Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Reference Sources and Services for Youth (book)

Harper, M. (2011). Reference Sources and Services for Youth. New York: Neal-Schuman.

With so much content available, the challenge for K-12 library media specialists, teachers, and youth services librarians alike is how and where to direct students so they spend time on productive research rather than aimless Internet searches. This user-friendly book will help you teach and support students as they learn to access, evaluate and use print and electronic information successfully.

For library professionals, there are skill-based exercises and case study scenarios in each chapter. These tools will sharpen your professional reference skills and your insights into reference collection management specifically for the school and young adult library setting.

For paraprofessionals, aides, and non-degreed staff working in children s and young adult services, this book provides valuable professional development support. College and graduate-level Library Science faculty will find multiple applications for this information, as both a core and supplemental course resource.

(book description)

Using Qualitative Methods in Action Research: How Librarians Can Get to the Why of Data



Cook, Douglas, and Farmer, Lesley, eds. Using Qualitative Methods in Action Research: How Librarians Can Get to the Why of Data. Chicago: ACRL, 2011 025.5877 Using. ISBN 978-0-8389-8576-2.


While quantitative research provides librarians with calculations and metrics of effectiveness, qualitative research, in its exploration of assumptions, value, and opinion, makes possible a deeper understanding of the subtleties of user interaction with library services and collections. This volume explains the basic tenets of qualitative research in an easily understandable fashion, and details action research projects that academic librarians can undertake with their patrons.Part 1 provides a theoretical and practical overview of the process of qualitative and action research. Part 2 includes reports of a number of research projects on fairly common problems found in libraries. The final section of the book includes examples of qualitative research and assessment focused on such topics of the day as information literacy.

Meeting, and Exceeding Expectations: A Guide to Successful Nonprofit Board Meetings. 2nd ed.



Flynn, Outi. Meeting, and Exceeding Expectations: A Guide to Successful Nonprofit Board Meetings. 2nd ed. Washington D.C. : BoardSource, 2009. 658.456 Flynn ISBN 978-1586861155


Are your board meetings inspiring, productive, and efficient? Or are your board meetings tedious, unproductive, and dominated by one or two people? Do they leave board members wondering why they volunteered in the first place? In Meeting, and Exceeding Expectations, you’ll find ready-to-use information that will help your board members provide the valuable input that will propel your organization to greatness. This must-have resource poses critical questions, provides easy-to-implement answers, suggests tools, and clarifies legal and ethical expectations. It also shows you how to insert some fun into your meetings.

Practical Pedagogy for Library Instructors: 17 Innovative Strategies to Improve Student Learning

Sittler, Ryan L. and Cook, Douglas, eds. Practical Pedagogy for Library Instructors: 17 Innovative Strategies to Improve Student Learning. Chicago: ACRL, 2008 025.5677 Pract ISBN 978-0-8389-8458-1


Practical Pedagogy for Library Instructors: 17 Innovative Strategies to Improve Student Learning (Doug L. Cook and Ryan L. Sittler, eds) gathers seventeen case-studies using unique instructional methodologies framed by sound pedagogical theory. As the mission of academic libraries has moved away from maintaining collections toward educating users in research methodologies, a need for new approaches to teaching are required. Many librarians come from disciplines other than education and therefore need to upgrade their skills in the area of instruction. This practical casebook is of great advantage to librarians who have had little formal training in education. Cases included cover the broad spectrum of education from behavioral to cognitive to constructivist. Each chapter is grounded in the educational and library literature and explores the potential of using pedagogical approaches which closely match instructional aims.

