Category Archives: Libraries

Libraries and the new marketplace

Posted on August 26, 2018 by

One of my favorite movies of all time is Dinner at Eight, released in 1933. [If you haven’t seen it you absolutely should—the actors make it great, among them Billie Burke, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, two Barrymores—John and Lionel—and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Libraries, Library technology - History | Leave a comment

Why I became a librarian

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

This past weekend there were a couple of interesting online discussions. One concerned a person who attended an elite college and why they would waste their expensive education to become a librarian. The other concerned a Forbes article by an … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberal arts, Libraries | Leave a comment

Library Confidential

Posted on November 7, 2017 by

From Alaska Statutes: AS 40.25.140. Confidentiality of Library Records. (a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, the names, addresses, or other personal identifying information of people who have used materials made available to the public by a library … Continue reading →

Posted in #NaNoWriMo, Libraries | Leave a comment

Strategic plan update

Posted on November 6, 2017 by

The Ketchikan Public Library is preparing a five year strategic plan, with input from staff, patrons, the Library Advisory Board, Friends of the Ketchikan Public Library, University of Alaska-Southeast-Ketchikan, and City and Borough officials.  The purpose of the plan is … Continue reading →

Posted in #NaNoWriMo, Ketchikan, Libraries | Leave a comment

DirLead, day 2

Posted on October 5, 2017 by

DirLead is a group of directors of the twenty largest public libraries in Alaska. There is a DirLead listserv to exchange information and ask/give advice among members, a meeting at the annual Alaska Library Association (AkLA) Conference in late winter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, DirLead, Libraries | Leave a comment

In my (under) estimation …

Posted on September 23, 2015 by

I was worried, and the closer we got to the date, the more worried I became. Back in May Eiko Otake, a dancer and choreographer teaching at Wesleyan University, offered to perform at Russell Library one of a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in Libraries, Public libraries and the arts, Wesleyan University | 2 Comments

When is a crisis not a crisis?

Posted on May 10, 2015 by

For a recent job interview, I was asked to talk about the ‘crisis in the humanities’ and what libraries can do to take advantage of the opportunities created by new technologies. I initially stopped at the phrase ‘crisis in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis in the humanities, Liberal arts, Libraries | Leave a comment