Guest Post: The Perennial Question of Librarian Credentialing
A new survey looks at the philosophies and practices around librarian credentialing in the United States.
Guest Post — Speak Finance: Gain University Support for Open Scholarship
The federal government is mandating that the knowledge and data produced from federal grants be widely available for our collective good. Libraries remain under-resourced to make this happen. Let’s add some new metrics and language to this narrative to help articulate the value of libraries.
From a “Ghost Library” to a “Window on the Big World”: The Story of Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, Wellington Central Library
What do you do when the building standards governing the safety of your workplace are deemed inadequate?
The Great Libraries of China
An architectural tour of the great libraries of China turns up a spectacular place to read a book on the beach.
Guest Post – Manifesto for a New Read Deal
A.J. Boston offers a route for managing closed access e-serials in a way that finds the best value for libraries, the most content for users, keeps publishers solvent, and experiments on behalf of equity.
Guest Post — Street Books: A Non-profit Mobile Library Serving the Houseless Residents of Portland
An interview with Laura Moulton, founder of Street Books, a mobile library which serves Portland’s houseless community. SSP annual meeting attendees are invited to bring paperback books to donate to Street Books.
Investing in Libraries is the Right Thing for Administrators To Do, Even if There Are Fewer Resources Overall
Library budgets shrank for 2 decades. They can’t shrink any further because of COVID-19. In fact, they should grow despite contracting college budgets
Revisiting Two Perspectives on Library-based University Presses
Point: Counterpoint — today we revisit a pair of posts from Joe Esposito and Rick Anderson looking at partnerships and collaborations between university libraries and university presses.
A New Century of Libraries
A whirlwind tour of the fascinating architecture of the modern library.
Revisiting: On the Likelihood of Academia “Taking Back” Scholarly Publishing
Revisiting Rick Anderson’s 2013 post on what the options for the academy to take control of scholarly publishing, and whether any of those options seems feasible.
Ethnography: A Scientist Discovers the Value of the Social Sciences
What do we mean by ethnographic research? In essence we are talking about a rich, multi-factorial descriptive approach. While quantitative research uses pre-existing categories in its analysis, qualitative research is open to new ways of categorizing data. We take a look at how we can use this technique to delve into the subtleties of online user behavior – a must for publishers and societies involved in new product development
Stick To Your Ribs: A Library Card Under the Christmas Tree
Revisiting a holiday classic: ‘Twas the month before Christmas, and by listening hard, you can hear Joe Esposito yearn for a library card. The reasons are simple, yet give publishers pause. No wonder Joe’s only hope is with Santa Claus.
Stick To Your Ribs: Library Budgets, Journals and Blood From A Stone
A look back at some of Rick Anderson’s insightful pieces on the economic realities of journal prices and library budgets.
Not the Answer — An Academic Carefully Assesses the Arguments for Open Access
A long, thoughtful essay by a UK academic contemplating open access merits attention, for obvious and subtle reasons.
The Conversations We're Not Having — Overcoming Uncertainty, Chilling Effects, and Open Access Complacency
While open access remains a hot topic in our industry, we may not be discussing the most difficult aspects. Worse, OA proponents themselves may not be answering some of the questions that are now arising as a broader swath of academics, scientists, and administrators become aware of OA.