The Future of Libraries (Carrying The Mission Into The Digital Age) > Beyond The Pandemic

Readers of this blog might be curious why upload a post now about libraries. One reason is two recent press releases from the City of Mesa 'newsroom' MesaNow that look like the same-old Happy-Days vision of an unmasked politician in close-contact with kids to publicize a physical re-do with fake stones on the walls of the Children's Room plus a plea to sign-up for library cards.

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And then there's a podcast information piece in Techdirt yesterday

Techdirt Podcast Episode 297: The Future Of Libraries

Culture

from the public-good dept

Tue, Sep 7th 2021 1:30pm — Leigh Beadon

Let's start with a supposition of a Null Hypothesis -  The notion that if libraries didn't exist already, the publishing industry wouldn't allow them to exist at all is both a grim joke and a depressing truth, as continually evidenced by the opposition of publishers to seemingly unobjectionable technologies like controlled digital lending, which aim to allow libraries to carry their mission forward into the digital age

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This week, we're joined by Jennie Rose Halperin, executive director of the Library Futures Institute, to discuss the institute's new paper on the subject and the legality of and opposition to controlled digital lending, and what it tells us about the future of libraries.

Follow the Techdirt Podcast on Soundcloud, subscribe via Apple Podcasts, or grab the RSS feed. You can also keep up with all the latest episodes right here on Techdirt.

Filed Under: books, copyright, jennie rose halperin, libraries, library futures, podcast

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Beyond the Pandemic, Libraries Look Toward a New Era

With a shift to online resources well underway, “the most trusted civic institutions” are in a good position to deal with the changing future.

By

nytimes.com |

Many companies and public institutions were unprepared for the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. There was one notable, perhaps even surprising, exception: the nation’s public libraries.

For more than a decade, these seemingly traditional institutions had been investing in a range of technologies and media. Libraries now balance two stacks: the physical with the so-called digital full stack.

With a wealth of electronic books, streaming platforms and of course Zoom, many were ready, with some adjustments, to provide services for their communities. But no one could have predicted that 2020 would create the moment when “our libraries, the most trusted civic institutions in the country, would become totally virtual,” said Anthony Marx, the president and chief executive of the New York Public Library, the nation’s largest library system after the Library of Congress.

But will virtual offerings eclipse physical locations? . . .

 

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New Children's Library Opens Inside Main Library in Downtown Mesa

July 26, 2021 at 11:07 am
A new and much more extensive Children’s Library is now open at Main Library, 64 E. First St., for kids and adults to enjoy. A voter-approved bond issue funded the new children’s reading and play spaces inspired by Arizona wildlife.“The new...

Features include a story time stage, early childhood development area, event room, reading nooks, video projection games and adult-size and child-size entrances sculpted to look like Arizona rock formations.

"The new Children's Library is a tremendous addition to the Mesa Main Library with many features that are both educational and fun for the entire family," said Mayor John Giles. "I'm proud of our Library staff for having the vision to create this area. We are very grateful to Mesa voters for making this dream come true."

[Funding for the new Children's Library is from the Parks and Culture Bonds issue approved by Mesa voters in 2018.]

 

Mesa Celebrates National Library Card Sign-Up Month

September 1, 2021 at 5:13 pm
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card. Mesa Public Library is joining the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide to remind parents, caregivers and...