Explores the use of audiovisual materials in children's programing at the Seattle Public Library prior to 1920. Kinds of materials discussed include pictures, reflectoscopes, films, sound recordings, lantern slides, and stereographs. (17 references) (MES)

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians and adult readers. This issue includes reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for adults; an article, "How I Turned into a Booktalker--Overnight!" by Kaite Mediatore; and a new feature, "Talking with the Talkers," which focuses…

Discusses misconceptions about teen volunteers in public libraries: teens who hang out make good volunteers; teens who apply want to work; parents aren't important; incorporating volunteers is easy; enthusiasm means commitment; volunteers will tell you if they don't enjoy the job; non-performers are easy to fire; teens volunteer because they need…

Discusses the view that public libraries are institutions that advance the dominant culture's ideology; considers the multicultural society in which libraries operate; and reviews selected books and articles, particularly those related to African-American experiences in and around libraries, and suggests ways to move toward a more inclusive public…

Examines the role that the public library plays as a center for community activities, as a civic building, and as a representative of government. Examples of these roles in California communities are given, and sources of income and funding problems are addressed. (Contains 10 references.) (LRW)

Discusses providing an onsite coffee bar in a public library; includes guidelines for feasibility assessment, writing a request for proposal, and working with vendors. Weighs the advantages and disadvantages of working with big vendors and choosing a cart or a full-scale cafe. (PEN)

Although some people feel that there should be no expectation of privacy in a library because it is a public place, the debate on the library's obligation to protect patron privacy continues. Despite the media attention given to some notorious breaches of privacy (for example, the hacking of Paris Hilton's electronic address book), and the…

The Public Library Association (PLA) Conference, Seattle, February 24?28, relieved much of the sting felt by vendors who had exhibited at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in San Diego (InfoTech, LJ 2/15/04 , p. 27ff.). In stark contrast to ALA, which suffered from some of the slowest floor traffic in recent memory,…

From its humble origins some 30 years ago in New York's bombed-out, poverty-ravaged South Bronx, hip-hop has risen to become a dominant cultural force both here and abroad. Strictly defined, the term refers to the entire cultural constellation that accompanies rap music, which in 2001 surpassed country music as the most popular musical genre in…

As early as junior high school, after she had gone to see The Music Man and came out idolizing Marian, Karen Bersche knew she was destined for librarianship. But she didn't get around to it until after she got a degree in counseling, started her family, and opened her own daycare center. She has more than made up for lost time since, first as…

On June 4, 2004, a crazed man rammed an unstoppable, armor-plated bulldozer into eight buildings in Granby, Colorado. The library was one of them. Three days later, Cindy Eubank and other volunteers salvaged what they could from the wrecked building. The collection had also suffered rain damage, so this was a grubby labor of love for the…

Michael Sullivan is a juggler--not a metaphorical one, a real one. He's also a library director, storyteller, competitive chess player, poet, speaker, and former children's librarian who continues to work with the kids in his community. This article summarizes the accomplishments and work of Michael Sullivan.

Public libraries are suffering budget cuts in most states nationwide, according to an informal LJ survey, with a significant segment--though not a majority characterizing the strictures as worse than in the early 1990s, the last time libraries were hit hard. LJ contacted state library agencies and, in some-cases, state library associations, for a…

Lynne Cutler's driving force is the intense curiosity that led her to audit 24 additional courses while studying librarianship. It is what drives her to make Oakland Public Library's services available to those with disabilities, so that everyone can have "access to all the things in life I treasure, like books, words, music, art,…

Although a librarian for only eight years, Corinne Hill is already known in Dallas and Denton, TX, for turning dull, little-used branches into vibrant community centers. A stylish woman with a zest for shopping, Hill loves developing new collections and showing them off. She sees no reason why a library should not be as attractive as any good…