The Long Good Fight: Libraries at the heart of intellectual freedoms | Editorial; Library Journal, 2/17/15

Rebecca T. Miller, Library Journal; The Long Good Fight: Libraries at the heart of intellectual freedoms | Editorial:

"Librarians and libraries are essential to discourse about intellectual freedoms. Now we have more work to do in light of violent efforts to curtail such rights, perhaps most notably the January 7 attack on the offices of Paris’s weekly Charlie Hebdo. For me, these events brought our work to date into high relief but also intensified a sense of urgency about what librarians can do to defend a richer understanding of the value of freedom of inquiry and expression.

American Library Association (ALA) president Courtney Young’s statement on the attacks framed the library ethos: “Such attacks are counter to the values of access to information with diversity of views—and to the values of civic engagement, which encourages people to read and discuss these views without fear.”

Libraries, in an important sense, exist to help remove fear from our culture: fear of the other, fear of the unknown, and fear of the differences of opinion that make us human. They do not exist to remove those differences. Our libraries hold and foster access to countervailing opinions, information about worlds beyond our own, and insight into cultures we have never experienced, as well as awareness of people living right next door. They are full of words answered by words—sometimes divisive ones—that together shape our evolving way of life.

Librarians are often out front in this freedom fight, perhaps most noticeably when it comes to book challenges. I think of acts of censorship as existing on a continuum of sorts. Acts of terror sit at one extreme but are still related to nonviolent attempts to use leverage of some kind to force a limitation on what others can say or read. Libraries have a mandate to exercise the muscles that counter the censor’s impulse early and often."

Generational shift: Gen X-ers embracing their roles as a transitional group; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/4/15

Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Generational shift: Gen X-ers embracing their roles as a transitional group:

"Mr. McCoy spends a good amount of time talking about how different life experiences explain some of the disparate views the various age groups hold. In 2011, his office at Pitt began offering a workshop titled “Please Respect My Generation” to faculty and staff, in addition to others on harassment and safety...

Developed with information provided by ATS Media, the materials used in the workshop divide the workforce into five generations.

Mr. McCoy’s list shows the “traditionals” as being born between 1930 and 1945; boomers arriving between 1946 and 1964; Gen X children between 1965 and 1976; millennials between 1977 and 1990; and a group bearing the early name Generation 9/11 — because the World Trade Center tragedy was a defining moment — as those born after 1991.

Those dates don’t necessarily sync up with guidelines that others use to define the generations."

What Everyone Should Know About Office Politics; Harvard Business Review, 2/13/15

Dana Rousmaniere, Harvard Business Review; What Everyone Should Know About Office Politics:

"First, it’s important to understand why playing politics is so unavoidable. Work involves dealing with people, and people are, whether we like to admit it or not, emotional beings with conflicting wants, needs, and underlying (often unconscious) biases and insecurities. Our relationships with our colleagues — with whom we both collaborate and compete for promotions, for a coveted project, or for the boss’s attention — can be quite complex. Not everyone is friend or foe; many people are somewhere in between. And more people than you might think are lying to get ahead or gossiping as way to exchange information, vent their frustrations, and bond with co-workers when they don’t trust their leaders. Put all of this together and you’ve got a highly politically-charged work environment."

3 Cups of Coffee program offers mentorship over beverages: Initiative connects women, professionals; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/4/15

Joyce Gannon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 3 Cups of Coffee program offers mentorship over beverages: Initiative connects women, professionals:

"Through a mentorship initiative called 3 Cups of Coffee, Ms. Lloyd met Kristi Heidkamp, 26, a BNY Mellon employee who had volunteered to be a mentor for the program that connects professional females with women seeking to launch or reshape their careers.

Ms. Heidkamp, who works in wealth management recruiting for BNY Mellon, reviewed Ms. Lloyd’s resume, gave her tips on tailoring cover letters for different positions, and urged her to broaden her search by rethinking her talents and applying for positions that might not call for her specific skill set.

The pair kept in touch by email in between coffee meetings and in November, Ms. Lloyd interviewed for a position in check services at BNY Mellon. She landed the job and started work Dec. 1."

Paying for People | Budgets & Funding; Library Journal, 2/4/15

Lisa Peet, Library Journal; Paying for People | Budgets & Funding:

"If last year’s budget theme was cautious optimism, LJ’s 2015 library budget survey of U.S. public libraries, distributed geographically by size and type, continues the general upward trend. Libraries of all sizes, across the board, showed an increase in operating and salary budgets, and most, though not all, saw materials budgets rise as well. Of the 416 libraries that responded, 73% reported an increase in their total operating budgets from 2013 to 2014, up from 68% last year and 60% the year before. The overall change in total budgets was a healthy 4.3% increase. Compared to last year’s more modest 1.3% gains, these numbers indicate that libraries nationwide are beginning to find their fiscal footing after some lean years.

It was a good year for library workers. The upward movement was notably reflected in personnel and salary budgets, which also rose by 4.3%. A full 81% of libraries reported an increase in salary and personnel budgets, and only 16% indicated a downturn."

Winning All Over the Map | Budgets & Funding; Library Journal, 2/3/15

John Chrastka and Rachel Korman, Library Journal; Winning All Over the Map | Budgets & Funding:

"On the face of it, 2014 looks like it was a pretty good year for libraries at the ballot box: some 148 libraries reporting for this tally won and 42 lost. About 78% of libraries passed funding, bonds, or authority measures in 2014. Over 1.7 million Americans voted yes for their libraries. Only 22% lost. While unfortunate, it doesn’t seem tragic or perilous. But at EveryLibrary, we’re worried about the 1.1 million Americans who voted no this year.

Nonetheless, we’d like to figure out why winners win and losers lose, in order to help ensure that there are more of the former and fewer of the latter in the future."

Trends; Center for the Future of Libraries, 2015

Center for the Future of Libraries; Trends:

"The Center for the Future of Libraries works to identify trends relevant to libraries and librarianship. This trend library is available to help libraries and librarians understand how trends are developing and why they matter. Each trend is updated as new reports and articles are made available. New trends will be added as they are developed.

If you have thoughts on additional information that should be include in our coverage or additional trends that should be included, please contact the Center. We look forward to having you join this work!"