Libraries See Opening as Bookstores Close; New York Times, 12/27/12

Karen Ann Cullotta, New York Times; Libraries See Opening as Bookstores Close: "As librarians across the nation struggle with the task of redefining their roles and responsibilities in a digital age, many public libraries are seeing an opportunity to fill the void created by the loss of traditional bookstores. Indeed, today’s libraries are increasingly adapting their collections and services based on the demands of library patrons, whom they now call customers. Today’s libraries are reinventing themselves as vibrant town squares, showcasing the latest best sellers, lending Kindles loaded with e-books, and offering grassroots technology training centers. Faced with the need to compete for shrinking municipal finances, libraries are determined to prove they can respond as quickly to the needs of the taxpayers as the police and fire department can. “I think public libraries used to seem intimidating to many people, but today, they are becoming much more user-friendly, and are no longer these big, impersonal mausoleums,” said Jeannette Woodward, a former librarian and author of “Creating the Customer-Driven Library: Building on the Bookstore Model.”"

Nine Ways Successful People Defeat Stress; Harvard Business Review, 12/13/12

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Harvard Business Review; Nine Ways Successful People Defeat Stress: "It is more or less impossible to be any kind of professional these days and not experience frequent bouts of intense stress. The difference between those who are successful and those who aren't is not whether or not you suffer from stress, but how you deal with it when you do. In the spirit of Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, here are nine scientifically-proven strategies for defeating stress whenever it strikes."

You Can Go Home for the Holidays; Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/20/12

David D. Perlmutter, Chronicle of Higher Education; You Can Go Home for the Holidays: "Being a graduate student or a professor is a peculiar profession by the standards of most others—with quirks that are hard to explain. When switching jobs academics may give nine months' notice. We may work hard for many months to produce an article for which we get no direct monetary profit. (A graduate student told me that her grandmother, incensed at such an outcome, threatened to call a journal's editor and demand they "pay up.") In a typical university system we achieve only two promotions in our lifetimes (administration is less advancement than another track altogether). People pursuing other careers—CIA agent, lobster fisherman, banker—can be mystified by our system, its nomenclature, demands, and rewards. A recent story in The Chronicle, "Here's Smarty-Pants, Home for the Holidays," explored the particular difficulties that doctoral students from working-class backgrounds undergo with their families during holiday gatherings. But returning home—and talking about just what it is that we do—can be culture shock for most academics. Certain frames of mind, coping mechanisms, and practical tactics, however, can alleviate your anxiety and lessen possible clashes with the natal clan."

‘I Love My Librarian’ Awards Honor Three School Librarians; School Library Journal, 12/19/12

Rocco Staino, School Library Journal; ‘I Love My Librarian’ Awards Honor Three School Librarians: "Robert Massie, author of Catherine the Great, Portrait of a Woman (Random House, 2011) and winner of the 2012 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, praised the work of librarians in a speech. Massie, former president of The Authors Guild, also asked that librarians fight to maintain copyright, saying, “without copyright, there won’t be authors.” Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, said, “Sandys come and go, but libraries always stand.” Each honoree received a $5,000 cash award, a plaque, and a $500 travel stipend to attend the awards reception in New York City. Nominees must be librarians with a master’s degree from an ALA-accredited MLIS program or a master’s specializing in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education."

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh gets healthier; ’13 budget up by 3%; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 12/18/12

Bill Zlatos, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh gets healthier; ’13 budget up by 3% : "The Carnegie Library has kept all 19 regular branches open, started a “pop-up” branch in Allentown last month and expanded hours, thanks in large measure to a new library tax, gaming table revenues and improved fundraising. On Monday, the system‘s board approved a 2013 budget of $28.7 million, which is 3 percent more than this year‘s $27.9 million budget... “Between that and the gambling money, you‘re talking about $3.7 million that didn‘t exist. They‘ve been very successful at implementing the strategy they put in place,” he said."

After Criticism, Public Library Offers Peek at Renovation Plans; New York Times, 12/19/12

Robin Pogrebin, New York Times; After Criticism, Public Library Offers Peek at Renovation Plans: "In the 10 months since the New York Public Library announced plans for a $300 million renovation of its Fifth Avenue flagship building, scholars and writers have accused the library of abandoning its commitment to research and questioned how the circulating library across the street could be shoehorned into a treasured landmark. But something crucial has been missing from this debate: what the transformed library will actually look like. On Wednesday, that will become clear when the library unveils the design by the British architect Norman Foster...The renovation will leave the main reading room on the third floor untouched. Nevertheless, Mr. Marx appears prepared for those likely to construe any change to the Fifth Avenue building, with its lion sentries, as sacrilege. “Anytime you engage in a renovation of a building as beloved as this one,” Mr. Marx said, “there is going to be controversy.”"

