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The article features Mychal Threets, a librarian at Solano County Library in California and one of the honorees of the journal's Movers & Shakers 2024 Award. Topics discussed include his habit of sharing stories to inspire people to visit their library, his concern on the safety of library workers and of library users, and his effort to advocate for mental health in the workplace and promote programs like the Afro Library Revolution.

The article discusses the need of library leaders, staff, and boards to be prepared for attacks on readers' rights. Topics include a library's strongest and probably most-used defense when it comes to facing challenges, the need of library administrators to familiarize themselves with First Amendment legal decisions at the national and state level, and importance of freedom of information and library policy training for trustees.

The article discusses the efforts by libraries in the U.S. to support patrons and library staff who are experiencing mental health challenges. Topics covered include proportion of U.S. adults who live with a mental illness as of 2017 according to the National Institute of Mental Health, best practices for library staff on dealing with patrons with mental illness, and information on Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, a course developed by the National Council on Behavioral Health.

The article discusses the state of library services after Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged the New Orleans Public Library's main and branch buildings. Flooding destroyed books and other materials, evacuation caused staffing shortages, and lack of funds impede the rebuilding efforts. Overall, however, library administrators and employees are optimistic that they will be better than before and the community is grateful for whatever services is has.. INSET: Beyond the City.

Addresses the role of video in public libraries. Impact of the popularity of video recordings on librarians; History of audio/visual departments in libraries; Difficulties faced in video selection, rating, and borrowing privileges; Topic of library finance and the allocation of library budgets to video acquisitions; Idea that video stores became models for library video collections when video began to be integrated into library collections; Libraries which charge patrons money to check out videos, such as the Baltimore County Public Library. INSET: Not Quiet on the Western Front.

The author reflects on the search for a vaccine to control COVID-19, as of December 2020. She talks about the interim findings announced by Pfizer for its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, the impact of library patrons' refusal to comply with safety regulations on library staff, and the challenge in conveying information to an audience of patrons who have been targeted with deliberate disinformation.

The article focuses on dealing with the different vernaculars spoken by library patrons and staff or linguistic diversity. Topics discussed include benefit of linguistic diversity, ways to incorporate racially different language into daily library functions, and significance of racial literacy and linguistic diversity to inclusive academic environment and meaningful information literacy.

Reports news related to libraries as of January, 2003. Additional funding for sixty additional staff positions at the Jacksonville Public Library in Florida; Recommended raises for staffers at the Akron-Summit County Public Library; Use of a public library computer at the Warren Public Library in Michigan by a teenager who sent e-mail messages to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation threatening to kill U.S. President George W. Bush; Retirement of Harold Billings, director of general libraries at the University of Texas at Austin; Other news.

Discusses how different librarians manage their staff. Consideration of a librarian who suggests that the library be used as a voter registration center; Advice about how managers can anticipate basic operational questions; How to prioritize patrons; Effects of a lack of preparation and tactical error.

Reports that the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has supported claims by Minneapolis Public Library staff members that exposure to pornography-related Internet surfing by patrons constitutes a hostile work environment and sexual harassment. Response of the library board; Damages requested for the library employees by the EEOC; How the library seeks a dialog to address the nonmonetary concerns of the employees.

Discusses the professional responsibilities of librarians in acquiring books for library collections. Thoughts on how the decisions of some librarians may be affected by the opinions of library users; Challenges facing academic librarians who may be pressured by faculty to purchase certain publications; The impact of Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey on library acquisitions decisions; Reflection on the expertise of librarians in purchasing books in public and academic libraries; Argument that librarians must be able to define and explain the purpose of the library in order to build a collection for it.

Focuses on the relationship between library management, staff, and the public in the U.S. Decline of quality of service offered by public libraries; Proper library decorum; Policies for abusive library users.

Presents a story depicting the growing problem of U.S. public libraries concerning elder patrons who spend their entire day in the library chatting with staff and other patrons. Profile of elderly library patrons; Reaction of library employees to patrons who linger in the library; Ways of dealing with said patrons.

