Expeditions: Fortified Borders and Libraries
I’m in an ancient fortress in the mountains overlooking Salzburgh, Austria. Places like this were necessary to defend against invaders and competing neighbors. To keep what was yours you needed to lock it away behind fortified borders.
As nation states evolved, trade and commerce became increasingly important. To thrive was to open up borders and form a sort of protection by mutual benefit. In essence connections became stronger than fortress walls.
In our libraries over the centuries we have also built up many a fortification in architecture, policy, and language. It’s time to realize we don’t need to protect ourselves from our communities but forge strong ties and loose porous borders. So that someday we can thrive and grow beyond our walls.
Killing Librarianship
“Killing Librarianship” Keynote New England Library Association Annual Conference, Burlington, VT.
Abstract: What might kill our profession is not ebooks, Amazon or Google, but a lack of imagination. We must envision a bright future for librarians and the communities they serve, then fight to make that vision a reality. We need a new activist librarianship focused on solving the grand challenges of our communities. Without action we will kill librarianship.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2011/NELA.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2011/NELA.mp3
Transcript: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2011/KillLib.htm
Screencast:
Expeditions: Death of Reference and Ice Cream
LIS Grand Challenges and the Death of the User
“LIS Grand Challenges and the Death of the User” iSchool Colloquium Series University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
Abstract: Grand challenges are hard problems with solutions that have societal level impacts. They are as much rallying cry as research agenda, and are useful in promoting innovation in the field and building strong cross-disciplinary partnerships. What are the grand challenges in library and information science? This presentation will focus on efforts to define these grand challenges and the implications for research and education in the LIS field. Special emphasis will be put on moving past concepts of users to true participation and past information to knowledge.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2011/SIS-Pitt.pdf
New Librarianship in Rural Libraries
“New Librarianship in Rural Libraries” PEACE Library System Annual Conference (via Teleconference), Alberta, CA.
Due to technical audio problems with the video conference the actual presentation was not captured. The following video is a condensation and recreation of the presentation
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2011/PEACE.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2011/PEACE.mp3
Screencast:
Reinventing Library Services and Librarians in the Digital Age
“Reinventing Library Services and Librarians in the Digital Age” University of Pittsburgh Staff Development Participatory Librarianship: A Vital Conversation about Librarianship and its Future, Pittsburgh, PA.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2011/Pitt-Library.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2011/PittLibrary.mp3
Screencast:
Expeditions: Improve Society
Folks seemed to enjoy the short Atlas Expeditions videos I posted, so I decided to post another. This one reacting to recent discussions on “improve society” as part of the mission of librarians found in the Atlas of New Librarianship:
Announcing the Next Atlas of New Librarianship Reading Group
This Monday we will be starting a new Atlas reading group using a new forum, and with a new twist. The first year library students of Syracuse University will be moderating a weekly discussion of the Atlas on the blog of the companion website http://www.newlibrarianship.org/wordpress/?page_id=20. Each week a team of students will start off the conversation with a blog post, followed by discussion in the comments of that post powered by Disqus.
So grab your copy of the Atlas and join us Monday and start the conversation. Here is the schedule for the different threads:
Mission: September 19 – 25
Knowledge: September 26 – October 2
Facilitating: October 3 – 9
Communities: October 10 – 16
Improve Society: October 17 – 23
Librarians: October 24-31
Cutting Back Speaking
I just wanted to let folks know that I will be greatly limiting my travel and speaking schedule for the winter and spring (don’t worry librarians of Kansas and Rome, you can’t get away from me that easily). My wife is having some foot surgery and will be pretty immobile for a couple of months. This will also give me a chance to focus on some new projects like a new book (think Atlas for provosts, principals, and public – much more on that later).
That said if you are looking for a speaker via the Internet (Skype, Adobe Connect, FaceTime, iChat) I’m your man (and at greatly reduced honoraria). I appreciate your patience.