A Good Mentor Never Tramples on Big Dreams; New York Times, 12/8/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; A Good Mentor Never Tramples on Big Dreams: Interview with Tony Tjan, chief executive of Cue Ball, a venture capital firm based in Boston: "Q. You must do a lot of mentoring. Any advice? A. One of my partners, Mats Lederhausen, has developed a good framework for mentoring. It was inspired by Deepak Chopra, but Mats has evolved it over the years. There are five questions to pose to someone you’re trying to be a mentor to: What is it that you really want to be and do? What are you doing really well that is helping you get there? What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there? What will you do differently tomorrow to meet those challenges? How can I help, and where do you need the most help? The sequence is important. You have to understand the larger purpose; understand the person’s self-awareness around their strengths; understand external or intrinsic blocks to doing that; and understand the person’s plan and motivation to change before you just assume you can help. It’s just as important, for clarity and to reinforce self-awareness, to have the person play back to you after the meeting in an e-mail what they heard and said."

[Video: 48 sec.] Tony Hsieh: 'I Fire Those Who Don't Fit Our Company Culture'; Inc., 11/15/12

[Video: 48 sec.] Inc.; Tony Hsieh: 'I Fire Those Who Don't Fit Our Company Culture' : "Tony Hsieh won't hire stellar candidates if they don't fit the Zappos culture--and he fires those who don't inspire it."

What Great Leaders Have That Good Leaders Don't; Inc., 11/16/12

Brent Gleeson, Inc.; What Great Leaders Have That Good Leaders Don't: "When you think of strong leaders, you probably think of people who are decisive, bold, confident, and fearless. You’re not wrong. Good leaders have all of these qualities. But how many good leaders are also loyal? I don’t know, but I know that every great leader is. Loyalty is one of the core values taught in the Navy SEAL training program. Instructors teach you from the first day that your team is everything to you. You succeed with them, and you fail without them. And you never leave anyone behind... A commitment to loyalty is becoming uncommon in business leaders. I think that’s a shame. As leaders, we have the duty to hire responsibly and then support the people we hire. These are some of the lessons in loyalty that I learned as a SEAL and apply daily to my job as a business owner..."

The New York Public Library: The Turning Point; New York Review of Books, 10/25/12

Robert Darnton, New York Review of Books; The New York Public Library: The Turning Point: "Polemics rarely lead to happy endings. They usually produce hard feelings and a hardening of positions, rather than mutual understanding and mutually acceptable results. The loud debate about the Central Library Plan (CLP) of the New York Public Library may, however, be an exception to this rule—not that it has come to an end, but it has reached a turning point, which should satisfy both sides. Critics of the CLP were especially incensed about its provision to remove books from the seven levels of stacks under the Rose Main Reading Room and ship them to offsite storage in order to make room for a circulating library to be installed on the lower floors. They petitioned, they provoked a debate—some of it conducted in these pages [Letters, NYR, July 12]—and they were heard. After studying the problem further, a committee of the library’s trustees has made the following recommendations, which were accepted by the full board on September 19."

Developing Your Leadership Presence; Library Journal, 11/28/12

Steven Bell, Library Journal; Developing Your Leadership Presence: "It’s hard to say exactly what presence is, but when it comes to leaders, we know it when we see it. How do you learn to boost your presence, especially if your style is more introverted? When I accepted a position as a library director, it marked my first opportunity to take the helm of a library organization. I had full confidence in my ability to lead the library forward into the future, and help it make a successful transition into the digital world. The responsibilities for planning, budgeting, technology, and managing presented few concerns; I believed I was well prepared to lead in all these areas. There was only one matter that truly had me feeling less secure in my abilities, and it was something I could hardly explain myself. For lack of a better way to describe it, I could only say that I was less certain about my capacity for being “directorly.” At the time it was just this vague worry that I would fail at carrying and conducting myself in a manner expected of a library director and academic administrator. Although this sounds rather silly, it was a genuine concern, and when I joined the College Library Directors Mentoring Program, I learned that others felt the same way, and that none of us new library directors knew exactly what to do about it."

Interviewing Across the Generations; Library Journal, 11/28/12

Cheryl LaGuardia, Library Journal; Interviewing Across the Generations: "Job interviewing in libraries has changed over the years I’ve been in the profession. When I started out, interviews tended to last less than a day and you met with one or two folks during the interview. Now, interviews typically last longer than one day and candidates meet with folks from all over a library and institution. Many of the techniques I’ve learned over the years can be applied today, but there are new techniques and interview skills that smart candidates can use to give them an edge in the interview process. At the same time, I’d like to remind interviewers that there are skills they need to employ to make an interview successful. Here are a few suggestions for both interviewees and interviewers across the generations..."

