Posted on by rdlankes

A Year to Expect More

CalenPrepare yourself for a year of greater expectations!

This year I’m teaming up with some amazing partners to get out the message of Expect More. Namely that our communities should expect outstanding libraries, and we need to continue to prepare outstanding librarians to lead them.

Today you can read about Syracuse University’s iSchool launching an Expect More|Librarians Scholarship to help outstanding students work directly with cutting edge faculty at the school. Expect More Library Scholarships provide significant tuition support along with weekly stipends and a travel grant to work directly with a faculty member on areas like library advocacy, library assessment, gaming, and, of course, community engagement. Study advocacy right with former ALA president Barbara Stripling, or library assessment with Megan Oakleaf, school libraries with Ruth Small….or come work with me!

But wait, there’s more. Tech Logic is creating an Expect More Speaker Series. The series will be a set of regional events highlighting the future of libraries through community engagement, and freeing up librarians to work on the community as the collection. The series starts off at an invite-only event at ALA MidWinter and is coming to South Florida, California, Boston, and Texas. Keep an eye out for more details. I am thrilled to be working with Tech Logic and Lori Ayre, Galecia Group; Cheryl Gould, Fully Engaged Libraries; Juliane Morian, Associate Director at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library

The Tech Logic speaker series is also part of a larger Expect More World Tour. Over the next year I’ll be bringing the message of librarians engaged in radical positive change to Toronto, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia among others.

This year will also see the publication of The Radical’s Guide to New Librarianship, a follow on to The Atlas of New Librarianship we’ve been working on. You can already join in conversations and help shape the book through our Radical Conversations. Also, I’m going to use this year as input to creating a new edition of Expect More with hands on activities and planning guides for those who support libraries.

It’s going to be a very exciting and busy year. Stay tuned for more details, new dates on the World Tour (I’m looking at you Italy), and lots of support for librarians and communities demanding more from libraries in this complex world!

Want to get a head start? You can get your copy of Expect More right now.

7 Replies to “A Year to Expect More”

  1. Love the ideas about how to expand the student experience. Some LIS schools work a good community engagement angle through community informatics, but it’s always seemed like we could “expect more” (see what I did?) if we were to look at deeper collaboration with existing community engagement/service learning programs, e.g., DePaul’s Steans Center (http://steans.depaul.edu/) (and, yes, I’m working on it). I’ve written about this, and Jennifer Nutefall is going down this path, as well. Will be interested to see if SU starts making the same connections through this program.

  2. Really you are planning to come in Italy? I would Luke so much to meet you with other librarians that want to dream and work. Cinzia Iossa librarian in rome

  3. Great! I just received a mail from my teacher of the Vatican Library about your tour! We wait for you.
    Cinzia Iossa

  4. Did you already decided where you will give your conference in Rome? Did you ever tought of the Vatican Library?

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