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The article focuses on a creative photography workshop led by Mars Patterson at the Madison Public Library, where children and parents are encouraged to explore their surroundings and capture everyday objects with fresh perspectives. Topics include the transformative experience of engaging in creative activities at public libraries, fostering discovery, pride, agency, and creativity among participants.

The purpose of this study is to investigate what semiotic analysis can reveal about how welcoming and inclusive a science library space is for patrons. A space was examined in terms of its messaging to patrons of various genders, abilities, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and disciplines. Findings are presented about the space's messaging regarding the disciplines it serves, inclusion of patrons from minoritized demographics, and general expectations of visitors. Recommendations for library practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 2024 ALSC Advocacy Challenge, encouraging members to engage in advocacy efforts beyond their usual networks. Topics include strategies for reaching out to individuals outside of the library profession who share similar values, such as inclusion and equity. Efforts demonstrate how advocacy can effectively expand library outreach and community impact.

The article focuses on the importance of providing effective readers' advisory (RA) services for school-aged readers (aged 8-12) within libraries, addressing the developmental considerations and interests specific to this age group. Topics include the need for personal connections through conversation, offering multiple reading options and formats, and considering the physical, emotional, and cultural milestones of middle years children to strengthen RA recommendations.

The author tells about the genrefication of the library collection at a suburban high school in New York City. He describes the process of the renovation of the library that included a survey of teachers and teaching assistants about genrefying the library collection. He discusses the different genres he came up for the library including nonfiction, biographies and memoirs, world languages, out of this world, romance, chills, trills, historical fiction and realistic fiction.

The author tells about her initiative of compiling book challenges and bans while working as the journal's editor. She notes the importance of censorship and intellectual freedom as a bedrock of her professional philosophy and she also expresses her desire to share her compilation of book challenges and bans to readers. A bibliography of book bans and challenges in 2023 is presented.

The article focuses on the evolution of storytime in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the use of online platforms and the importance of maintaining engagement and connection with children and families. Topics include the transition to virtual storytimes, the challenges and benefits of online formats, and the need for flexibility and adaptation in delivering engaging storytime experiences.

The article discusses challenges and barriers for transgender communities related to service, outreach, and resources in public libraries. Topics include needs of transgender communities have been overlooked despite recent efforts to improve public library service to transgender people; Professional standards and values of the library profession includes language in support of all; and the first professional ethic in the American Library Association Code of Ethics (2008).

An analysis of ARL libraries' webpages of accessibility information revealed wide variation in terms of these pages' findability, length, and coverage. Overall, most of the content elements that were searched for, based on previous webpage studies and user-centered research, were not present on the majority of the webpages. There is clearly much room to expand the accessibility information most ARL libraries provide, which raises questions about whether this is primarily an issue of documentation or reflects true gaps in available resources, services, and facilities. A guide for auditing these webpages was developed to help libraries assess potential gaps in these webpages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrons' information consumption behaviors of print materials are influenced by their content and tangible characteristics. This quantitative study incorporates several content-based factors widely adopted in collection management practices as well as two physical dimension-related factors, including book size and number of pages, and applies a series of regression analyses to evaluate the relative impact of these factors on patrons' checkout versus in-library use decisions. The results suggest that shelf time and book size exhibit consistent and significant impact on patrons' use of print materials. These findings can shed further light on collection management practices and policies in academic libraries striving to provide patrons more usercentered collections and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses, For librarians to continually demonstrate superior and high-quality service, they must meet the needs of current and potential users. One way that librarians have met the needs of users is by expanding their service offerings online via virtual reference services (VRS). This expansion is particularly critical in the current time of COVID-19.

The article focuses on the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) achieved the following milestones toward accomplishing the goals in Strategic Plan to guide ALCTS activities from 2019 to 2020, during what indeed ended up to be a transitional year. Topics include strengthen advocacy for equitable access to and preservation of resources and information for all users; and assess current divisional programs and services.

The article discusses the children's librarians are challenged to provide inclusive programming in today's public libraries. Sensory and American Sign Language (ASL) storytimes are often common offerings. It mentions that the Safety Harbor Public Library in Pinellas County (FL), librarians offered ASL classes for family members of D/HoH individuals and people wanting to learn a new language3 and their storytimes offered a place for both D/HoH and hearing parents and children to interact.

The article offers tips to library professionals on dealing with a crying child in the library children's department. Topics discussed include the significance of the child development practices adopted by public libraries to support literacy development, importance of establishing a routine for leaving the library to build the executive function of a child, and the need for library staff to reassure adults accompanying the child that crying is typical and not offensive to them.