The Quiet Ones; New York Times, 11/17/12

Tim Kreider, New York Times; The Quiet Ones: "In a 2006 interview David Foster Wallace said, “it seems significant that we don’t want things to be quiet, ever, anymore.” Stores and restaurants have their ubiquitous Muzak or satellite radio; bars have anywhere between 1 and 17 TVs blaring Fox and soccer; ads and 30-second news cycles play on screens in cabs, elevators and restrooms. Even some libraries, whose professional shushers were once celebrated in cartoon and sitcom, now have music and special segregated areas designated for “quiet study,” which is what a library used to be...THOSE of us who despise this tendency don’t have a voice, or a side, let alone anything like a lobby...And so the volume has incrementally risen, the imbecilic din encroaching on one place after another — mass transit, waiting rooms, theaters, museums, the library — until this last bastion of civility and calm, the Quiet Car, has become the battlefield where we quiet ones, our backs forced to the wall, finally hold our ground. The Quiet Car is the Thermopylae, the Masada, the Fort McHenry of quiet — which is why the regulars are so quick with prepared reproaches, more than ready to make a Whole Big Thing out of it, and why, when the outsiders invariably sit down and start in with their autonomic blather, they often find themselves surrounded by a shockingly hostile mob of professors, old ladies and four-eyes who look ready to take it outside."

Ex-Windows Chief Seen as Smart but Abrasive; New York Times, 11/13/12

Nick Wingfield, New York Times; Ex-Windows Chief Seen as Smart but Abrasive: "Both cases underscore a quandary that chief executives sometimes face: when do the costs of keeping brilliant leaders who cannot seem to get along with others outweigh the benefits."

Denying employment based on criminal background could lead to suits, feds say; McClatchy Newspapers via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/12/12

Ellen Jean Hirst, McClatchy Newspapers via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Denying employment based on criminal background could lead to suits, feds say: ""The EEOC in April issued enforcement guidance on the matter that is expected to hold significant sway in court. The commission said people cannot be denied employment based solely on criminal histories but it stopped short of banning the use of criminal background checks. To avoid missteps, the EEOC suggests companies consider three things: how long ago the crime was committed, the nature of the crime and how the crime might relate to the job. The agency also said companies should also give ex-offenders a chance during job interviews to explain conviction circumstances as well as rehabilitation efforts. "Employers should record and document the justification for their employment decisions when they are making the decision with someone with a criminal history," said Jeff Nowak, a Chicago labor and employment attorney."

Social Fingerprint gives job seekers a hand with online reputation; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/4/12

Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Social Fingerprint gives job seekers a hand with online reputation: "When the Federal Trade Commission determined last May that Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Internet background screening service Social Intelligence was in compliance with Fair Credit Reporting Act guidelines regarding collection and distribution of personal data, the floodgates opened for companies such as SMI to customize software to meet the new demand... With Social Fingerprint -- a free online service that individuals can use to monitor Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn and the Internet at large for negative content associated with their name -- much of the technology behind the social media search remains similar to what's used by consumer reporting agencies. The technology conducts a targeted crawl -- a search over several sites -- seeking specific keywords on social media sites and the broader Internet to weed out pages with negative content about clients. Links to pages that show the negative keywords are sent to clients. Reports can be sent daily, weekly or monthly at their discretion. Customers can then take action to have incorrect information removed."

In Sports or Business, Always Prepare for the Next Play; New York Times, 11/10/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; In Sports or Business, Always Prepare for the Next Play: Interview with Jeff Weiner, chief executive of LinkedIn: "Q. Tell me about the culture you’re trying to foster at LinkedIn. A. We take culture very seriously, and we do draw a distinction at LinkedIn between culture and values. Culture is who we are. It’s essentially the personality of our company — who we are and who we aspire to be. Values are the principles upon which we make day-to-day decisions. And of course your values are a subset of your culture, so they’re very much inextricably linked. Getting that right helps with recruiting. It helps with motivating. It helps with inspiring. It helps with productivity."

Act powerful, be powerful; CNN.com, 10/28/12

Amy Cuddy, CNN.com; Act powerful, be powerful: "“Open, expansive postures reflect and signal power (picture Wonder Woman). They are expressed by individuals who already feel powerful. Powerless people do the opposite -- contracting, hunching, and making themselves smaller… Preparatory power posing is taking a few minutes before walking into a stressful interaction or situation to open up, occupy more space, and make yourself big. Stand with your feet apart and your hands on your hips, or with your arms reaching up in a 'V.' Or sit with your legs in front of you, feet propped up on desk or a table, leaning back, with your hands on the back of your head, fingers interlaced, and elbows pointing out."

