yoURArcher

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

The case against Little Free Libraries, written by librarians, backed by data.

How sympathetic are you to publishers’ desire to control “bargaining power and market share”? Amazon, like libraries, can be seen as a significant threat by publishers.

The latest CanLit blowup centers around “Winning the Appropriation Prize” and the fallout from this article. What can we learn from this?

A presentation on “Driving Change with Students, Staff, and Space” focuses on a workflows assessment to analyze staff duties, a “kindness audit” to examine barriers to library services, an enhanced patron count to determine how to best utilize library space, and a survey to report how students use the library.

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

Politics and libraries: “It Is Becoming Impossible to Remain Neutral.”

The Man Booker International Prize 2017 shortlist has been announced.

“This is What a Modern-Day Witch Hunt Looks Like”: Academia and the fallout from unpopular and dangerous scholarship.

Ben Lerner on the porous boundaries between literature, truth, and plagiarism.

The New York Public Library created a list of their favourite fictional librarians.

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

The scholarly community is becoming more and more cognizant of predatory publishing, but how libraries help scholars assess journals? The Canadian Association of research Libraries has released a collaboratively-developed guide on How To Assess a Journal (also available as a PDF) with clear guidelines for those deciding whether to use articles, or publish with a journal. (Hat-tip to Cara Bradley!)

A reflection on students and the academic library, and how to plan for the experiences of future students.

On how university teaching, a career in academia, and how failure can be the most fulfilling part of being a professor.

Libraries are spaces for cultivating literacy, and in today’s world that means multiple literacies, literacy gaps in user populations, and even “literacy literacy.”

A lecturer reflects on initial impressions of students, and what we can get wrong about students.

85-78 Photo 1 Student Asleep In Empty Lecture Hall

University of Regina Archives and Special Collections

University of Regina Photography Department

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

Mobile libraries, a.k.a. bookmobiles, have been around since at least the 1850s! Here are some rare vintage photos of early-era bookmobiles. (Hat-tip to Lisa Bayne)

The American Libraries Association has published its Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016.

In the post-truth era, information-sharing among post-secondary institutions is crucial.

A study of US colleges shows which ones circulated the most digital and online material as a percentage of their total circulation.

A pair of librarians has conducted research on library bathrooms (including academic libraries), their impact on user experiences, and what they say about libraries’ priorities.

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

Responses to Saskatchewan’s provincial budget cuts and their impact on public libraries continue. The Saskatchewan Libraries Association has issued an open letter to Premier Brad Wall. Letters to the editor in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix and Regina Leader Post have addressed the recent cuts and their impact. Library officials have announced that the cuts will require the closure of the province’s inter-library loan system, while Education Minister Don Morgan has requested that the program continue without offering any funding to support the program despite the budget cuts. If you are interested in getting involved or keeping up with news around this issue, consider following the Support Saskatchewan’s Public Libraries group.

How one college put information literacy into its curriculum. Integration and cooperation at all levels of instruction are key.

On the lack of women writing popular histories, despite being the primary readers thereof.

The province of Ontario is investing in digital and online learning for students.

80-2 Photo 90 French Class in Session 1945

Your weekly links to interesting stories from the world of libraries and archives, books and publishing, and information science.

Got a hot tip? Please send it to Kate.Cushon@uregina.ca (tipsters will be credited!).

The Saskatchewan Library Trustees’ Association (SLTA) has posted a number of advocacy pieces in response to provincial budget cuts to Saskatchewan’s public libraries.

Save our Libraries has launched a campaign of advocacy for Saskatchewan public libraries, which includes a number of ways to support public libraries or get involved.

Some thoughts on faculty outreach for librarians and library staff, and how it really can be like herding cats.

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations asks: “Are books ready for the dustbin of history?”

How universities and libraries are working to increase digital literacy and combat fake news.