The article informs that Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) prioritizes children's services and programming to diverse communities, and ALSC provides guidelines and tangible resources, children's librarians with not only actualizing library services that support the most vulnerable communities. It mentions that Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) serves the largest and most diverse urban population of any library in the nation.

To better understand the library's role in student success, this research used student survey data to explore students' reported library building use, library resource use, library instruction, as well as student perceptions of the library's role in their success, and how these factors may vary by academic discipline. Cumulative GPAs were also matched with respondents. Quantifying the relationship between library usage and student success is one of the six areas recommended for further research by ACRL. This study focuses on the variation and the uncertainty of the measurement of this relationship across disciplines, using Bayesian multilevel regression methods. Levels of library resource usage and percentages of respondents believing the library contributes very much to the respondents' academic success vary quite a bit by discipline. In this study, cumulative GPA is higher on average for students who use library resources more frequently, but not for students who receive library instruction. Although, for undergraduates, higher frequency of building usage predicted higher probability of believing the library contributes very much to academic success, it did not predict higher GPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This large-scale study was conducted for the purposes of determining how representative library users are compared to the whole student population, to explore how library services contribute to student success, and to position the library to be included in the institution's learning analytics landscape. To that end, data were collected as students at University of Central Florida (n = 25,336) interacted with five library service points over four semesters. Analysis revealed a positive association between students who used one or more library services and higher end-of-semester GPAs. The article emphasizes how results were disseminated and ongoing work to build an interactive learning analytics library dashboard that complements existing institutional dashboards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many public libraries receive challenges from patrons, when patrons request that certain materials be removed or relocated through a formal process. However, many other public libraries avoid this fraught situation. The differences between these libraries is not clear--why do some libraries face patron challenges while other libraries do not? To address this question, the authors sought interviews with children's and teen librarians in public libraries who had never dealt with patron challenges. Twenty-five telephone interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed with DeDoose software, which allows for iterative team web-based coding. The qualitative coding revealed three predominant themes. Librarians discussed their collections, their patrons, and their actions as librarians in their attempts to explain their lack of challenges. We analyze these interpretations and suggest future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread problems with health literacy significantly limit effective dissemination and understanding of health information, particularly among vulnerable populations. As libraries are re-envisioned as community centers and resource providers, librarians are well positioned to help patrons overcome health literacy challenges by helping them to search for and use health information. Librarians often have not had health reference training, and some are unsure of the appropriateness of their role in patrons' health. This study presents the results of a health needs assessment done in collaboration between the Teen Services Department of a major urban library and faculty from a state university. Using survey and focus group data, the research team sought to uncover the most common health-related needs among community teens as perceived by teen services librarians and staff, preparedness to respond to these needs, and interventions in addressing these needs. Findings confirm that some teens do turn to branch libraries for health information. Additional results revealed which types of health-related questions participants felt most equipped to answer (social health) and least equipped (substance abuse) and indicate staff have had altogether little formal training to address patrons' health questions. This needs assessment presents replicable tools and questions for libraries aiming to improve health literacy in their local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this exploratory study, the researchers examine the intersection of teens with autism as public library users, their perceptions of and experiences with cyberbullying, and the potential role of public librarians in providing relevant digital citizenship programming. Results from this study indicate that teens on the autism spectrum live rich digital lives and have experience with both sides of cyberbullying, or digital drama. This study suggests that teens are willing to answer questions about their digital lives and demonstrate a desire to learn more about best practices in navigating the online environment, especially when learning alongside peers. Practical implications based in inclusion are given for public librarians seeking to implement digital citizenship education for the communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fall of 2004, the Academic Computing Center, a division of the Information Technology Services Department (ITS) at Minnesota State University, Mankato took over responsibility for the computers in the public areas of Memorial Library. For the first time, affiliated Memorial Library users were required to authenticate using a campus username and password, a change that effectively eliminated computer access for anyone not part of the university community. This posed a dilemma for the librarians. Because of its Federal Depository status, the library had a responsibility to provide general access to both print and online government publications for the general public. Furthermore, the library had a long tradition of providing guest access to most library resources, and there was reluctance to abandon the practice. Therefore the librarians worked with ITS to retain a small group of six computers that did not require authentication and were clearly marked for community use, along with several standup, open-access computers on each floor used primarily for searching the library catalog. The additional need to provide computer access to high school students visiting the library for research and instruction led to more discussions with ITS and resulted in a means of generating temporary usernames and passwords through a Web form. These user accommodations were implemented in the library without creating a written policy governing the use of open-access computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet has greatly changed how library users search and use library resources. Many of them prefer resources available in electronic format over traditional print materials. While many documents are now born digital, many more are only accessible in print and need to be digitized. This paper focuses on how the Colorado State University Libraries creates and optimizes text-based and digitized PDF documents for easy access, downloading, and printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-library use data is crucial for modern libraries to understand the full spectrum of patron use, including patron self-service activities, circulation, and reference statistics. Rather than using tables and charts to display use data, a geographic information system (GIS) facilitates a more visually appealing graphical display of the data in the form of a map. GISs have been used by library and information science (LIS) researchers and practitioners to create maps that display analyses of service area populations and demographics, facilities space management issues, spatial distribution of in-library use of materials, planned branch consolidations, and so on. The "seating sweeps" method allows researchers and librarians to collect in-library use data regarding where patrons are locating themselves within the library and what they are doing at those locations, such as sitting and reading, studying in a group, or socializing. This paper proposes a GIS as a tool to visually display in-library use data collected via "seating