From Calm Leadership, Lasting Change; New York Times, 10/27/12

Nancy F. Koehn, New York Times; From Calm Leadership, Lasting Change: "RACHEL CARSON’S story offers many leadership lessons, including the importance of persistence in pursuing an objective. When I discuss her with business executives, many are struck by her ability to stay focused on goals in the face of obstacles including severe illness. Another lesson involves the importance of doing thorough research and taking the long view. A sense of context based on hard facts, along with a knowledge of history, is essential to understanding what’s at stake in difficult and uncertain situations. It also confers a sense of authority on the person who has acquired this knowledge. A third insight concerns the juggling of personal demands and professional ambitions."

Napping in the Library—On Purpose; Library Journal, 10/24/12

Meredith Schwartz, Library Journal; Napping in the Library—On Purpose: "They’re designed to provide the perfect environment for a 20 minute nap, from positioning to privacy to white noise and a gentle wake-up call via vibrations and lighting rather than a blaring alarm clock... In 2007, Chowdhury donated an EnergyPod to Carnegie Mellon’s Hunt Library. Gloriana St. Clair, Dean of Libraries at Carnegie Mellon, told LJ the pod is “very heavily used,” particularly around mid-terms and finals. When the pod is in use, Carnegie Mellon’s sleepy library users now have another option. Said St. Clair, “My partner (a champion napper) died last year. Several people gave gifts to the libraries in his honor and I used that money to buy nine recliners for the Sorrells Library… Most of these chairs are used most of the time. It is a very cheap alternative to the napping pod.”"

Romney as a Manager: Unhurried and Socratic; New York Times, 10/19/12

Michael Barbaro, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Michael Wines; New York Times; Romney as a Manager: Unhurried and Socratic: "Mr. Romney’s bid for the White House largely hinges on his own narrowly drawn image of himself as a chief executive: the data-splicing, cost-cutting turnaround expert. But dozens of interviews with those who have worked for him over the past 30 years — in the Mormon Church, business, the Olympics and state government — offer a far more textured portrait of the management style that he might bring to the presidency. A serial chief executive, the Republican presidential nominee is steeped in management theory and eschews gut instincts. He is not so much a micromanager as a microprocessor, wading deeply into the raw data usually left to junior aides. He entrusts advisers with responsibility, but keeps them on a short leash, monitoring them through a flurry of progress reports and review sessions. Mr. Romney is, colleagues said, “conflict-avoidant.” His decision-making process is unhurried and Socratic, his instinct to exhaustively debate and prod."

Wetenhall's tenure as Carnegie Museums president wasn't smooth sailing; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/17/22

Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Wetenhall's tenure as Carnegie Museums president wasn't smooth sailing: "I've been really very busy and engaged with our museum trustees, directors and boards working on our strategic plan, which I'm very pleased with," he said about the five-year plan that he plans to present to the 60-member museum board in November. "I think from this effort our museums have developed their own strategic plans that are, in my judgment, very well aligned to help aim our museums toward a successful future."... One local arts leader concluded that Mr. Wetenhall's tenure would be brief after meeting him for the first time. "There was a lack of self-awareness, a lack of inquisitiveness about this new place he found himself in. He would talk, but he wasn't really listening," the individual said... About nine months ago, Mr. Foster suggested to executive committee members of the main Carnegie board that 360-degree assessments be done of all senior management staff to develop their managerial skills."

Young People Frequent Libraries, Study Finds; New York Times, 10/22/12

Christine Haughney, New York Times; Young People Frequent Libraries, Study Finds: "But in troubling news for tablet makers, the study also found that the subjects under 30 who read electronically were more likely to read books on a cellphone or a computer. In fact, the study found that 41 percent of readers under 30 view books using a cellphone and 55 percent read from a computer. Only 23 percent of Americans under 30 used an e-reader and 16 percent used a tablet."

The Education of Tony Marx; New York Times, 10/10/12

Jacob Bernstein, New York Times; The Education of Tony Marx: "As the dispute over the central library plan dies down, Mr. Marx is choosing to see the sunny side of things. “The good news,” he said after leaving the Doris Duke Foundation event, walking toward the nearby Time Warner Center, “is that people are talking about the library. What they want it to be and what they don’t want it to be, rather than taking it for granted and letting it sink. Right?”"

The Power of Praise; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/7/12

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; The Power of Praise:

Library managers and administrators, part 1: Who would be a middle manager?; Library Journal, 10/3/12

Cheryl LaGuardia, Library Journal; Library managers and administrators, part 1: Who would be a middle manager? : "I’ve been a library middle manager on and off throughout my pretty lengthy career, in access services, instruction, electronic services, and reference, and along the way I’ve collected a number of what I’ll call “impressions” about the role. Those impressions are..."

