14: Liz Burns and Kelly Jensen

Steve speaks with librarians / bloggers Liz Burns and Kelly Jensen.

Read the transcript.

Kelly (l.) and Liz (r.)

Liz Burns blogs about young adult books, TV, and other things that capture her fancy at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy at School Library Journal. By day, she is a Youth Services Librarian for an east coast regional library for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Liz co-authored, with Sophie Brookover, Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect with Your Whole Community (Information Today, Inc., 2008).Three things to know about her: her favorite television show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she used to be a lawyer (but don’t hold that against her) and she loves to read. Liz lives at the Jersey Shore…. and it’s nothing like the TV show. Really. You can follow her on Twitter @LizB.

Kelly Jensen is a librarian, a reader, a writer, a copy editor, and compulsive consumer of all things books and blogs. She lives in a small town in Wisconsin but grew up near Chicago, spending time in rural Iowa and Austin, Texas in between. She enjoys really bad reality television, cooking, traveling, ice cream, and making art. Two crucial facts: she does not eat red meat and has not read Jane Austen. She’s probably the cruelest person you will ever know. Kelly blogs at Stacked and you can find her on Twitter @catagator.

SHOW NOTES:
Toddlers & Tiaras

Blog posts/series/presentations:
Kelly & Jackie Parker’s Passive Programming #SubvertALA Presentation
Liz and Sophie Brookover’s book, Pop Goes the Library
Liz’s ALA presentation on ReTelling Stories
“So You Want to Read YA?” series
On Passion & Igniting It

Book Blogs:
Hi Miss Julie
Bookshelves of Doom
Colleen Mondor/Chasing Ray
Book Smugglers
Reading Rants
Clear Eyes, Full Shelves
The Readventurer
Youth Services Corner
YA Love Blog 

Book picks for 2012:
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
The List by Siobhan Vivian
Come See About Me by CK Kelly Martin
Long Lankin by Lindsay Barraclough
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Grave Mercy

12: LJ Movers and Shakers 2012, Part Two

Steve speaks with a selection of the 2012 Library Journal Movers & Shakers.

Sam Chada
Emerging Technology Librarian
Sandusky Library, OH

Brett Bonfield
Director
Collingswood Public Library, NJ

Michelle Chronister
Program Analyst
U.S. General Services Administration
Washington, DC

Joshua Finnell
Humanities Librarian
William Howard Doane Library, Denison University, Granville, OH
Visiting Lecturer, School and Media Library Certification Program, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA

Kristin Fontichiaro
Clinical Assistant Professor
School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

11: LJ Movers and Shakers 2012, Part One

Steve speaks with a selection of the 2012 Library Journal Movers & Shakers.

Renee Grassi
Youth Services Librarian
Deerfield Public Library, Deerfield, IL

Jennifer LaGarde
Teacher-Librarian
Myrtle Grove Middle School, Wilmington, NC

Stephen X. Flynn
Emerging Technologies Librarian
College of Wooster Libraries, OH

Jordana Vincent
Collection Development Librarian
Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO

Leah White
Reader Services Librarian
Northbrook Public Library, IL

#PLA12

Steve attended the Public Library Association 2012 Conference in Philadelphia.

Read the transcript.

photo by Steve Thomas

This was my first time doing interviews face-to-face. The audio quality isn’t always the best and I apologize for that, but hopefully the quality of the speakers will make up for it!

  • Andy Woodworth and I discussed ebooks and the digital divide.
  • Barbara Stripling spoke with me about her role in Molly Raphael’s “Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities” initiative.
  • Gina Millsap spoke about using market segmentation to find new library users and how to better cater to your current ones.
  • Lindsey Levinsohn and Annie Seiler spoke with me about using Twitter at library conferences.
  • Maurice Coleman and I talked about his excellent podcast, T is for Training, and other sundry topics.

10: ALA Presidential Candidates (2012)

Steve speaks with the two candidates for ALA President in 2012: Barbara Stripling and Gina Millsap.

Read the transcript.

Barbara Stripling has recently joined the faculty at Syracuse University as an Assistant Professor of Practice.  Prior to Syracuse, she was Director of Library Services for the New York City schools for seven years.  Stripling brought to New York City schools the experience of a thirty-year career as a classroom teacher in Colorado and North Carolina, a school library media specialist and school district director of libraries in Arkansas, a library grant program director in Tennessee, and director of library programs at a local education fund in New York City.  She received her Doctorate in Information Management from Syracuse University in May 2011 and has written or edited numerous books and articles.  Stripling is a former president of the American Association of School Librarians, a former member of the American Library Association Executive Board, and a current member of ALA Council.