sweeps" of a library. By using a GIS to store, manage, and display the data, researchers and librarians can create visually appealing maps that show areas of heavy use and evidence of the use and value of the library for a community. Example maps are included to facilitate the reader's understanding of the possibilities afforded by using GISs in LIS research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How should the information on the Internet be organized? This question and the possible solutions spark debates among people concerned with how we identify, classify, and retrieve Internet content. This paper discusses the benefits and the controversies of using a tagging system to organize Internet resources. Tagging refers to a classification system where individual Internet users apply labels, or tags, to digital resources. Tagging increased in popularity with the advent of Web 2.0 applications that encourage interaction among users. As more information is available digitally, the challenge to find an organizational system scalable to the Internet will continue to require forward thinking. Trained to ensure access to a range of informational resources, librarians need to be concerned with access to Internet content. Librarians can play a pivotal role by advocating for a system that supports the user at the moment of need. Tagging may just be the necessary system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eXtensible Catalog (XC) Project at the University of Rochester will design and develop a set of open-source applications to provide libraries with an alternative way to reveal their collections to library users. The goals and functional requirements developed for XC reveal generalizable needs for metadata to support a next-generation discovery system. The strategies that the XC Project Team and XC Partner institutions will use to address these issues can contribute to an agenda for attention and action within the library community to ensure that library metadata will continue to support online resource discovery in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of academic library users has drastically changed in recent years. Internet search engines have become the preferred tool over the library online public access catalog (OPAC) for finding information. Libraries are losing ground to online search engines. In this paper, two aspects of OPAC use are studied: (1) the current OPAC interface and searching capabilities, and (2) the OPAC bibliographic display. The purpose of the study is to find answers to the following questions: Why is the current OPAC ineffective? What can libraries and librarians do to deliver an OPAC that is as good as search engines to better serve our users? Revitalizing the library OPAC is one of the pressing issues that has to be accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wikis have recently been adopted to support a variety of collaborative activities within libraries. This article and its companion wiki, Library Wikis (http://librarywikis.pbwiki.com/), seek to document the phenomenon of wikis in libraries. This subject is considered within the framework of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). The author identified thirty-three library wikis and developed a classification schema with four categories: (1) collaboration among libraries (45.7 percent); (2) collaboration among library staff (31.4 percent); (3) collaboration among library staff and patrons (14.3 percent); and (4) collaboration among patrons (8.6 percent). Examples of library wikis are presented within the article, as is a discussion for why wikis are primarily utilized within categories I and II and not within categories III and IV. It is clear that wikis have great utility within libraries, and the author urges further application of wikis in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon findings from a national survey of U.S. public libraries, this paper examines trends in Internet and public computing access in public libraries across states from 2004 to 2006. Based on library-supplied information about levels and types of Internet and public computing access, the authors offer insights into the network-based content and services that public libraries provide. Examining data from 2004 to 2006 reveals trends and accomplishments in certain states and geographic regions. This paper details and discusses the data, identifies and analyzes issues related to Internet access, and suggests areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the burgeoning trend in online social networks has gained much attention from the media, few studies in library science have yet to address the topic in depth. This article reports on a survey of 126 academic librarians concerning their perspectives toward Facebook.com, an online network for students. Findings suggest that librarians are overwhelmingly aware of the ‘Facebook phenomenon.’ Those who are most enthusiastic about the potential of online social networking suggested ideas for using Facebook to promote library services and events. Few individuals reported problems or distractions as a result of patrons accessing Facebook in the library. When problems have arisen, strict regulation of access to the site seems unfavorable. While some librarians were excited about the possibilities of Facebook, the majority surveyed appeared to consider Facebook outside the purview of professional librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional, larger libraries can rely on their physical collection, coffee shops, and study rooms as ways to entice patrons into their library. Yet virtual libraries merely have their online presence to attract students to resources. This can only be achieved by providing a fully functional site that is well designed and organized, allowing patrons to navigate and locate information easily. One such technology significantly improving the overall usefulness of Web sites is a content management system (CMS). Although the CMS is not a novel technology per se, it is a technology smaller libraries cannot afford to ignore. In the fall of 2004, the Northcentral University Electronic Learning Resources Center (ELRC), a small, virtual library, moved from a static to a database-driven Web site. This article explains the importance of a CMS for the virtual or smaller library and describes the methodology used by ELRC to complete the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual search interfaces have been shown by researchers to assist users with information search and retrieval. Recently, several major library vendors have added visual search interfaces or functions to their products. For public service librarians, perhaps the most critical area of interest is the extent to which visual search interfaces and text-based search interfaces support research. This study presents the results of eight full-scale usability tests of both the EBSCOhost Basic Search and Visual Search in the context of a large liberal arts university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether there is a correlation between user performance and compliance with screen-design guidelines found in the literature. Rather than test individual guidelines and their interactions, the authors took a more holistic approach and tested a compilation of guidelines. Nine bibliographic display formats were scored using a checklist of eighty-six guidelines. Twenty-seven participants completed ninety search tasks using the displays in a simulated Web environment. None of the correlations indicated that user performance was statistically significantly faster with greater conformity to guidelines. In some cases, user performance was actually significantly slower with greater conformity to guidelines. In a supplementary study, a different set of forty-three guidelines and the user performance data from the main study were used. Again, none of the correlations indicated that user performance was statistically significantly faster with greater conformity to guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of digital libraries, which have broken the limits of space and distance by delivering information in various formats via the internet. Digital libraries contain a colossal amount of information, that is why, it is critical to design more user-friendly interfaces to explore, understand, and manage their content. According to the author, one important technique for designing interfaces is to use information visualization. Although it is a relatively new research area, numerous visualization application already exist in various fields today. Many library professionals are also starting to realize that combining information visualization techniques and current library technologies, can help library users find information more effectively and efficiently.

