According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of the home library. Libraries are replacing dens in new home models. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders, “63% of home buyers said they wanted a library, or considered one essential.”

For the full article, click here.

When architect Curt Lamb was called on to design a living room addition to this bungalow-style home in West Newton, Mass., the hundreds of books stacked and scattered around the home led him to the idea of designing a two-story library instead.

For a slideshow of home libraries, click here.

“The astonishing trust displayed in libraries by science fiction film-makers reveals a faith in the public library ethos apparently unaffected by the disillusion with other government agencies, and indeed human nature, so evident in this form of cinema. Somehow, the form which places imagination above all else finds it impossible to imagine a deliberately biased or devious library. It is an indication of the respect with which the public library movement is held by the population as a whole.”

Full article can be found at: Revelations.

“The willingness to change among librarians came after surveys of patrons found that they rarely raved about the depth of a collection or its organization.They tend to come and spend time at a library where there are friendly people, some comfortable seating,” said Sarabeth Kalajian, who heads the library system for Sarasota County. “Maybe some aspect of the collection is important to them, but it’s mainly just their basic need for information.”

For the full article, click here.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4335685n%3fsource=search_video

Deadline: September 12, 2008

This informations comes from Grants Alert.com

This is the library that created “23 Things,” a model that has been adapted by hundreds of libraries to help staff master Web 2.0 tools and technologies. Staff were encouraged to try out blogging, podcasting, tagging, etc., over a nine week period. Those who completed the program received an MP3 player, and the person who won the raffle drawing at the end of the program received a new laptop.

This library is not shy. As part of their strategic planning process, the Library Board, in support of a major restructuring effort initiated by staff, has adopted the goal to be “America’s Best Library by 2010.”

PLCMC has some outstanding programs and partnerships in place. “Tricycle Music Fest” is a fun-filled concert just for kids.

This year’s lineup of performers included the Jellydots (video featured below) and They Might be Giants. Incredible, isn’t it?

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Did I mention PLCMC’s creative partnership with the Children’s Theater of Charlotte? Here’s a description from their website of “ImaginOn.”

“Plans for ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, began in 1997 when two colleagues had an idea.

Bob Cannon, the former Executive Director of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), and Bruce LaRowe, Executive Director of Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) each led organizations with great programs for young people…and both were running out of space.

Bob and Bruce thought it would make sense to consider creating a new, shared facility, to meet the growing needs of both organizations. But not just a combination library/theatre – they imagined a new type of facility, and an original approach to education, learning and the arts. The more they thought about the possibilities, the more they realized PLCMC & CTC shared much more than a need for more space – they also shared a powerful mission: bringing stories to life.

In early 2004, Library Director Charles Brown joined the library, and has since worked with Bruce and dozens of library and theatre staff members to ensure ImaginOn’s success. At ImaginOn, young people learn in many ways, through all five senses and “from the page to the stage.” It is the launching pad for remarkable journeys and endless possibilities.”

As if that isn’t enough, ImaginOn is the first public building in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County certified by the US Green Building Council.

The staff at PLCMC has asked me to present a program discussing all of New Jersey’s innovative programs and ideas, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to brag about all the wonderful things you are all doing.

What prompted this unusual union? We brought noted library consultant Joan Frye Williams to New Jersey in May 2007 to present a program at our “Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference.” Ms. Frye Williams advised conference attendees about how to enhance our customer service.  She suggested that we treat people who use our libraries as guests and that we acknowledge that we are in the hospitality business. We thought about different customer service models we would like to emulate, and decided that we had experienced the most exemplary customer service at the Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ.

Peggy Cadigan, New Jersey State Library’s Consultant for Innovation & Communication, reached out to Trump’s Human Resources Department to see if they would consider sharing their expertise with library staff members from around the state.  The Trump Entertainment Resort staff, led by Jennifer Babcock, very generously offered to share their customer service training for free. Meetings between the two organizations revealed that there is much common ground and what seemed to be an unusual pairing turned out to be a very good fit.