Robert's Rules of Order in Brief: The Simple Outline of the Rules Most Often Needed at a Meeting, According to the Standard Authoritative Parliamentar




Robert III, Henry M., and William J. Evans
Daniel H. Honemann, Thomas J. Balch. Robert's Rules of Order in Brief: The Simple Outline of the Rules Most Often Needed at a Meeting, According to the Standard Authoritative Parliamentary Manual, Revised Edition. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press, 2004 060.42 Rober, 2004 ed., ISBN 978-0-306-81354-2



Going to a meeting? Want to know how to take part? Learn quickly and easily! This short, simple book includes: Sample dialogues to get you confidently through motions, nominations, elections, votes, debates, amendments, and more Invaluable tips for keeping meetings orderly and on track A chapter answering the most frequently asked questions Not sure what to do at a meeting? Handy tables at the back of the book tell you just what to say Appointed to a committee? Elected an officer or board member? Chosen as a convention delegate? Chapters on each clearly explain your duties

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Cataloging: New Perspectives

“Cataloging: New Perspectives.” Library Futures- Staying Ahead of the Curve. College of DuPage. DVD of webinar aired April 8, 2011. 025.3 Catal2 1 hr. 30 min. run time

The cataloging rules "Resource Description and Access" (RDA) have the potential to transform the ways libraries create, use and share their data. Based on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), RDA moves away from the "unit card" or document approach to catalog entries, and toward an entity-relationship model. Over the past year some cataloging departments have been testing RDA as a set of rules for creating library data. At the same time, technical developers have been experimenting with RDA as data, and in particular as linkable data for the Semantic Web. The speakers will cover these parallel developments, and talk about some possible future directions.

Monday, May 9, 2011

ALA Guide to Economics & Business Reference



American Library Association. ALA Guide to Economics & Business Reference. Chicago: ALA, 2011. 016.33 ALA ISBN: 978-0-8389-1024-5


Focusing on print and electronic sources that are key to economics and business reference, this title provides the readers with the information on business law, electronic commerce, international business, management of information systems, market research, and more.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011






Geek the Library: A Community Awareness Campaign. Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2011. 021.7 Geek. ISBN 978-1-55653-393-8



Geek the Library, a community awareness campaign designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries and raise awareness about the critical funding issues many libraries face, was developed based on the research findings included in From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America. This study, published by OCLC in 2008, found that increasing funding support for public libraries requires changing community perceptions. This new report documents the results of the Geek the Library pilot campaign conducted in partnership with nearly 100 public libraries in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. The results are optimistic.
The report suggests that Geek the Library can change perceptions about libraries, librarians and public library funding, and that implementation of the campaign can positively impact public library funding trends. Findings include:
· Geek the Library gets people's attention. In just five months, more than half of surveyed residents were familiar with the campaign.
· Geek the Library raises awareness. Perceptions and attitudes around the library's importance and value in the community improved in southern Georgia, and more people said they were willing to fund the library.
· Geek the Library encourages action. Over two-thirds of surveyed residents in both southern Georgia and central Iowa had planned or had taken an action as a result of the campaign, including talking to friends and family about the library or attending a library event.
The report contains details from qualitative and quantitative research, as well as interesting insights based on the experiences of participating libraries.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Reading With The Stars: A Celebration of Books and Libraries



Kniffel, Leonard. Reading With The Stars: A Celebration of Books and Libraries. Chicago: ALA, 2011. 027 Kniff

ISBN 978-0-8389-3598-9



American Libraries editor in chief Leonard Kniffel offers a compelling collection of interviews with prominent figures--all of whom have special connections to libraries. From President Barack Obama to actress Julie Andrews; from basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to former First Lady and librarian Laura Bush and many others, stars of literature, politics, entertainment, and the public arena speak with Kniffel about the ways libraries have been critical in their lives. Other highlights of this delightful volume
· TV icon Oprah Winfrey talks about library books as "her pass to personal freedom"
· Hard-boiled wordsmith David Mamet claims the public library as his "alma mater"
· Software mogul Bill Gates discusses his groundbreaking library computerization project and why he feels libraries are an important focus of his investment
· Former Vice President Al Gore addresses the "information ecosystem," including how libraries contribute to the informed citizenry that's required to manage today's challenges
With plenty to engage library advocates as well as casual readers, Reading with the Stars offers proof positive that libraries and librarians continue to perform vital services and hold a place of honor.