Men, women on corporate boards split on diversity; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/5/12

Joyce Gannon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Men, women on corporate boards split on diversity: "Men and women who serve on corporate boards of directors worldwide frequently agree on political and economic issues that impact business but they have widely divergent ideas on how to improve diversity in their own board rooms. Those are among the findings of a survey that polled more than 1,000 directors on issues ranging from environmental regulations to diversity quotas."

ALA President Talks to Publishers at AAP Event in NYC; Info Docket, 9/27/12

Matt Enis and Gary Price, Info Docket; ALA President Talks to Publishers at AAP Event in NYC: "American Library Association President Maureen Sullivan spoke to about 100 publishers this week during an Association of American Publishers event in New York. The presentation struck a more placatory tone than Sullivan’s open letter to publishers regarding the current state of ebook access in libraries. Sent just days earlier, it began by arguing that “it’s a rare thing in a free market when a customer is refused the ability to buy a company’s product and is told its money is ‘no good here.’ Surprisingly, after centuries of enthusiastically supporting publishers’ products, libraries find themselves in just that position with purchasing e-books from three of the largest publishers in the world.” Instead, Sullivan began the speech by emphasizing the history of cooperation between libraries and publishers, and noting that both fields are attempting to address “a time of extensive change in how content is created, distributed, read, and used.”"

Budget Cuts to Hobble State Archives in Georgia; New York Times, 9/26/12

Kim Severson, New York Times; Budget Cuts to Hobble State Archives in Georgia: "The Georgia Archives, which holds both historical curiosities and virtually every important state government document ever created, is about to become nearly impossible to visit. In November, a round of government budget cuts will reduce the staff to three, one of them the maintenance man. Thousands of documents that pour in every month are likely to languish because no one will be available to sort through them, archives officials said. People who view accurate and open government records as the bedrock of democracy are outraged."

Millennials' Biggest Interview Mistake Is 'Inappropriate Attire,' According To Hiring Managers; HuffingtonPost.com, 9/24/12

Nate C. Hindman, HuffingtonPost.com; Millennials' Biggest Interview Mistake Is 'Inappropriate Attire,' According To Hiring Managers: "About 75 percent of the 501 hiring managers polled by Adecco, a human resources consulting company, said that Millennials, those born between 1981-2000, frequently fail to wear appropriate interview attire. Fashion gaffes were the biggest mistake observed, followed by Millennials posting “compromising content” on social media channels like Facebook (70 percent of hiring managers saw this) and lack of research on the prospective position (62 percent saw this.)"

Libraries to tackle five-year program; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/16/12

Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Libraries to tackle five-year program: "Another part of the strategic plan is to ensure that the library buildings are kept in good repair to serve as an anchor for their respective neighborhoods. As part of that plan, the South Side branch was recently remodeled to include air conditioning for the first time in its 100-year history, said Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh president Mary Frances Cooper. Air conditioning also is coming to branches in Lawrenceville, the West End and Mount Washington. The Lawrenceville branch is also getting a new roof and heating system and refurbished windows. "We want to be a beacon for the city," Ms. Cooper said. Residents can read the final draft of the plan at www.carnegielibrary.org/about/strategicplan."

Have You Tried Being Likeable?; Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/24/12

Allison M. Vailloncourt, Chronicle of Higher Education; Have You Tried Being Likeable? :

"“But I am not trying to be liked, I am trying to get things done,” she responded.

“Think of what you could accomplish if people actually wanted to help you,” I replied.

What advice have you given to students or colleagues who delight in making others feel small? Have you seen excessive arrogance hold people back? Do you have any tips for gently increasing self-awareness in others? Do you ever engage in fake niceness in order to get things done?"

Jail for Library Employee Who Embezzled Fines; New York Times, 6/20/12

Peter Applebome, New York Times; Jail for Library Employee Who Embezzled Fines:

"Mr. Force said the theft was discovered only when a new business manager was hired in September 2010. While learning about the procedures in the business office the business manager realized in early December that a number of the receipts had clearly been altered, Mr. Force said. Ms. Reed was then questioned and arrested.

Had the new business manager not been hired, he said, Ms. Reed’s embezzlement might have continued for years.

“I was shocked when I saw the records,” he said. “When you looked at them, it was very obvious something was going on, and I immediately contacted the inspector general for the city and worked with them to supply all the records we could.”"

U.S. Penalizes Online Company in Sale of Personal Data; New York Times, 6/12/11

Edward Wyatt, New York Times; U.S. Penalizes Online Company in Sale of Personal Data:

"The Federal Trade Commission assessed an $800,000 penalty on Tuesday against Spokeo, a data collector that the commission said violated federal law by compiling and selling people’s personal information for use by potential employers in screening job applicants.

The action is the F.T.C.’s first case addressing the sale of Internet and social media data for use in employment screening."

