New Statistics Available: IMLS Releases New “Public Library Report” (FY 2010); InfoDocket, 1/22/13

Gary Price, InfoDocket; New Statistics Available: IMLS Releases New “Public Library Report” (FY 2010) : "The complete report is available here along with separate links to state-by-state profiles, supplementary tables, and a fact sheet."

Pew Internet Releases New Report on Library Services (Plus Commentary); InfoDocket, 1/22/13

Gary Price, InfoDocket; Pew Internet Releases New Report on Library Services (Plus Commentary) : "In a new survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, One thing that’s clear is that users don’t know —and they know they don’t know—what libraries have on offer: only about a fifth said they know most or all of what services are available; and almost a third said they knew not much or nothing."

[ALA Press Release] Managing in the middle, 1/11/13

[ALA Press Release] Managing in the middle: "Fully a third of all library supervisors are “managing in the middle”: reporting to top-level managers while managing teams of peers or paraprofessional staff in some capacity. Editors Robert Farrell and Kenneth Schlesinger present a practical guidebook for those supervisors with “Managing in the Middle,” published by ALA Editions, assisting middle managers as they navigate through the challenges of multitasking and continual gear-shifting. Including a foreword by Maureen Sullivan, 2012-13 American Library Association President, a broad range of contributors from academic and public libraries help librarians face personal and professional challenges..."

Leadership vs. Management | Focus on Leadership and Management; Library Journal, 1/14/13

Ernie DiMattia, New York Times; Leadership vs. Management | Focus on Leadership and Management: "Leadership and management are two of the more frequently used terms related to the operation and success of any organization, regardless of its products and/or services. This is especially so in the nonprofit arena, where doing more with less has been the rule over the past several decades. Libraries and information centers are very much a part of this environment, and must be well led and well managed if they are to continue to survive and thrive. It is our expectation that this column will define, delineate, and develop those topics sufficiently to provide a valued learning experience for our readers."

Seeking a Different Sort of Leader; Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/14/13

Dennis M. Barden, Chronicle of Higher Education; Seeking a Different Sort of Leader: "So what leadership qualities did each group find compelling? The candidates chosen as finalists certainly shared common attributes: One attribute was a level of energy and intensity that outpaced their competitors. Another was the sort of winning personality that portends happy and enjoyable relationships, some of which would presumably lead to philanthropic support. In my view, however, the most important quality was an expressed willingness—backed up by evidence of performance—to make the tough decisions and to live with the consequences. From my close-hand perspective, there was another striking commonality in the decisions of the two committees. In both cases, sitting provosts generally did not fare well in the preliminary round of interviews. While there were many reasons for that, there was, in my view, one reason in common: The provosts did not portray themselves as visionary leaders."

Management Is (Still) Not Leadership; Harvard Business Review, 1/9/13

John Kotter, Harvard Business Review; Management Is (Still) Not Leadership: "In fact, management is a set of well-known processes, like planning, budgeting, structuring jobs, staffing jobs, measuring performance and problem-solving, which help an organization to predictably do what it knows how to do well... Leadership is entirely different. It is associated with taking an organization into the future, finding opportunities that are coming at it faster and faster and successfully exploiting those opportunities. Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment and, most of all, about producing useful change...We need superb management. And we need more superb leadership."

Never Lie About Who You Really Are; Harvard Business Review, 12/18/12

Dan Pallotta, Harvard Business Review; Never Lie About Who You Really Are: "To stand up for your truth is to be a leader...How can you develop this "coming out" muscle yourself? First, know what you're coming out about. Identify your truths. Write a personal values manifesto. You can't know if your values are being violated if you're ambiguous about what they are. Second, learn to develop a sixth sense for when your line is being crossed. It may be a gut feeling. A nervous laugh. A habit of rationalizing. Not an hour ago a delivery company called and asked if anyone would be home this afternoon to accept a package. I said, "Yes, my other half, with three sick kids." "That must be fun for her," the guy said. That tiny voice in my head rationalized, "You're about to hang up, let it go." The moment I heard myself say that, a trigger went off and I came out to him with a simple, "She's a he." Rationalization is a red flag for me. Let it be one for you."

[Podcast] Episode 102: Academics Struggle With Managing E-Mail; Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/10/13

[Podcast] Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education; Episode 102: Academics Struggle With Managing E-Mail:

New Report From NYC Think Tank Looks at Future of All Three New York City Public Library Systems; Library Journal, 1/8/13

Gary Price, Library Journal; New Report From NYC Think Tank Looks at Future of All Three New York City Public Library Systems: "The new report comes from the Center for an Urban Future and is titled, Branches of Opportunities... Direct to Full Text Report (52 pages; PDF)"

Jo Budler: LJ’s 2013 Librarian of the Year; Library Journal, 1/7/13

John N. Berry III, Library Journal; Jo Budler: LJ’s 2013 Librarian of the Year: "It was a seismic move in the struggle to create a workable ebook access model for the users of America’s libraries. It was engineered by Joanne (Jo) Budler, the Kansas State Librarian, when she realized that an initial proposal in 2010 to renew the Kansas State Library (KSL) contract with OverDrive would increase administrative costs by some 700 percent over the next few years, as the state ebook deal was being restructured. Despite the risk of disrupting and even losing access to ebooks for the users of Kansas libraries, Budler rejected more than one proposal from OverDrive for a new contract until a year ago when she won the right to transfer titles from OverDrive to a new platform. The dispute set off a long (and public) national examination of library service agreements. Budler worked closely with Kansas Deputy Attorney General Jeff Chanay, whose expertise helped KSL struggle through the complex copyright and ownership issues built into the original state ebook platform contract. Budler’s ongoing efforts in the ebook battles and her work as chair of the Ebook Task Force of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), in addition to her significant local contributions in the state of Kansas, made clear a picture of Budler as an extremely effective library leader and LJ Editors’ choice for Librarian of the Year 2013."

Remembering Clara Stanton Jones; Library Journal, 12/27/12

Maurice Wheeler, Library Journal; Remembering Clara Stanton Jones: "Clara Stanton Jones was a giant in this profession and urban libraries, in particular, owe her a special debt of gratitude. Jones’s professional accomplishments during a career that spanned 40 years included many, many “firsts.” From the time I joined the American Library Association (ALA) as a student I heard of Clara Stanton Jones, the first African American president of ALA. It was not until much later in my career that I became aware of the significance of the other monumental ‘first’ in her career. In 1970, Jones became the first African American and the first female director of the Detroit Public Library (DPL). However, of perhaps even greater historic significance is that her elevation to that position in Detroit also made her the first African American in the nation to lead a major public library... Much of what I know of Jones on a personal basis has come from people at DPL who knew her well. Many shared stories that are a reminder that Jones was not only a trailblazing professional, but also a warm and caring person. Carolyn Moseley, her secretary (who has also served five subsequent DPL directors) stressed that Jones genuinely cared about people and felt a responsibility to use her position and resources to provide opportunities for others to be successful... She was graceful and gracious, and her personal style enhanced the already abundant qualities that led to her tremendous success. Jones was elegant and fashionable, and keenly aware of how physical presentation, even the timbre of her voice, could be used to garner support for causes in which she believed... Jones was keenly aware that we all stand metaphorically on the shoulders of those who came before us, and she embraced the fact she was heir to a long line of trailblazers."

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."