The E-rate program has provided tremendous benefits to libraries, allowing many libraries and library systems to acquire technological equipment and services that would otherwise be too expensive, increasing the availability of public Internet access through libraries. This article analyzes the data related to the E-rate program and the discounts that it has provided to libraries and library systems between 2000 and 2004. By examining the E-rate data in a longitudinal manner, this article explores the trends in the application for and the provision of E-rate discounts to libraries and library consortia at national and state levels. The data suggest that, despite a number of controversies over the years, the program has provided a significant level of support for libraries and library consortia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the escalating costs of offering free printing to library users, the Arizona State University West (ASUW) Library's technical staff devised a low-cost solution to allowing ASU users to log in and gain access to the library's printers while excluding non-ASU users from the printers. The solution was created in a Microsoft Windows client/server environment. A detailed description of the solution and scripts are offered to other libraries in the same environment that might find it useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plotting information about patrons and library locations on a map provides library decision-makers with a spatial view of the library's market area and a better and more complete understanding of the library's user population. This study uses a geographic information system to analyze the Weber County Library System in northern Utah.The paper concentrates on three areas: (1) patron utilization of the main library and its branches, (2) the need for additional branch libraries, and (3) selected demographic characteristics of the population in the census tracts surrounding the library system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in the analysis of library user behavior has been increasing rapidly since the advent of digital libraries and the Internet. In this context, the authors analyze the queries posed to a digital library and recorded into the Z39.50 session log files, and construct communities of users with common interests, using data-mining techniques. One of the main concerns of this study is the construction of meaningful communities that can be used for improving information access. Analysis of the results brings to the surface some of the important properties of the task, suggesting the feasibility of a common methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a personalized information environment for digital libraries. Significance of personalization for different library users; Discussion of material personalization and collection personalization; Provision of personalized view in the usage and organization of digital library materials.

Presents the results of a survey of library users at Pennsylvania's Penn State University following the introduction of free laser printing. Tendency of students' printing to focus on their curricular needs; Sensitivity to the issue of wasteful printing; Willingness to pay for printing.

