The PLA Blog | Official Blog of the Public Library Association
Invest in your library’s future
Registration for the summer session of Turning the Page 2.0 is now open. The six-week program will run the weeks of July 9 through August 13. This free advocacy training program has been developed and presented by the Public Library Association (PLA) with generous support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Turning the Page [...]
PLA to offer three preconferences for public library staff at ALA Annual Conference
On Friday, June 22, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., the Public Library Association (PLA) will present three unique preconferences dedicated to public library professionals. Preconferences require a separate registration; however, you do not need to be registered for the ALA Annual Conference to register for a preconference. The programs include: Turning the [...]
Call for Participation in Dissertation Research –
Survey on fieldwork (practicum) supervision My name is Sian Brannon and I am a doctoral student in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University. I would like to invite you to participate in my dissertation research study entitled Examining the Fieldwork Experience from the Site Supervisor Perspective: A mixed-methods study using [...]
ALA seeks advice about “library as publisher”
As part of the work of the Digital Content Working Group of ALA (which is tackling many ebook-related issues), the DCWG is seeking some focused feedback before ALA Annual Confrence next month. If you are experimenting with content creation (see below), they need to hear from you. Please review, then respond to dcwg-input. Background At [...]
PLA 2012 Election Results
Thank you to all the PLA members who voted in the 2012 elections. Your votes have helped guide the leadership of PLA and contributed to the success of the organization. We appreciate your valuable efforts. This year, six nominees stood for three positions in PLA—including PLA President and two Three-Year Directors-At-Large. Many thanks to these [...]
Safely Managing Disruptive Patrons – Join PLA for Thursday’s Facebook Forum
Don’t miss this Thursday’s PLA Facebook Forum where you can get tips and ask questions about safely managing disruptive patrons at the library. Stacy Schrank, Employee Development Coordinator for the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City, led a discussion on this topic in a packed room at PLA 2012. Join him on the PLA Facebook [...]
Call for Essays: One Book, One Community
Has your library hosted a One Book, One Community program? Are you willing to share your experience with Public Libraries readers? We are looking for essays of up to 1,500 words (less is ok) for inclusion in the July/August “Perspectives” column. Please submit your essay to Nanci Milone Hill, Perspectives co-editor at nhill by May [...]
Participate now in public library ebook research
The ALA, IMLS, COSLA and other library leaders are advisors on a national research effort studying the changing role of public libraries in the digital age, as well as the experiences and expectations of public library users. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project to [...]
E-Books 101 – PLA Webinar
E-Books 101: A Look at Devices, Platforms, and Training Ideas Tuesday, April 17, 2012 1:00 p.m. Central ___________________________________________________ Altogether, 43% of Americans age 16 and older have read long-form writing in digital format as of December 2011 – “The Rise of E-Reading” Report, Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, April 2012 There’s no [...]
One Pager 2.0 : A Free Responsive Website Template for Public Libraries
About a year ago my partners at Influx and I released One-Pager, a free template for library websites. We’ve updated it and it is better than ever. In fact, good implementations of One-Pager will be better than most library websites. With this update the code is cleaner and more efficient, and we’ve added some responsive [...]
