In the journal "The Chronicle of Higher Education," an article by Geoffrey Nunberg criticizes Google's Book Search (GBS), emphasizing that disturbing errors are endemic. He recognizes that for mainstream "googling" purposes, "they don't really care about metadata provided by a library catalog." In perhaps his most discouraging point, linguistics…

As the first wave of baby boomers hit their "golden years," there is a growing demand for housing that meets their changing physical needs. The older and disabled population face a lot of physical challenges in a traditional home. Before homeowners can modify their houses, they must first understand the key design terminology involved.…

This article reports on "LJ"'s annual book-buying survey of public libraries in which circulation took the biggest leap recorded since the survey was launched in 1999. This year's whopping 5.16 percent increase overall suggests just how many people are saving pennies by borrowing materials instead of buying them. In fact, libraries are being…

Hard times bring out the ambiguity in politics. Except for fiscal extremists, most politicians in North America want to support their libraries. When "Library Journal" ("LJ") planned to name the heroes and villains in the politics of library funding, they rediscovered that politics just is not that simple, and that it may be a…

Deciding whether to go with a particular open source product is an exercise in risk management: understanding the risks of one's possible actions and choices, calculating when a certain level of risk is appropriate to reach a desired outcome, and planning for how to handle negative outcomes. To be sure, opting to go with a particular proprietary…

Ten years ago, stories like "B&N: The New College Library" (LJ 2/1/98) and "What If You Ran Your Library Like a Bookstore?" (American Libraries, 3/98) kicked up a controversy about the viability of libraries. Ironically, these days it's the book business that has an aura of crisis and gloom, while visits to libraries are surging. Over two billion…

Discusses six theories or explanations for the remarkable persistence of criticism of library schools: conservatism, backgrounds of library school deans and directors, library educators, importance of socialization in professional education, the library student personality, and attitudes toward librarianship. An anthology of 97 years of criticism…

No one likes being two steps behind, and the fastest way to fall off the pace is by not keeping up with major titles and hot authors. Fortunately, there are numerous resources, both prepublication and postpublication, that can help. It is best when readers' advisory (RA) librarians know what is coming out months ahead of time--in order to think…

In this article, the author talks about The Trove, a children's space--library doesn't quite cut it--located in the White Plains Public Library, New York. Sandra Miranda, the library's director, came up with the idea for The Trove, although it took the work of many--from her staff to the architects to theatrical designers and fabrications--to…

When discussing NextGen concerns, common problems are faced in talking about any difference. These include the perception that pointing out differences is exclusionary; the misunderstanding that talking about the issues facing NextGen's means those issues are exclusive to that group; and the problem that people's interaction with individuals tends…

Explores the meanings that have been attached to the term "archival" and concludes that librarians participating in the national preservation effort use this term to mean permanent. Permanence is practically defined as storage for upwards of 100 years. Given this definition, the merits of microforms and optical disks as archival storage materials…

Kansas librarians were delighted when Cindi Hickey came into their lives. Kansas is a really big state, sprawling over 82,000 square miles. For its small-town librarians, many of whom are without an MLS, professional development opportunities required hours spent driving--as well as hard-to-come-by travel money for overnight lodging. Hickey,…

Jackie Cornette is manager of the Western Branch of the Watauga County Library (WCL) in North Carolina. WCL is one of three county library systems that comprise the Appalachian Regional Library (ARL), headquartered in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. According to Louise Humphrey, ARL director, Cornette has been a shining star in ARL since 1988.…

This article focuses on nonfiction titles appropriate for mid-sized public libraries, with a special emphasis on bisexuality, transgender identities, race, disability, class, age, and other issues often marginalized in both mainstream and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) culture in America. Some colleagues, at San Francisco Public…

Start-up Colorado publisher Capital Crime Press found rousing success in 2006. According to senior editor Alex Cole, in their first year of business, they had six new authors making a splash. Robert Fate's "Baby Shark", a gritty noir crime novel set in 1950s Texas that is a finalist for "Foreword" magazine's 2006 Book of the Year, got the biggest…