’s roll . . . and get on with it!

David: Right-o, my man! Last time, we were looking through some of our past columns, seeing how accurate some of our thoughts were.

Michael: We were surprisingly accurate for two dorks who like to write lines of dialogue in a library technology column!

Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authorsyou would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested in volunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes,Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

The Chance to Be Surprised: An Interview With Susan Orlean

As a staff writer for the New Yorker, Susan Orlean's witty and thoughtful essays have given readers a glimpse into lifestyles they might otherwise not have come across. Her books have tackled similarly offbeat topics: The Orchid Thief (which was later made into the movie "Adaptation") delved into the world of orchid poaching and Saturday Night studied how people throughout the country spend Saturday night.

From The President

From the President is a regularly-appearing column written by the current PLA President.

Tell Me A Story

Listen to this column as a podcast

Internet Spotlight

"Internet Spotlight" explores Internet and Web topics relevant to librarians in the public library sector. Your input is welcome.

Talking the E-Book Talk and Walking the E-Content Walk: At the 2011 ALA Annual Conference

Ah, ALA Annual Conference: the heat, the rain, the gumbo and po’boys (after all, it was in New Orleans this year), the lovely Libraryland conversations,
and camaraderie! Amid all of that, people were hungry to hear and talk about what is happening—and will be happening—with libraries and e-content access, particularly e-books.

David: So e-books are driving the conversation at this point in the profession then? That does make sense, given that “books are our brand” in the eyes of most of the public.

Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authors you would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested in volunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes, Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

Murky Moral Territory: A Conversation with Rebecca Makkai

Mostly known for her short stories, Rebecca Makkai’s first venture into the world of novels proves to be just as comical and thought-provoking as her popular stories.  The Borrower chronicles the tale of the young librarian Lucy who enters into an unconventional friendship with Ian, a young boy forced to enroll in anti-gay classes by his controlling mother.  Lucy's attempts to help Ian result in an unintentiona

From The President

A Year of Accomplishments

As my presidential term comes to a close, I’d like to share with you PLA’s many accomplishments. This year we have reexamined all of our services to align them with the new PLA strategic plan and to reflect the new economic realities. As a result, the organization is providing new training opportunities and products that are more cost-effective and responsive to memberships needs. As you know, none of this happens in a vacuum. All of these initiatives are the result of an amazing PLA staff, lead by Executive Director Barbara Macikas, and a committed board and membership.

Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books, technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authors you would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested in volunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes, Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

Without Soil, I Am Not: A Conversation With Alexandra Fuller

Alexandra Fuller moved to Rhodesia with her family when she was two, where they lived until civil war broke out in 1981. From there they moved to Malawi and later Zambia. Her first book, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, detailed her childhood in Africa and was met with considerable acclaim, including being listed as one of the New York Times' Notable Books of 2002. With Scribbling the Cat, she recounted her trip with a former soldier through the landscape of the Rhodesian War. The Legend of Colton H.

From The President

A Global Experience

Last fall, I had the honor of being asked to give a speech to the attendees of the first Turning the Page: Global Libraries Advocacy Training, a specially adapted version of the PLA training hosted by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries program. The two-and-a-half-day event took place September 22 – 24, 2010, in Brussels, Belgium.

Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authorsyou would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested involunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes, Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. HuronSt., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

Getting to What's Working: A Conversation with Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn's debut novel, the psychological thriller Sharp Objects, was hailed as "an admirably nasty piece of work, elevated by sharp writing and sharper insights" by no less a critic than Stephen King.

Internet Spotlight

"Internet Spotlight" explores Internet and Web topics relevant to librarians in the public library sector. Your input is welcome.

E-Books, E-Book Readers, and Next Steps

 Here’s a scenario that recently occurred at Topeka and Shawnee County (Kans.) Public Library (TSCPL). Topeka is currently participating in the Big Read, a grant-funded, community-wide reading program.

TSCPL picked The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett as its Big Read book. It is available in paperback and an audiobook version from Overdrive. One of TSCPL’s patrons (the general manager of a local TV station) decided to check out the audiobook version on his Mac. After an hour of frustration, he called the library for some help.

Should Public Libraries Issue BA Degree Credentials?

Public libraries are cathedrals of learning, many on par with colleges and universities. One day, like colleges and universities, some public libraries will issue bachelor of arts (BA) degree-equivalent credentials to their most loyal patrons—their earnest army of autodidacts.