Sacking a Palace of Culture; New York Times, 4/21/12

Edmund Morris, New York Times; Sacking a Palace of Culture: "Mr. Marx says soothingly that all those dislocated volumes will be retrievable on request within 24 hours. I remember when you could call up a big old tome, speckled and redolent of the 19th century, in 40 minutes. I remember drawer after heavy drawer of card catalog, wherein you could see and feel with your fingers the comparative outputs of say, Daniel Defoe and Isaac Asimov — to the latter’s disadvantage. I remember when the library elected to spend its budget on the enrichment, rather than the impoverishment, of cultural resources."

New York Public Library President is Taking Reader Questions; New York Times, 4/16/12

Robin Pogrebin, New York Times; New York Public Library President is Taking Reader Questions:

"[N]agging questions remain among many of the library’s loyal users: Will the main branch become overcrowded? Would a possible new cafe increase the amount of distractions and create spill issues? Would the money be better spent rehiring the library staff laid off during the recent recession?

Mr. Marx has recently tried to address these kinds of concerns in articles, on the radio and on TV. Now he has offered to take reader questions about the plan here. Submit them in the comments field below and a selection will be answered later in the week on ArtsBeat."

New York Public Library Defends Plan to Renovate; New York Times, 4/15/12

Robin Pogrebin, New York Times; New York Public Library Defends Plan to Renovate:

"The New York Public Library is engaged in a public-relations blitz to address criticism from scholars and writers who object to the library’s plan to reimagine its Fifth Avenue flagship building at an estimated cost of $300 million.

In the past few weeks the library’s president, Anthony W. Marx, has written articles for The Huffington Post and Inside Higher Ed, appeared on radio and television and assembled an advisory panel that includes people skeptical of the plan."

When Office Technology Overwhelms, Get Organized; New York Times, 3/17/12

David Allen, New York Times; When Office Technology Overwhelms, Get Organized:

"As Dr. Nicolas von Rosty, head of executive development at Siemens, once told me, “You must be able to be present, not distracted, to be able to trust your inner wisdom and make quick decisions without others’ input or waiting for perfection.”

How do you find the space needed to do that? By integrating all the chaos of the workplace and staying focused on the most important things, as they relate to your goals, direction, values and desired outcomes. You must constantly recalibrate your resources to generate the best results, and to say “not now” to what’s less important.

WE are not born doing this. It’s a focus that must be learned. And its results won’t show up by themselves. You can, however, use a sequence of five events to optimize your focus and resources, whether you’re trying to get it together in your kitchen, your conversation, your contract, your company or your country."

[Op-Ed] Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs; New York Times, 3/14/12

[Op-Ed] Greg Smith, New York Times; Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs:

"How did we get here? The firm changed the way it thought about leadership. Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and doing the right thing. Today, if you make enough money for the firm (and are not currently an ax murderer) you will be promoted into a position of influence.

What are three quick ways to become a leader? a) Execute on the firm’s “axes,” which is Goldman-speak for persuading your clients to invest in the stocks or other products that we are trying to get rid of because they are not seen as having a lot of potential profit. b) “Hunt Elephants.” In English: get your clients — some of whom are sophisticated, and some of whom aren’t — to trade whatever will bring the biggest profit to Goldman. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t like selling my clients a product that is wrong for them. c) Find yourself sitting in a seat where your job is to trade any illiquid, opaque product with a three-letter acronym."

Carnegie Library earns good rating in national study; Pittsburgh Post-Gaazette, 3/8/12

Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gaazette; Carnegie Library earns good rating in national study:

"A weak economy has turned urban libraries such as Pittsburgh's into quasi-community centers, filling in as "default providers" of free computer access for job seekers, health information and government services.

That's according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts that looked at 15 metropolitan libraries across the country."

Carnegie Library in Braddock named historic landmark; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/12/12

Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Carnegie Library in Braddock named historic landmark:

"Being named to the National Register of Historic Places is an honor for more than 80,000 sites, but National Historic Landmarks are among the elite 2,500.

Braddock's Carnegie Library is now in that company. The U.S. Department of Interior last week conferred on Andrew Carnegie's first American library the status of national landmark."

Keep Management Simple; New York Times, 2/25/12

Dan Lagani, New York Times; Keep Management Simple:

"I feel as if I’ve spent the last 25 years getting ready for what I’m doing now. During that time, I’ve found that simplicity is crucial in running a business, from keeping your mind open to ideas that present themselves in everyday life to ensuring that your processes are straightforward. It’s a matter of paring complex problems to the essentials."

Do You Share Our Goals? Sign Our Constitution; New York Times, 2/18/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Steve Stoute, chief executive of Translation LLC, an ad agency: Do You Share Our Goals? Sign Our Constitution:

"Q. How do you make sure people are aligned?

