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Category Archives: Libraries & Advocacy

The institution (“Brick & Mortar” as well as”Click & Mortar”), the practitioners (i.e. “Librarians”) and the profession of Library & Information Science (the commitment to the organization and retrieval of information, including the responsible safeguard of materials as well as the fair dissemination of it)

Top Five Skills Required For Librarians Today & Tomorrow

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Because today’s librarians must be experts in dealing with both physical and digital information, we have identified the Top 5 skills every librarian must have, or develop, in order to succeed now and into the future. I will touch on all five today and explore them individually in the weeks to come.

1. Information Curation

Since the primary role of any type of library is information curation, the need for that skill set will never go away. However it will evolve as volume and variety of information expands. As content creation becomes available to all, information curation becomes a more critical skill. Librarians are becoming increasingly vital in the process of evaluating and editing what is most valuable, as well as categorizing and classifying it for easy retrieval and use.

2. In-Depth, High Value Research

The digital information environment operates mostly on a ‘Find It Yourself’ paradigm, a model that has threatened the very existence of librarians. Yet finding what they need and want can be a significant challenge for consumers and users of information. Most people lack good research skills and all of us are dealing with a velocity and volume of information that is difficult to manage. As the proverbial haystack gets bigger, finding the needle gets tougher, making librarians a valuable go-to resource. Read more…

On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack dissenting voices must be protected

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Reaffirming our commitment to protecting free expression

On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, PEN International has issued a statement aimed at encouraging governments to protect critical voices and freedom of expression.

IFLA and dozens of other free-speech organisations, institutes, and associations have added their signature to the statement in support of the crucial principles outlined and addressed.

The statement calls on all Governments to:

  • Uphold their international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and information for all, and especially for journalists, writers, artists and human rights defenders to publish, write and speak freely;
  • Promote a safe and enabling environment for those who exercise their right to freedom of expression, and ensure that journalists, artists and human rights defenders may perform their work without interference;
  • Combat impunity for threats and violations aimed at journalists and others exercising their right to freedom of expression, and ensure impartial, timely and thorough investigations that bring the executors and masterminds behind such crimes to justice. Also ensure victims and their families have expedient access to appropriate remedies;
  • Repeal legislation which restricts the right to legitimate freedom of expression, especially vague and overbroad national security, sedition, obscenity, blasphemy and criminal defamation laws, and other legislation used to imprison, harass and silence critical voices, including on social media and online;
  • Ensure that respect for human rights is at the heart of communication surveillance policy. Laws and legal standards governing communication surveillance must therefore be updated, strengthened and brought under legislative and judicial control. Any interference can only be justified if it is clearly defined by law, pursues a legitimate aim and is strictly necessary to the aim pursued.

Read the full statement: English | français

WHYY Public Media The future of libraries and why they still matter

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With the rise of e-Books, Wikipedia, Google, and Smartphones, the way we access and consume information has changed dramatically. It used to be that we visited the local library to borrow a book, research a topic and read back issues of our favorite periodicals. In his new book, BiblioTECH: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google, John Palfrey argues that libraries still fill an important role in the community and are crucial in a democratic society. Libraries provide valuable public spaces where people of all ages can learn and exchange ideas, he says. In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll talk about the future of libraries and how they have adapted in the digital age with JOHN PALFREY who is Head of School at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, and SIOBHAN REARDON, president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

WHYYRadio TimesMarty Moss-Coane

Yes, Chief Justice Roberts, a prison library can be a ‘very good library

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Chief Justice John Roberts in Washington in 2013. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

By Valerie Schultz December 17

Valerie Schultz works as a library technical assistant for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

 

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., I’m surprised at you. Didn’t your mother raise you better than to insult whole groups of people?

For those who are wondering, I’m talking about a remark the chief justice made last month during oral arguments in Bruce v. Samuels, a dispute about federal prisoners paying legal fees. Here I quote from Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog: When reminded that prisons maintain libraries, “Roberts then shot back, presumably sarcastically, ‘I’m sure they are very good libraries, too.’ ”

I run a library at a state prison for men in California, and I can attest that it is indeed a “very good library.” My library is tasked with assuring that inmates have access to the courts because, although they are convicted criminals, they retain certain civil and human rights. We provide them with access to legal forms, typewriters, law books and computers that can be used to research case law and the myriad rules of the courts, as well as a daily legal newspaper. We make available typing paper, numbered pleading paper and envelopes for filing court documents. We make the required number of copies of outgoing legal work. We weigh documents to determine the number of stamps needed for mailing. In short, we have everything that an inmate acting as his own lawyer needs to bring his concern to the attention of the appropriate court.  Read article

 

The Art of The Brag: 7 Effective Ways to Toot Your Own HornBy Mim Nelson-Gillett

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mim-headshotDo you get tongue-tied when asked about your strengths on a job interview? Are people often surprised by your skills? Would you rather eat glass than risk sounding like a braggart? If so, keep reading!

Tooting your own horn (gracefully) is a vital business competency. This age of hyper-communication does not reward obscurity. Nevertheless, most of us still don’t know half of the best things about the people around us. That’s kind of sad, isn’t it?

No one knows exactly what you can do faster, more resourcefully, more precisely, or with as few end-user problems, as you do. If your boss (or prospective boss), your clients, or your customers don’t know what you’re capable of, they may find someone else to do it. You would tell them about an issue that put them at a disadvantage, wouldn’t you? Well, they have just as much of a right to know what you’re great at.

You can get more buy-in, strengthen your network, become the go-to person in your specialty, and garner more respect and trust if you follow these four principles:

1. What you can do is only relevant to someone who needs it.

It’s about your skill, not about ”you.” Know who your audience is and target your message to their needs. You may not need to tell your coworkers you doubled your sales from last year, but the VP of marketing may benefit from knowing how you did that.

2. Give credit where credit is due.

Nobody achieves greatness alone. By acknowledging others’ contributions, you also point to your role in the achievement. It can be more powerful to let that be implied, rather than stated outright. No harm in making that acknowledgement in front of your boss, though. Read more…