The Not-So-Secret Keys to Great Customer Service

If you Google “customer service in public libraries” you’ll get more than 19 million results. WorldCat comes up with 473 hits for the same phrase. The American Library Association, Public Library Association, and state library association conferences all offer sessions on the subject. It’s one thing to say that your library will offer good customer service; it’s another to ensure that everyone associated with the library (staff, board, Friends) practices it.

From The President

A Visit to Cuba's Libraries

In May I traveled to Cuba on an educational tour comprised of teachers and librarians. We visited libraries, schools, museums, cultural art centers, and special programs offered for children. The experience was truly enlightening and I found out that despite all of the political and cultural differences, our two countries have many things in common.

From The President

From The President provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authorsyou would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested involunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes,Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. HuronSt., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

Forging Ahead

“In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.”—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)¹

WLLI: Developing Librarians

It was the spring of 2001 and I was 15 months into my job as Library Director of the Johnson County Library System in Wyoming.  I was born and raised in the small town of Buffalo--4000 people. My employment at the Johnson County Library began in 1990 as the young adult librarian, technical services librarian, circulation librarian and all-round jack-of-all-trades librarian.

Reflections on Library Leadership

When you have been out of a field for a while it's only natural to think that it might require something as drastic as boot camp to get back into the swing of things.  I had been involved in libraries since I was a teenager, working my way up to library assistant when a poor economy intervened and sent me off in another career direction. I worked as a graphic designer, art director, printer and teacher. But eventually it all came back to libraries and a secret desire  to work where I could read on the job. So I went to library school.

Library Leadership 2000: Quilting a Vision for Ohio Libraries… and Beyond!

Seventeen years ago (1993) I was one of thirty Ohio librarians selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Ohio Library Leadership 2000 (otherwise known as LL2000) Institute.  To paraphrase from the popular TV show Project Runway, this was my personal ‘chance-of-a-lifetime”.  Knowing I was interested in applying, my library director and branch manager encouraged me to apply and were supportive throughout the process.

PALS-PaLA (Pennsylvania Library Association) Academy of Leadership Studies

We are very fortunate in Pennsylvania to have a very strong library association and many, many leaders within the organization.  One of those leaders came to a realization one day.  Mary Garm (Administrator of the Lackawanna County Library System), as President of PaLA, looked around and realized that, although she was surrounded by many great leaders, all the faces looked very familiar.  She decided that the association needed to find ways to get more newer librarians involved.  She decided it was time for PaLA to have a leadership initiative that developed leaders from

Internet Spotlight

"Internet Spotlight" explores Internet and Web topics relevant to librarians in the public library sector. Your input is welcome.

Power to the People

This issue’s Internet Spotlight column is taking shape at 38,000 feet, somewhere over the middle of the United States. Flying back from the 2010 Computers in Libraries Conference, both our heads are full of fresh ideas, things to research, opinions to think about, questions that need to be answered, new friends and colleagues, and … a dead battery or two. 

Internet Spotlight

"Internet Spotlight" explores Internet and Web topics relevant to librarians in the public library sector. Your input is welcome.

Foursquare for Libraries

In this Internet Spotlight column, let’s play a game. But not just any game. What if we make it a game that’s played completely online, that you can play with friends, and gives rewards for doing well? While we’re at it, let’s make it location-based (more on that in a second). Anyone know what game we’re talking about? If you guessed Foursquare, you are correct!

What is Foursquare?

From The President

From the President is a regularly-appearing column written by the current PLA President.

Readers Are Our Best Advocates

In 2005, the Online Computer Library Center’s (OCLC) study Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources identified two critical facts about library service.¹ First, the study revealed that most people come to public libraries for print materials. Second, it found that people associate libraries, first and foremost, with books. There is no runner-up. We’re known primarily as book places and, thus, books are our brand.

Book Talk

Book Talk provides authors’ perspectives on libraries, books,technology, and information. If you have any suggestions of authorsyou would like to see featured in Book Talk, or if you are interested involunteering to be an author-interviewer, contact Kathleen Hughes,Editor of Public Libraries, at the Public Library Association, 50 E. HuronSt., Chicago, IL 60611; khughes@ala.org.

Call to Action

An Interview with Nicholas D. Kristof

New York Times journalist Nicholas D. Kristof has twice won the Pulitzer Prize: the first was shared with his wife Sheryl WuDunn for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square democracy movement, and the second was awarded for his 2006 coverage of the genocide in Darfur. For the past twenty years, he has traveled the world, and has recently focused his attention on women’s issues in developing countries. Kristof is an advocate of new media, maintaining a blog  (http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com), a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/NicholasKristof ), and Facebook and Twitter pages.