Barbara’s campaign site

Gina Millsap is the Chief Executive Officer of the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. She leads an organization of 225 incredible employees serving a library-loving community of 177,000. She served as the director of the Ames (Iowa) Public Library and at the Daniel Boone Public Library prior to making Kansas her home. She’s worked in libraries for 30+ years and received her Masters of Library Science from the University of Missouri, in the previous century. Her degree may be an antique, but her outlook isn’t; she’s been recognized as a Library Journal Mover and Shaker and is Past President of the Library Leadership and Management Association, a division of the American Library Association. She presents and writes on a variety of current topics, including market segmentation, public library trustee education, 21stcentury librarianship and process improvement.

Gina’s campaign site

9: Andy Woodworth

Steve speaks with Andy Woodworth, a New Jersey public librarian who blogs at Agnostic, Maybe.

Read the transcript.

Andy Woodworth is a public librarian in New Jersey. He spends his days surrounded by vast amounts of information which he consumes on a fairly regular basis. He was named a 2010 Library Journal Mover & Shaker. His blog was the recipient of  the only Honorable Mention ever awarded on the LISNews “Top 10 Librarian Blogs to Read in 2010” (read and you’ll see why) and received First Place in the Salem Press Blog Awards in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @wawoodworth.

SHOW NOTES:

Agnostic, Maybe
Libraries & Ben & Jerry’s
People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry’s flavor! Facebook group
HarperCollins petition
eBook User’s Bill of Rights
American Library Association
Jenny Levine
ALA Connect
Endangered Libraries t-shirt
Challenge Reporting: Defend the Freedom to Read
Nancy Pearl | action figure
Library Journal Movers and Shakers
Sarah Houghton
Jessamyn West
Bobbi Newman
Library Society of the World
Hack Library School
Annoyed Librarian
Unemployment in Libraryland

8: Bobbi Newman

Steve speaks with Bobbi Newman who blogs at Librarian by Day, and is the founder and coordinator of the Library Day in the Life Project.

Read the transcript.

Bobbi Newman, Librarian by Day

Bobbi Newman is dedicated to helping libraries find their place in the digital age. She is passionate about 21st century literacies and the role of all libraries in equal access and opportunity for all. Her professional interests include digital and technology based services, the digital divide, and improving existing services through expanding traditional methods, while creating innovative new practices. She shares her passions by consulting and speaking at local, national, and international conferences.

Bobbi was named a Mover and Shaker by Library Journal in 2011. Her professional involvements and accomplishments include founding and coordinating the semi-annual Library Day in the Life Project. She is a frequent caller on T is for Training and a contributor and advocate at Library Renewal. In 2010, she co-founded the Transliteracy Interest Group, LITA, ALA, and currently serves as co-chair. Bobbi co-founded and writes for Libraries and Transliteracy Project. She was recently invited to be a contributor on the Transliteracy Research Group. She was appointed as the LITA representative on the ALA OITP Digital Literacy Task Force and serves as an ALA Councilor-at-Large and on the OITP Advisory Committee.

SHOW NOTES:

7: R. David Lankes

Steve speaks with R. David Lankes, professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and author of The Atlas of New Librarianship.

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R. David Lankes is a professor and Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, director of the library science program for the school, and director of the Information Institute of Syracuse. Lankes has always been interested in combining theory and practice to create active research projects that make a difference. Past projects include the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology, the Gateway to Education Materials, AskERIC and the Virtual Reference Desk. Lankes’ more recent work involves how participatory concepts can reshape libraries and credibility.

Lankes is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today’s society. He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries. In this capacity he has served on advisory boards and study teams in the fields of libraries, telecommunications, education, and transportation including at the National Academies. He has been a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, the Harvard School of Education, and the first fellow of ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy.

SHOW NOTES:

Virtual Dave…Real Blog
The Atlas of New Librarianship | Blog
Books on the Side
A Rose By Any Other Name
Civil War, Doctors, and the Future of Librarians
The Annoyed Librarian

6: Sarah Houghton

Steve speaks with Sarah Houghton, the Librarian in Black.

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Sarah Houghton is best known as the author of the award-winning LibrarianInBlack.net.  She is also the Assistant Director for the San Rafael Public Library. Sarah is a big technology nerd and believes in the power of libraries to change lives.  Combined, they make a fearsome cocktail.  Sarah has been called an iconoclast, a contrarian, a future-pusher, and a general pain in the ass.  She takes great pride in each.  Her first book came out in 2010: Technology Training in Libraries and she is a frequent speaker for online and realspace worldwide events for libraries and other institutions.