Posts by Consultant
Ebsco Training
If you missed any ebsco training, take a minute and get up to speed on ebsco in general, searching, reporting and admin.
Tied to that is something on our to do list: get public libraries set up with an ebsco admin account. We want the libraries to have custom links direct to each database. The links go on your website or catalog. Once all that is set up, libraries can get data for the annual report and see use statistics. .
Ebsco Training in Niche Academy
Library Farms and Gardens
More and more now, libraries are getting into community gardening. People can “check out” plots or raised bed spaces. It’s great because they usually work with local extensions or experts, so that even people new to growing veggies and fruit can get off to a good start and get help along the way. Plus, not everyone has the space to really garden.
A few library farms and gardens we know:
Checotah library offers community garden spots
In New York – Northern Onondaga Public Library News: Library Farm Plots available for ‘check-out’
Pauls Valley Library has demo plots next to the library and has workshops through their extension.
The Miami Public Library has been into community gardening for a while now.
The Beaver County Pioneer Library has done gardening with kids, also working with their extension.
Gardens and libraries bring people together. If you want to get started, commandeer that abandoned spot next to the library or that weedy patch of grass surrounding your grounds. Then, get in touch with an expert, starting with your local extension office.
Books and Websites to Help
These will help you get started. You’ll see how easy and cheap it is to make a community garden for growing veggies and fruit. While food gardens are the rage, think about the landscape around the library. With people wanting to gather but needing room to spread out, outdoor spaces are more important than ever. There are many good reasons to have outdoor garden “rooms” with tables, seating and strong WiFi.
Inspiration and Guidance: Let’s Move in Libraries – Gardening
From Shareable: Community gardens are cropping up at public libraries everywhere
A good book from ALA: Libraries and Gardens: Growing Together
Libraries and the Pandemic
Another great article from NPR on how libraries are adapting to the pandemic, how people are using the library, and how what libraries do and offer have changed. Libraries Are Dealing With New Demand For Books And Services During The Pandemic
The Atlantic’s The Post-pandemic Future of Libraries
Internet is a big problem. And Covid is exposing other gaps too. PBS’s News Hour has a good article on this and more: ‘Truly the last safe haven’: Libraries serve vulnerable communities during the pandemic
2019 Library Design Showcase
Sometimes we get caught up in eRate and annual reporting and forget to see what’s going in the library world. It’s fun to see what’s happening in design, in particular.
American Libraries Magazine features library building, renovation and design projects each year. The slideshows have a range of projects. Everything Old is New Again shows how libraries can honor their old, interesting structures, but give them a futuristic twist.
In Landscape Views, you’ll see Oklahoma’s own Norman Pioneer East Library. This shows how inside is tied directly to outside. It’s a stunner!
Take a look and get inspired. Check out this year’s libraries in the showcase slideshows.
New Books to Help You in the Library
Ready for new ideas or need a road map for how to run a library? Here are two new books that you’ll want on your list. Don’t buy your own copy. Try borrowing from ODL!
Breathe new life into your book clubs with this helpful guide. Create a fun twist like other libraries have done, with plenty of examples and interesting ideas. Get Book Club Reboot from ODL.
This book has info on things like budgeting, policies, board meetings, and how to fire someone. It even covers how to clean the building daily, weekly and so on. It’s a good place to start if you are new to being a director or you want to raise your game a little. Get the Public Library Director’s Toolkit from ODL.
Libraries and Social Work
Libraries are already social hubs. Now it’s trending for libraries to hire or embed a social worker in the library. Listen to a story from NPR. Then find out more in the book.
The Whole Person Librarianship was out in August.