This article presents tips on improving a library's user experience. Topics discussed include the benefits of a friendlier, more cohesive signage system, the importance of an empowered staff who will help people accomplish tasks in a faster, more convenient way, and the possibility of librarywide alignment.

The article discusses the importance and effects of the Impact Survey in helping librarians understand how and when patrons are interacting with the access to technological resources that they provide and demonstrate the value of the services to local governments. A brief historical overview of the Impact Survey is presented. Particular focus is given to how the Impact Survey is used according to library director Maggie Buckolz.

The article focuses on methods of enhancing library user experiences. It comments on author Steve Krug's book "Don't Make Me Think" concerning goodwill internet users have with websites and states this concept applies to physical services as well. It talks about the mapping out the roles of library personnel which can lead to better decision making and improving a library user's experience.

This article reports on the roles of patrons and their communities in developing successful library experiences. The article discusses how librarians can learn about their community through understanding user demographics, interests, and patterns. Information is also provided on how library staff members can observe users in the library setting and examine their findings.

The article discusses the author's opinions in relation to the way in which librarians should interact with their customers. The impact that librarians using their imagination and sympathizing with their customers can have on people's user experience (UX) is mentioned. The author feels that librarians can improve the way in which they assist patrons if they remember what it is like to be a library user.

The article discusses the place that libraries can have in inspiring library users. The author feels that librarians can transform the experiences of library patrons. The impact that various aspects of the library has in transforming the experience of library patrons are mentioned, such as library patrons seeing the way in which other patrons are using the library.

The article discusses the author's opinions regarding services that libraries should offer to their patrons. The author's reaction to the article "Reasons for Optimism," that appeared in the May 15, 2009 issue of the magazine "Library Journal" are presented. Steps that the author feels that librarians can take to improve services that are offered to customers are mentioned, such as to have a positive attitude.

The article presents a response to a case study that involves the way in which librarians should react to intoxicated patrons. The author suggests that the library director should view the actions of the drunk patron before making a decision on how the situation should be handled. Actions that the author feels that library staff should take in regards to intoxicated patrons are discussed.

The author reflects on her readers' advisory (RA) work and on sharing her opinion with library customers. She argues that as an RA she should sometimes be able to suggest a book that she likes instead of following the RA interview formula. She talks about how she has recommended readers the play "August: Osage County," by Tracy Letts.

The authors discuss issues such as loud behavior by library patrons and inadequate library service from vendors and proposes ways to deal with such issues. If younger patrons are behaving badly, librarians should politely and firmly tell them that such behavior is not acceptable. If vendors do not supply products that serve libraries and their patron well, their products should not be purchased. The authors feel that groups of librarians should band and demand better service from vendors.

Presents an interview with Thomas Galante, the director of the Queens Borough public libraries in New York. Plans of the Queens library for its customer service model; Impact of the service model on the public library building design; Benefits of the service model to library employees.

The article reports on the suspension of a librarian after a registered sex offender was arrested following inappropriate Internet use in the Valparaiso Community Library in Florida. Sue Martin, head librarian of the Valparaiso Community Library, was suspended with pay on August 11, 2005, after a registered sex offender's actions on the library's Internet computer eventually led to his arrest. However, the county commission voted two weeks later to reverse the decision by the commissioner who suspended her. Valparaiso does not use Internet filters, but the library's Internet policy forbids the use of computers for fraudulent or illegal activity or displaying images that other users might find offensive. While enforcing this policy, library staff noticed suspicious behavior by a patron and determined that he was on a police department list of sex offenders. Martin contacted county commissioner Robert Billingsley, who is responsible for oversight of the library, and he suspended her.