A. Well, the companies have clear mission statements, and we have clear goals and objectives that are outlined, and there’s a way in which we want to achieve those goals. There’s a specific way in which I want growth in my companies to happen and take place. To me, that’s where it starts. I have to be crystal clear. They then have to be clear that they understand the mission, and then we can look at each other in the eye and judge each other for how we move forward. If then I start seeing people going off of the track and having their own belief systems, then it’s very clear that somebody is blatantly not aligned to the mission even though they said they were.

Sometimes, I would even go as far as to have people sign a group document — almost like a constitution — so that everybody is aligned around the mission statement, so everybody knows what they’re responsible for. I’m very upfront, I expect the best, and I hold people accountable for everything that comes out of their mouth. Don’t say you’re going to do something and not do it, because in a company of this size, everybody is directly responsible for the person next to them."

Ambitious NYPL Renovation Back on Track; LibraryJournal.com, 2/17/12

Meredith Schwartz, LibraryJournal.com; Ambitious NYPL Renovation Back on Track:

"The New York Public Library is restarting its plan to revamp the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street."

Judge Blocks Simi Valley from Privatizing, For Now; LibraryJournal.com, 2/17/12

Meredith Schwartz, LibraryJournal.com; Judge Blocks Simi Valley from Privatizing, For Now:

"Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh temporarily blocked Simi Valley from contracting with a private company to run its library. Although the city expects to receive proposals to run the library by the end of February, on February 7th, Walsh ruled that the city cannot contract with a private library services company such as Library Systems & Services (LSSI), which already runs two nearby libraries, until the case’s next hearing. At that hearing, on April 9, the plaintiffs will seek a preliminary injunction."

Always Be Proud to List ‘Waitress’ on Your Résumé: Interview with Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue; New York Times, 2/4/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue; Always Be Proud to List ‘Waitress’ on Your Résumé:

"Q. How do you find out about their work ethic?

A. You can get some of it off the résumé. You can call the people where they interned and find out what they were like. I also find that if you ask someone in an interview, “Are you a morning person?” the truth always flickers across their face, no matter what they say.

But, as I said, it also comes out in the résumé. I’ll see someone who was a waitress for many summers and I’ll say, “Well, tell me about that.” In today’s upwardly mobile résumé, you don’t always see that. You often see kids who’ve never had a job. But I love seeing someone who scooped ice cream or was a waitress. To me, it means they had to make some money and they had a job dealing with the public. And what was that all about? Tell me about it.

I had jobs like that, too, when I was a kid. I respect it. I respect all forms of work, and I don’t see it on a lot of résumés anymore. If I do see someone has had those kinds of jobs, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have a good work ethic, but it’s a jumping-off point where we can talk about it."

Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook; New York Times, 2/2/12

Somini Sengupta, New York Times; Zuckerberg Remains the Undisputed Boss at Facebook:

"Mr. Zuckerberg’s success is an object lesson in what works in crowded, competitive Silicon Valley: Remain in charge, stave off potential predators and expand the company so quickly that no one can challenge the boss."

Data-Driven Libraries: Moving From Outputs to Outcomes; LibraryJournal.com, 1/26/12

Rebecca Miller, LibraryJournal.com; Data-Driven Libraries: Moving From Outputs to Outcomes:

"Something special happens when 150 public library directors, deputy directors, and trustees gather in one room to talk about what their communities get from their libraries. The ideas and examples whip back and forth, as do equally intense questions about roadblocks to all sorts of challenges and strategies for overcoming them. The headiness of this to and fro was palpable at LJ’s third Director’s Summit, held at Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), OH, December 5–6, 2011. (For more perspective on the discoveries from this event see Francine Fialkoff’s editorial “Moving to Outcomes,” p. 8.)

These library leaders came to discuss the urgent need to reshape how library service is evaluated in order to articulate outcomes better to stakeholders and share success stories with the community. Pure data such as gate counts, computer uses, and more aren’t as satisfying to those who hold the purse strings as are measurements that articulate impact. “It’s pretty simple,” said Jeanne Goodrich, executive director, Las Vegas–Clark County Library District, NV. “Why we do what we do drives what we do. An outcome answers the question, ‘So what?’”

ALA Midwinter 2012: When Looking for a Job, Remember to Smile; LibraryJournal.com, 1/23/12

Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; ALA Midwinter 2012: When Looking for a Job, Remember to Smile:

"Job seekers in the library field need to remember that recruiters often highly value “soft skills.”

“First and foremost, I look at how they present themselves, how well they communicate, and I like when they smile a lot,” said Megan Alpaugh, a staff recruiter for the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA...