The article informs about public talks and workshops in the spring of 2019, had the pleasure of talking to quite a few youth services librarians about equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and why it matters in librarianship. Topics discussed include librarian not really understanding how to promote diverse materials; how to promote diverse books to their predominantly white community; and library professionals should ideally be culturally competent when working with communities.

The maker movement has found a home in public libraries. Field leaders including public libraries in Chicago, Chattanooga, Houston, Louisville, and Toronto have built robust makerspaces, developed maker programming for a diverse range of patrons, connected community experts with library users for the purpose of sharing information, and fostered communities of practice.¹ Characterized by open exploration, intrinsic interest, and creative ideation, the maker movement can be broadly defined as participation in the creative production of physical and digital artifacts in people's day-to-day lives. The maker movement employs a do-it-yourself orientation toward a range of disciplines, including robotics, woodworking, textiles, and electronics. But the maker ethos also includes a do-it-with-others approach, valuing collaboration, distributed expertise, and open workspaces. To many in the library profession, the values ingrained in the maker movement seem to be shared with the aims and goals of public libraries. However, critiques of the maker movement raise questions about current iterations of makerspaces across settings. This article highlights critiques and responses regarding the "democratic" nature of the maker movement, and in particular, the article analyzes ways librarians involved in a prominent public library maker program discursively construct making and maker programming in relation to the maker movement more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patron-driven acquisition has been an important, if contentious, topic for decades, with numerous programs having been piloted, adopted, and reported on, largely favorably, in the library literature. Still, questions and doubts persist for academic libraries, especially where the composition of vendor plans and packages and the judgment of patrons are concerned. Past literature has approached the assessment of patron-driven acquisition by analyzing circulation/usage, comparing peer-library holdings, seeking patrons' or librarians' judgments of utility and suitability, looking for evidence of collection imbalances, and testing for overlap in patrons' and librarians' purchases. To contribute to this literature, this study addresses scholarly impact and examines whose selections--approval plans', librarians', or patrons'--have been most heavily cited. For the social sciences, the sciences, and the humanities, the authors gathered topic-matched random samples of books acquired via approval plans and librarian orders during the first five years of operation of their institutions' interlibrary loan purchase-on-demand patrondriven acquisition program and compared their citation counts to the counts of books acquired via the program. Google Scholar was employed to tally citations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telephone interviews were conducted with 18 blind academic library users around the United States about their experiences using their library and its website. The study uses the perspective that blind users' insights are fundamental. A common theme was that navigating a webpage is time consuming on the first visit. Issues identified include the need for "databases" to be defined on the homepage, accessibly coded search boxes, logical heading structure, and several problems to be resolved on result pages. Variations in needs depending on users' screen-reader expertise were also raised. Suggestions for libraries to address these issues are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new model for citation analysis, applying new methodological approaches in citation studies. These methods are demonstrated by an analysis of cited references from publications by the Geological Sciences faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder. The author made use of simple Python scripting, the Web of Science API, and OpenRefine to examine the most frequently cited journals and compare them to library holdings data to discover materials absent from the local collection. Of the more than 20,000 citations analyzed, 80 percent cited approximately 10 percent of all titles (412 journals). A notable finding was the heavy reliance of faculty members upon works between zero and two years of age. The streamlined model presented here removes the constraints of time and effort encountered by academic librarians interested in conducting citation analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful library exhibition is usually seen as one that attracts large numbers of visitors and improves their knowledge of a topic. The ways that exhibitions benefit library staff, library collections, and library operations are much less frequently considered. Though secondary, these internal outcomes are an important part of how libraries profit from exhibitions, in the same way that stock dividends supply a substantial percentage of overall investment returns. This essay views exhibition curatorship as a form of professional and organizational development and calls attention to how it helps librarians develop skills, knowledge, resources, and relationships that enhance library services and staff careers. Librarians at small- and medium-sized institutions without professionally trained exhibitions staff are the target audience, but the perspectives outlined here are broadly relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses importance to create online programming in libraries of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Topics discussed include information on repository model for library workers promoting virtual programs, such as storytimes; use of customizable templates which aim to create an on-brand look without having to start from the ground up; and benefits from increased innovation among the library staff.

The article the US Department of Health and Human Services indicate a small but growing number of unvaccinated children under the age of two.1 Low vaccination rates can result in outbreaks of preventable diseases and even death. It mentions that the World Health Organization (WHO) identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019.

The article discusses the growing popularity of homeschooling since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes finding homeschooled families and co-operatives in the community, seeking resources for the library to offer, and providing pertinent resources to homeschooled students. After research, advocating and reaching out to local public, private, and charter school administrations to encourage relationships between the library and schools are advised.