This article focuses on roving, or rover, librarians who walk around the reference section to help patrons on computers that may need assistance. The concept of a rover librarian, or roving, was established when reference materials went electronic. Patrons began performing tasks in locations further removed from the reference desk. There was concern that patrons would get stuck in online systems and hesitate to approach the desk for assistance, whether out of embarrassment or from fear of losing their spot at the computer. The idea of roving sounds brilliant, but the practice has some shortcomings. These faults are most pronounced in academic libraries; the two most objectionable defects being lack of staff at the reference desk and a decreasing sense of patron privacy. Roving reference is not suited for academic libraries. Most of the patrons are adults and know enough to seek help if help is available in a central, obvious location. Roving can lead to uncomfortable situations for patrons and understaffed reference desks.

The article presents observations from one librarian regarding how the term remote users is used when describing those who libraries assist via live reference chat, email reference, the telephone, the fax machine, or expedited resource sharing. Some of our potential users are quite content to operate our OPACs in ways that please them and seem, moreover, to get the job done. They poke around on the web and find what they want, most of the time without our help. Never mind that what they want is not what they really need. Unless we are very diplomatic, some of these psychologically remote but physically near users are likely to become even more estranged from us. Some students find even the best-intentioned librarians intimidating. Sure, they will ask for our help when an assignment is opaque without us, or when the professor requires them to seek us out. But many students don't want to admit they're clueless about research. Besides, they think they can Google their way out of any research problem without us. The language of some sites supposedly devoted to the objective dissemination of information is often so chatty there's no effort in reading it. Live chat is sometimes a close cousin to idle chatter. It's no accident someone invented the verb websurfing. Students who wouldn't dream of talking with a live librarian chat nonstop to friends-and strangers-through email. And some librarians, who ought to know better, encourage this behavior. Some, in fact, go so far as to say that whatever patrons want they should get. Some librarians are themselves remote users; they are so enchanted by answering questions remotely they neglect the unserved patrons adjacent to the reference desk who are obviously puzzled about something on their terminal but are too shy to ask for help. Ironically, we would help these poor students if they only took the trouble to ask their questions on live chat or email.

Presents the thoughts of the author on teaching in an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited MLS program. I taught in programs in different regions of the United States--the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona. With impressive talent and intelligence, many, possibly most, LIS students bring fresh perspectives from the trenches in libraries of all types. At Dominican, I met newly recruited librarians who had worked with the Gates Foundation to help install the new computers and train both librarians and patrons to use them. Students from Arizona's Knowledge River program taught me new dimensions of the need for diversity in our field. They imparted an urgency for finding better ways to use affirmative action to recruit and retain librarians from America's changing mix of language and ethnic constituencies.

Reports on grievances filed by several staffers at the Ottawa Public Library in Ontario. Issue of the library's unrestricted Internet access policy; Efforts of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to change library policy; How staffers are forced to see sexually explicit material; Outlook for privacy screens on all public access computers and filters; How the controversy in Ottawa has affected other librarians.

Notes the success in 1990 of the New York Public Library's (NYPL) annual presentation of Books To Remember, a program highlighting titles from the preceding year deemed outstanding by a committee of library employees. Titles which were selected by the committee, including "The House of Morgan," by Ron Chernow; Presentation of the committee's final selections to NYPL librarians, with Chernow, Howard Fast, and Samuel Freedman in attendance; Perception that the books chosen by the librarians will be popular with readers.

The article reports on a book review posting board that can be used by patrons at the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough, North Carolina. With the book review board, patrons can find a number of 3 by 5 inches book review cards that give a short review or commentary written by library staff and patrons on new books. Also posted are book columns from newspapers and magazines, announcements of book awards, lists of forthcoming books and data from Library Journal on first novelists.

Characterizes the abusive library user in the U.S. Attitudes of library users towards employees and fellow users; Proper library decorum; Efforts of library management to address the problem of abusive users.

Reports on the ordinance passed in Englewood, Colorado, that specifies that library employees have the permission to detain library users and require them to empty pockets and packages if suspected of stealing library property.

Presents a survey of reference services on public library systems in Maryland. Failure of the libraries to negotiate the question to determine what the patron wanted; Effect of the patrons not being actual information seekers on the questions; Significance of the lack of correspondence between the performance of a reference staff for library administrators.