The customer service training model offered by Trump Entertainment Resorts is known as “ACT.�? The acronym stands for Acknowledge, Connect, and Thank. The library staff who attended the training represented public, academic, school, and special libraries and staff members included professional and paraprofessional staff.  The training included interactive exercises, job-shadowing of Trump employees, and discussion of similarities in customer service experiences.Evaluations were uniformly enthusiastic and attendees found the training professional and definitely applicable to the library setting.

For more photos, see the New Jersey State Library’s flickr account.

The Old Bridge Public Library’s “Senior Spaces� Project: The Library Place for Baby Boomers, Older Adults and their Families celebrated their 1^st Anniversary on June 12, 2008 with a day-long celebration focusing on community events.  The events highlighted the various aspects of the program.

By transforming a portion of the Library into an area for “seniors� of all ages, Old Bridge has been able to anchor the space and turn it into an area for the community.  Some days you can see the Crafting Club or the Bridge Players in the space, other days residents with visual impairments are using the OPTELEC magnifier while others use the space to surf the net on the widescreen computers.  Computer classes were previously given in one of the Library’s quiet study rooms and now residents have a real computer classroom adjacent to “Senior Spaces,� where they can learn and explore.

The program continues to grow based on the needs of the community residents. Before the program started the Library hosted the Craft Club every Thursday, the Savvy Seniors Club, and “Senior Fridays,� developed by Allan M. Kleiman. Now, the basic computer classes have expanded into classes on digital photography and the Wii; programs have begun for Baby Boomers; a woman’s discussion group has just started and a film group will start in July. To aid seniors at both ends of the learning curve, the Library will begin working the Generations On Line to get seniors on the internet and will be working with seniors on Second Life.

Based on staff figures over 5,000 seniors (of all ages) were involved with programming, computer classes, and visiting “Senior Spaces.�

The program was funded under contract with INFOLINK, the Eastern Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library, LSTA.  For further information about the program check out their blog and website at:  seniorspaces.blogspot.com and http://www.infolink.org/seniorspaces/.

Ellen O’Brien, Allan Kleiman, Cheryl O’Connor

The Rutgers SCILS Program Associates is an organization with representatives from the broad range of Library and Information Science professions in New Jersey that recognize each other’s contributions to library services and the profession, that advocate for each other as the need arises, that provide broad support for SCILS, and that share information that may lead to further collaboration.

The New Jersey State Library is proud to have been associated with Dr. Gustav Friedrich during his tenure as Dean of SCILS, beginning in 1998.

During this time, the State Library and Rutgers SCILS have partnered in new and groundbreaking ventures. The New Jersey State Library presented a very successful Diversity Conference in 2004, with SCILS faculty participating as presenters. Rutgers SCILS also partnered with the New Jersey State Library, Thomas Edison State College, the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey Library Association to receive two grants from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program from IMLS, totaling more than $1.5 million, to recruit urban librarians. As a direct result of this grant, eight students have received their M.L.I.S. degrees, ten students are currently enrolled in the M.L.I.S. program at SCILS and two students are enrolled in the Ph.D. program. Dr. Friedrich’s encouragement of this grant program is helping to revitalize our urban libraries in New Jersey by providing new professionals eager to work in this environment.

These successes occurred because of Dr. Friedrich’s openness and spirit of cooperation, coupled with his strong support of libraries.

We wish Dr. Friedrich a retirement as full and successful as his career has been.

I have always had an interest in green buildings, and the New Jersey State Library has recently stepped up its own recycling efforts, but I’ve only recently thought about paperless books.

 The popularity of the Kindle and the Sony Reader made me wonder.  Is an e-book friendlier to the environment than a paper book?  It appears that the jury is still out, although I did find out that “each paper U.S. book releases 8.85 pounds of carbon dioxide,” according to the recently released:  Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry. You can read the full discussion here.