Will Libraries Die? Yes, in parts.

In the New York Times, an archivist discusses that due to our increasing societal reliance on data, libraries won't die but parts will.  Like we shed our skin, we lose our card catalogs.  Maybe someday, we'll lose the ILS in favor of something better, who knows.
Article here.
Lost library ephemera slideshow here.

Lil' Libraries!!

While nothing will replace our beloved libraries, the institutions, the cultural centers...I love the rampant democracy of the Little Library.   Started in Wisconsin, you can apparently build them yourself for about $350.  Or look for one, they're all over the place, and take any of 20 or so books.  Elegant!

Check out an article about them here.
Here's the official website, where to purchase and a cool slideshow filled with additional ideas...

Librarian Infographic

Really interesting infographic, thanks to The Centered Librarian!  Terrific design and economy of information, especially pertaining to the variety of what we do (left brain vs. right).  Read on...

Film Discussions at Your Library!

Why not?  They're fun, educational, culturally-rich, bring patrons through the doors.  You can play and walk away, but in this American Libraries article, I detail to precision how to DIY.

10 Unrealized Adaptations

Flavorwire has a really nice feature today, 10 adaptations that failed to be realized. Orson Welles doing Heart of Darkness anyone?  How about Sam Goldwyn, Harvey Weinstein, Billy Wilder, Elia Kazan, Terrence Malick, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Leonardo DiCaprio, or Jerry Lewis doing Catcher in the Rye?  Or Bill Cosby direciting anything (aside from stand-up special Himself and a few of his 60's shows).  Read the post here.

The Smart Money is on Spending None!

I love articles in the general press about how libraries are great because they're free.  Even better, this article on MSN Money details exactly why that is.  We do it all the time in the biz.  But the article cites free books, audio, video, magazines, job searching, babysitting workshops, things to do with the kids, Internet and Wifi, and best of all:

"Librarian access 24/7. If you can't find the answers you need, libraries await your question. In Ohio, they have Know it Now (your local libraries will have different names for this feature) which gives 24/7 access to an online research librarian."

Yes!  Libraries and librarians are a great resource.  In a culture steadily advancing towards where everything has a pricetag, where the middle class is disappearing, and so many of us are poor, we need libraries, a center for the common good with absolute equity of access.

50 Writers Who Refused to Give Up

Little names like Dr Seuss, John Le Carre, Isaac Asimov.  James Joyce, Jack Kerouac.  They were all told repeatedly to give up.  This list details the rest.