“When I’m hiring I’m not necessarily trying to match up ‘Oh, have you used this system or have you done x, y, or z’ as much as does this person have good communication skills, can they be an effective member of a team, do they have leadership skills, are they enthusiastic in learning new things,” said Ewa E. Barczyk, the director of libraries at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Those are the kind of things you can’t teach somebody,” she said."

The New Normal: Annual Library Budgets Survey 2012; LibraryJournal.com, 1/16/12

Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; The New Normal: Annual Library Budgets Survey 2012:

"The 388 libraries that responded to the survey projected a negligible overall decrease in their total 2012 operating budgets (0.7 percent). Materials budgets are down 1.2 percent. And personnel budgets are relatively flat, with an uptick of just 0.2 ­percent.

But most libraries have still not recovered from the massive cuts inflicted since the financial crisis of 2008, and when this depressed starting point meets with the rapid evaporation of state aid and the inexorable rise of expenses, then the numbers often translate to stressed staffs, fewer materials, and reduced service hours."

After Furor, Harvard Library Spokesperson Says ‘Inaccurate’ That All Staff Will Have to Reapply; LibraryJournal.com, 1/19/12

Michael Kelley, LibraryJournal.com; After Furor, Harvard Library Spokesperson Says ‘Inaccurate’ That All Staff Will Have to Reapply:

"Uncertainty about the status of Harvard Library staff spread across Twitter and other social media sites late Thursday afternoon after a series of Town Hall meetings held earlier in the day on campus to discuss the library’s massive restructuring plan, which was approved in September.

“The nature of academic and research librarianship changed today. Today, all Harvard librarians were essentially given pink slips, asked to participate in a website that has tips on rewriting your resume and changing your career, and also asked to basically re-apply for their jobs,” wrote E. Keathley, who said she has worked for the library system, in a Google+ post...

Earlier, the library transition website had a listing of workshops on resume writing and ways to determine transferable skills, but late Thursday this information had been removed from the site along with a video of the Town Hall meeting (which wasn’t working)."

Tip for Getting More Organized: Don't; Harvard Business Review, 1/12/12

Michael Schrage, Harvard Business Review; Tip for Getting More Organized: Don't:

"IBM researchers observed that email users who "searched" rather than set up files and folders for their correspondence typically found what they were looking for faster and with fewer errors. Time and overhead associated with creating and managing email folders were, effectively, a waste."

Sometimes, You Need to Blow the Fuses; New York Times, 1/14/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Bill Kling, founder and president emeritus of the American Public Media GroupSometimes, You Need to Blow the Fuses:

"Q. What do you consider the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?

A. Let me start by answering the question this way: I don’t think that there is one formula for leadership. There are cheerleaders who are really good at motivating people. There are innovative leaders who are really good at conceiving of products or spotting talent and who have a great vision for the company. There are leaders who are strong on personality, leaders who are strong on creativity. Some of the most effective leaders don’t fit a mold. The ones who I think make a real difference tend to be totally different from the standard definition. I think the strongest criterion is creativity or innovation."

The Rise of the New Groupthink; New York Times, 1/13/12

Susan Cain, New York Times; The Rise of the New Groupthink:

"To harness the energy that fuels both these drives, we need to move beyond the New Groupthink and embrace a more nuanced approach to creativity and learning. Our offices should encourage casual, cafe-style interactions, but allow people to disappear into personalized, private spaces when they want to be alone. Our schools should teach children to work with others, but also to work on their own for sustained periods of time. And we must recognize that introverts like Steve Wozniak need extra quiet and privacy to do their best work."

10 Secrets of a Hiring Manager; US News via Yahoo Finance, 1/10/11

Alison Green, US News via Yahoo Finance; 10 Secrets of a Hiring Manager:

"Ever wonder what the hiring managers who are screening your resume, interviewing you, and--maybe--making you an offer are really thinking throughout the hiring process? Here are 10 secrets that most hiring managers share..."

Interview with Christine Fruechte, president and chief executive of Colle + McVoy; New York Times, 1/7/12

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Christine Fruechte, president and chief executive of Colle + McVoy: Where Ideas Are Always on the Wall:

"Q. Can you share your thoughts on how you build a corporate culture?

A. An effective culture is grounded in having a collective purpose. And a culture also is deeply rooted in core values. You know what your principles are, so if you hire someone and they’re not operating by your core values, even though they may be incredibly talented, they’re going to be rejected from the culture. If you don’t act quickly, they’re not going to be healthy for the culture and it will turn cancerous very, very quickly. You have to live by the core values, and reinforce them constantly. We remind people what the core values are anytime we have agency meetings, and they’re built into our performance reviews. If you’re not living by the core values of the organization, you’re not going to be allowed to advance.

Q. What are those values?

A. One is integrity. I have a very short fuse for anyone who is not going to operate with high integrity. If they step over that line and start to do things that are suspect when it comes to ethics, they’re out immediately."